Call me Kara
by SpeedForce 1229
Summary: Betrayed by her own world and left for dead an old friend arrives to save Kara from death. Deciding she has had enough of risking her life for others, Kara starts a brand new life with new love and new friends, leaving Supergirl behind forever.
1. Chapter 1

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N If you are new to this story welcome. If you have read it before, I am in the process of trying to get rid of some of the spelling mistakes and such. I am putting it on my site but as I am editing it I am going to be replacing chapters here. As far as reviews, if you want to leave one that's fine but there are things I will tell you about this story up front. It is fanfiction and unbeta'd. There are spelling mistakes and since I wrote this story on a Mac and Doc manager doesn't like Macs or Ipages some sentences are ran together or a word is missing. This is another reason I a editing it on AO3. Please do not leave any reviews pointing this out. Also any constructive criticism, I would appreciate if you would just drop me a PM. Nothing on here will change since it is complete but things may change on AO3. This story is over 600K long. There will be scenes you may not like. Please don't be that person who reads 500K words and leaves one review about something they didn't like in a chapter. I appreciate reviews but those who only want to point out mistakes, I usually block. No one is making anyone read the story. I also moderate reviews. I received a lot of great feedback and had fun interactions when this story was first written. It seems since then that it only attracts people who want to pick it apart and I don't usually have patience for those types of people.

Lastly this story was set before the season finale of the Flash season 2 and way before Supergirl season 2 when Kara's Earth was dubbed Earth 38 so here it is Earth 3. It has changed on AO3 along with a few other things. One thing that hasn't changed is in this AU, is Barry killed Zoom in the season finale rather than the Time Wraiths.

Okay, that's it. If you are still reading I hope you enjoy the story or check it out on AO3. So far there is only two chapters coming but more will follow. Editing a story this long is time consuming and I am writing a Thor Supergirl crossover along with Seeing Red, a Flash Supergirl crossover and sequel to Survivors.

Chapter 1

 _Earth 1_

It should have been a lazy Saturday afternoon at S.T.A.R labs. Caitlin sat in her lab analyzing the DNA strands of King Shark as part of Lyla Diggle's plan to cure the meta human and Cisco was hanging out with Barry, the two brainstorming ideas for improvements to the Flash suit. Despite Cisco's enthusiasm, he noted Barry was not as into the discussion as he normally was.

"What's with you, man?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine." Barry lied.

Normally his thoughts drifted to Iris, or wondered what Patty was up to. He had not seen or spoken to her since she had left Central City. Many times the speedster nearly picked up the phone to call, backing out at the last minute. Barry felt a clean break was best, sparing the feelings of loneliness that were sure to resurface. He knew he could have loved her, deeply given time, but it wasn't meant to be. Oliver's words came back to haunt him. Yes, he admitted, Oliver did say he was wrong later but even after things were so good, Felicity had left the man she loved after they came back to the life left behind.

Oliver also lost Felicity due to his own issues but the death of Laurel Lance hit him hard as well. He had never been the most open person but he had been trying, changing, seeing the good in his life rather than focusing on his mission every single moment. Now the man had taken a backward slide, bitterness and loss coloring his face despite the recent victory against Damian Darkh. It had been a bitter victory, considering the pain and loss all had gone through but the threat was gone.

Until the next great threat, and if there was one thing Barry had learned recently, there was always a next one. He had also learned not to be so trusting of others due to what had occurred since he had become the Flash. He had those he could count on but had closed himself off to the possibility of letting anyone else into his life.

None of these topics were on his mind right now.

Instead his mind was in another universe, thinking of a woman with golden hair and a smile that lit up whatever room she was in, whether it was as Supergirl or Kara Danvers, shy, awkward executive assistant.

She probably took my advice and went after the Olsen guy he thought. As much as he hated to encourage her, Barry knew he would most likely never see the Blonde again, the one woman who had captivated him like no other and understood what it meant to be different, to have superhuman abilities and so many responsibilities. He was grateful for his friends but not one of them, through no fault of their own, could understand what it was like to be the person whom so much rested on. The pressure of knowing if you weren't at your best, or were a second to late it could mean someone was dead. Kara understood and she was a warrior. A woman who had lost everything, her family at a young age like Barry but also her foster father, not to mention the home she had grown up on, obliterated before her eyes. Remembering the destruction of Central City that Barry time travelled back to change it was a feeling he could sort of understand.

So what was she doing now? Barry had never told any of his team about the adventure the two had when Barry found his way into her universe by accident. He had told none of them what happened or about the blonde goddess he met, only that he was there. There were other things to focus on, mainly Zoom and he couldn't be distracted. Now he had time to be distracted. The past two years had aged him, changed him and for the first time he wondered if Oliver was right before he and Felicity got together. Was this loneliness the cost of the lifestyle he had chosen? Was it worth it?

"Barry? Earth to Barry?"

"What?"

"I told you that I know you and something is bothering you and all I got was proof since you haven't responded to me in over a minute."

"I'm sorry man. I guess the stress of the last couple years has gotten to me. Things have been quiet and a part of me is glad but another part is wondering what disaster is around the corner."

"RIght? I think waiting is the hardest part. But we may as well enjoy life while we can right? Now lets get back to work or order pizza. I'm starving."

Cisco stood up from the table and clapped Barry on the back. The moment his hand touched his friend's shoulder he was hit by a vision. Barry recognized the look and waited for his friend to come out of it.

Cicso shook his head and looked at Barry who was now standing.

"What did you see?"

"Uh … man it was out there. I saw this blonde hottie wearing some sort of skin tight blue top and a red skirt. She was in an apartment and some men broke in. They shot her twice…"

Barry's heart began to race, but he forced his voice to remain calm.

"Don't worry. Shooting her won't do any good." the doubt was still present in the Flash's voice and Cisco caught it.

"I don't think so man. She was on the floor and that was a lot of blood. I mean a lot."

Barry did not have time to think, reacting on instinct instead. Somewhere, probably Kara's apartment in another universe she was injured, dying. That was what was important right now, nothing else.

"Where is the tachyon device?" Barry asked, his words so fast Cisco nearly didn't catch them.

"In Gideon's room, you know that. What the hell is going on?"

"I've got to get to another universe."

Before Cisco could object Barry was gone and back, suited up, Tachyon device in place.

"I'll be back. Have Caitlin ready to perform surgery."

"Bar…"

Before another word was said, Barry was in the accelerator running circles, building speed. Cisco monitored him from the control room, wondering what the hell he needed the tachyon device for. Surely he was not going back in time.

No his vibrations were wrong, they weren't matching this universe's vibrations. He was doing it on purpose. The last time he had done this he accidentally skipped into another earth, making his own breach.

"Barry? Barry what the hell are you doing?! Stop before you…"

A breach opened up and Barry ran into it. Cisco checked the readings and saw not only was Barry vibrating at a strange pattern but had also ran faster than the team had ever recorded.

"Cisco! What is going on? Where is Barry?" Caitlin yelled, running into the control room.

"Uh… I think Barry just intentionally skipped into another universe. I saw this vision of a blonde in some weird costume getting shot … damn it! Caitlin I hope we have enough medical supplies to perform surgery for a gunshot victim."

Caitlin paled.

"Yes I suppose… I mean in case Barry was ever shot and couldn't heal fast enough or the bullets needed to come out."

"Then get everything ready. I have a feeling Barry will be back soon and he won't be coming alone."

 _Earth 3_

Kara woke up late as usual on a Saturday morning. Today she did not want to get out of bed. Cat had given her Saturday off despite the rest of the office having to work and after recent events, the heroine was content to stay in bed for weeks. The battle with Non, Myriad, James and the awkwardness the two had shared since Myriad had been foiled and they had to deal with the repercussions of her attempt to start something irritated her. How much more did she have to give until he decided she was worth it? The city had forgiven her, Cat Grant forgave her immediately after she had thrown the woman from a skyscraper and yet James still seemed to be held up by the simple fact that she had something as horrible as jealousy, over him no less, in her heart. Alex forgave her and what she said and done to her was much worse. All she had done to James was be honest about wanting him.

James did not like the dark side of Kara. She briefly wondered what would happen if he had been under the influence of a drug that brought his darker thoughts to surface and decided he wouldn't be the nice guy everyone thought he was. James loved the idea of Kara the same way he worshipped her cousin but he refused to see them as actual persons.

No one on this planet understood her. Her fellow Kryptonians were gone and even though, sure they had wanted her dead, that last contact with her home planet besides Kal was gone forever.

Deciding not to waste the day pining away for a man who didn't appreciate the real Kara or hiding under her covers, she decided to get dressed and fly to the DEO. Hank and Alex were back and Lucy being in charge had not changed the dynamic of the place. It still felt like a safe place, a place she could focus on what she wanted in life, a simple chance to help others and make a difference.

Dressing in her suit, still damaged from the final battle with a few ripped seams and gashes, Kara prepared to exit the window when she heard the sounds of footsteps running towards her apartment.

Her phone rang.

"Hello." she answered keeping her eye on the door.

"Kara, it's Lucy. We have been compromised! You have to run. It's my Dad! Hide some…"

The line went dead. Kara stared at it until her door was kicked in. Two men in DEO black BDUs burst in, weapons drawn and fired at her. She should have moved, it would have been so easy to get out of the way, but the sheer disbelief of what was happening froze her in place. She felt the green glowing bullets hit, one in her abdomen and one in her chest. The shots felt like a hammer blow, but she stood, staring at the two men and the four who had come in behind them.

Kryptonite. The bullets were Kryptonite. Lucy's call. Her Dad. Samuel Lane. The DEO taken over.

Kara thought of moving towards the window, flying away but her legs wouldn't move in that direction. Instead they crumpled to the floor. On her knees she watched a soldier walk up to her, placing the barrel of his gun to her head.

This is it, she thought. They are eradicating the last of the Kryptonians. Everything she did, had done, had sacrificed was for nothing.

"Finish her." a voice commanded from the back.

Kara looked the man in his uncovered eyes. She didn't recognize him due to the mask over his face but she saw his eyes and the hate reflected in them.

She would not die with her eyes closed.

Kara heard an explosion and expected darkness. Instead she saw a streak of blue fly over her, cracking of the bones of the man in front of her.

More screams. Her eyes began to glaze over but she recognized what was happening.

Kal El had arrived and he was killing the men with his bare hands. The screams were silenced finally. She opened her eyes noting at some point she had reached the floor and saw her cousin kneeling over her. He had tears in his eyes. She had never seen him cry.

Then what must have been the end. A man with a red mask pulled back to reveal Barry Allen.

It couldn't be. Kara had known when she tossed him into the breach she would never see him again.

I must be dying if I am hallucinating Barry being here, was her last thought before darkness took her over.

Kal El screamed in anger at seeing his beautiful cousin, his only family lying in a pool of blood. He flinched when Barry arrived by Kara's side but recognized the man was not with the DEO immediately. He knew from Kara's description of her friend that this must be the Flash. But what was he doing here? He was in another universe.

"What happened?!" Barry asked in near hysterics at seeing Kara in a pool of blood that was growling larger under her.

"I was attacked. The government tried to kill me but they obviously didn't. I tried to call Kara and run with her but I think they scrambled my cellphone, so I flew across the country. I was a minute to late."

"We have to get her to a hospital." Barry said, trying to control the tremors in his voice. Kara was paling and her breathing was shallow.

"They will track here there and couldn't help anyway."

"The DEO?"

"Who the hell do you think did this?!"

"I don't know! Look I'm Bar…"

"I know who you are. Kara told me about you."

"If we can get her out of the city I can build up enough speed to break the dimensional barrier. I'm not sure I can do it without your help while I'm carrying her. Once we begin vibrating at the same frequency you are going to have to throw us into the breach. We should arrive back in my lab. I have a doctor waiting."

"How did you even know this was going to happen?" Kal El asked suspiciously.

"My friend can see through… does this really matter? Do you want her helped or not?"

"Yes." Kal El told him, making the decision immediately. Barry scooped up Kara and ran out of the apartment, Clark jumping out the window and following him in air. Once they were out of the city Superman landed next to Allen and kept pace, feeling the vibrations in the air he was emitting and doing his best to copy them. Kal El recognized what he was doing was crazy, sending his dying cousin into another universe with a man claiming he could help her, never knowing again if she had lived or died, but this was her only chance. She had told him enough about this Allen guy since they caught up after the Myriad crisis to know he was not evil.

He was her only chance.

"The bullets are made of Kryptonite. They have to come out. She will be weak for a while and have to be stabilized. She will also need sun lamps. Our power comes from the yellow sun. Keep her alive long enough for her to soak up as much solar energy as she can and she will heal on her own. Keep the Kryptonite away from her once the bullets are out. Our physiologies are identical to humans but blood may not work. You have to bombard her with solar radiation. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I see a breach but I have to maintain speed. Can you toss us into it with enough force?"

"Yes I can." Clark saw the anomaly up ahead and placed a hand on the Flash's back shoving him hard. The two flew into the whole and it closed up behind them.

Superman stopped, staring at the place he had just sent his only relative, the only one outside of Lois he truly loved.

The government had betrayed her. She risked her life for these people and they betrayed her. Staring at his bloody hands, he had a pretty good idea the President and his father in law were to blame.

Someone landed behind him and Clark turned, eyes already glowing, prepared to fry whoever was there. He relaxed a bit when he saw it was J'onn, Alex in his arms. Alex feet hit the ground and she ran to him, grabbing his broad shoulders.

"Where is Kara?!"

Before he could answer Alex saw his hands and stared at the blood on them.

"Where is she?" she whispered this time, face frozen in horror.

"In another universe having surgery right now if we are lucky. They will never be able to touch her there." he told the woman.

"But how will we know if she is okay? How will we find out? How do I get to her? She needs me! Take me there! However you did it take me there now!"

"I can't." Kal El answered wiping the tears from his face.

"Why not?!"

"Barry Allen showed up."

"The Flash guy Kara told me about?" Alex asked, confusion now mixing with worry and fear.

"Yes. I am not entirely sure how he got here but we were both too late. She had been shot twice. He carried her and I matched his vibrations and … he had some sort of metal device on his chest. We ran and I had to push him into the breach. I can't carry you and J'onn isn't fast enough to keep up. We have to hope for the best."

"Where are the men who did this?" J'onn asked.

"I killed them. The ones who shot her I killed them. I killed them all."

"Oh my God." Alex whispered.

"I have to get Lois and we have to leave. I have to hide her. J'onn you can watch her, protect her while I take care of unfinished business. I plan to find and kill Samuel Lane."

"Clark…" J'onn tried

"Call me Kal El. Superman and Clark Kent are dead. There are very few humans I give a damn about anymore and they include Alex and Lois. Take her and when I come back we are going to my fortress. I can make the environment more hospitable. Until then go to the fall back spot that we set up in the Rockies J'onn. Kill anyone who tries to get close to Alex. I will bring Lois and we are all leaving for good. They have crossed a line that cannot be uncrossed."

"I have to get to her! You have to figure out a way!" Alex screamed.

"I can't! You think this isn't killing me!? I had to make a decision and I sent her to another universe with a lab waiting to perform surgery staffed with people who obviously are familiar with super humans. I made the decision to give her the best chance at life whether we are in it or not. She was near death and I had no time. If there was any other option I would have kept her with me. I love her too!"

Kal stopped his rant when Alex fell to her knees wailing. J'onn dropped beside her and held her from behind but the woman was inconsolable.

Kal El knelt in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He recognized the hurt, the love and didn't want to make her feel worse, even though he knew it was hopeless.

"Alex, I promise you, I will do everything I can to get you to her. To get all of us there. Right now this is the best we have, the only chance she has. Hide with us, and we can work on this, I promise. She is my family too and we both love her. If there is a way, we will make it happen. Between me, you and J'onn we will figure this out."

Alex removed her hands from her face and sniffled, nodding her head hurriedly.

"Take her J'onn. I won't be long."

"You really plan to kill him?" the Martian asked, already knowing the answer. He understood better than most what family meant. He considered Kara his daughter and at this moment if Kal El wouldn't kill the bastard he would.

"Yes but not now. They will be waiting for me and I have to get Lois and Alex to safety. I do need to prepare and make a call. But soon, trust me, his days are numbered."

At the Catco office James Olsen was still trying to come to terms with what the man he considered his best friend told him. In the back of his mind he was dumbfounded that Clark had killed the men but found he really didn't care. What he did care about was Kara, the girl who stole his heart, the one he was to scared to be with, the one he admitted he had placed on a pedestal and judged harshly even though she had done nothing to him to deserve it, could be dead and at the least would likely never be seen again.

Barry Allen. The Flash, the guy he knew was perfect for her, had somehow broken the dimensional barrier again to save Kara. He knew Kara had been infatuated with Allen from the moment they met and perhaps that was another reason he held back, feeling inadequate. It didn't matter now though. As Clark had explained, Kara was gone and the world no longer had Supergirl or Superman. The damn government had turned on her after everything she did to save humanity because they were scared of aliens, any aliens, good or bad had no place there.

James called Winn over and explained what had happened. Winn listened in silence, not saying a word with the blankest face James had ever seen. He sat silent for a minute before he asked the question most prevalent in his mind.

"Is she alive?"

"I don't know. Superman is though. If we thought Non was bad, you haven't seen anything yet." James admitted. Kal El's voice had been flat, informing James he killed the men who shot Kara and planned to kill Lane as if discussing the weather.

"She will be okay. Barry … Barry is a good guy. He is smart and he has friends and … she will be okay. Then she will be back and everything will be fine." Winn told him, hanging on to that idea.

"Why would she come back to a world she saved and then turned around and tried to kill her, Winn?" James asked, eyes tearing up. "We need to tell Cat. I mean I do. You want to come?"

Winn nodded his head and stood on shaky legs. The walk to the glass office felt surreal.

Cat Grant looked up from her desk, irritated at the interruption. With the past weeks activities and Supergirl saving not only National City but the world, it was a headache making sure everything was perfect, all information was accurate and the world knew what a hero Cat Grant had.

"Busy. Come back later gentlemen."

"Miss Grant we have some news you are going to want to hear. It hasn't gotten out yet but you are going to want to know about this now."

Cat Grant had never heard the somber tone Olsen was using now. A chill swept through her but she maintained a calm professionalism.

"Out with it."

"Superman was attacked earlier today by the government. He survived and flew to National City. He was too late though. The government shot Supergirl in her home." James said, still not quite believing the words coming out of his mouth.

"I see." Cat said quietly. "And Supergirl? Is she receiving some sort of treatment or did the bullets bounce off as they should? I assumed she lived in some secret headquarters surrounded by computer screens and such. Did her cousin take her to get help? I'm assuming if the military bothered they must have had bullets that could harm her slightly?"

James and Winn both looked down.

"Answer me." Cat demanded quietly, her hand that was holding a pen beginning to shake.

"Do you remember Barry… of course you do. The reason he never was seen again was because he was from a parallel universe. I can explain it to you later but regardless he somehow knew she was in trouble and arrived at her apartment the same time Superman did. Superman helped him get Supergirl to the universe Barry was from and they are gone. But…" James stopped.

"But what?"

"It didn't look good. She had lost a lot of blood. There are apparently quite a few bodies torn to pieces by Superman in her apartment. We don't know if she is alive or dead. We probably will never know."

Cat's breath caught and she forced herself to stop her shaking hand, dropping the pen on the counter.

"Fine. Do you know who did this? Who ordered this?"

"We … Superman says he believes it was the President and General Lane." James answered.

"Of course a Lane would be involved. I will broadcast in one hour from my office. The whole world is going to know what they did to her." Cat ordered.

"We have no proof." Winn told her quietly.

"I am the Queen of all Media. I don't need proof. I am going to bring the world down on that bitch and her servant boy Lane. I told Kara she could have the weekend off. She has been looking quite tired the past few days but I need her here. Call her and have her report to the office immediately."

Neither men said a word, both noting the quiver in her voice and both looking at the floor.

"Get to it!"

"Miss Grant." James started.

Cat continued looking down at her desk but now the men noticed her body was shuddering.

"I… I knew. I always knew from the first time I did that interview. That silly disguise. I mean hiding in plain sight was a good trick to fool the general public but I knew every feature of that girl. She was so obvious. Of course I had my doubts when she brought in that double but then the incident with Bizarro and whoever or whatever that was that impersonated her when she was out sick. Kara would never bring me whole milk. Never. Then her personality changes that coincided with the Red Kryptonite incident. I always knew but I didn't want to believe it. It was a game. I would pretend I didn't know and she would continue making sad attempts to fool me. I was so petty when she broke up with Adam but it was so obvious. She had been kidnapped that night by Bizarro and was trying to protect him. I made her life hell after that and for what? Looking out for my son? Now she is gone. I will never see her again. She can't come back can she? Of course why would she? I have a feeling considering the pile of bodies left behind that Superman is done too?"

James nodded, not looking at the woman who had tears silently falling down her face. He couldn't right now.

"Please tell me she survived, James."

"I have no idea Miss Grant. Superman has no idea but she was in a bad way. He said there was a lot of blood. She was shot in the chest and stomach. Thats all he told me. That and he was going for Lane and anyone else who had a hand in this."

"Good. I hope he kills them all." Cat whispered and then stood up wiping her eyes.

"Public address in a…make it two hours. I need time to collect my thoughts. I will tell the public of Superman's suspicions and let them make their own decisions on the future of the President. I will see that bitch in prison. Now leave. I need to prepare myself."

Both men walked out, Winn running to the bathroom and vomiting in the toilet, then sitting with his back to the wall on the floor crying. James moved to his desk and contemplated calling Lucy but was very afraid of what he would do if she had some part in this.

Neither saw Cat Grant walk out onto her balcony, curl up on the sofa and break down.

 _Earth 1_

"This is quite possibly the most irresponsible thing he has ever done." Wells complained. "With the exception of time travel of course."

"You realize Harry, that if he hadn't time traveled this city would have been destroyed twice, correct?"

Wells said nothing, not wanting an argument and wondering if the Flash would ever grace Central City again. If he did not get the right frequency he could have ended up on any Earth.

Caitlin did not have time to worry about Barry's actions. Unlike Wells she never questioned him, knowing if he felt something had to be done to save a life he would do it. Instead she busied herself preparing a surgical bed, laying out instruments and bags of blood, bandages, anything else she could think of. She had saved Wells before and felt confident she could do it again. Of course the girl may be dead from the stress of inter dimensional travel alone and Barry had a difficult time even with the device, of opening breaches himself, much less carrying another person. If he found another speedster it would be possible but would he have time to find another?

It didn't matter. Barry would do it. Thawne, Zoom, Grodd, Barry always found a way.

Her faith was rewarded when Cisco's excited voice announced a breach was opening in the accelerator.

Before she had time to be nervous or excited for his return Barry was in front of her, covered in blood holding a blonde in some sort of strange costume also soaked in blood. It wasn't hard to tell the blood on Barry was hers. Barry placed her on the surgical table and Caitlin moved.

"Caitlin listen, she has two bullets in her. They both have to come out and taken far away. They are made of the only metal that can weaken or harm her. Her anatomy is the same as a humans. Once the bullets are out we need sun lamps. High powered sun lamps, as many as we can shine on her. It will help her heal. Also I am not sure if our blood will work on her."

"Why not? She needs blood now!" Caitlin told him, trying to process the information he had given her.

"She is an alien. I will explain later. If she needs blood I will give her mine. It may be a closer match to hers than a regular human."

"And if it makes it worse?"

"We don't have time to worry. Cisco!"

"Yeah Bar?" he asked, eyes widening as he took in the scene he had just ran into.

"We need solar lamps. Extremely powerful solar lamps."

"Uh, we don't have any here. Never had a need for them." Cisco answered, eyes still taking in the scene in front of him.

"Mercury Labs has some…" Cait offered before Barry was gone. By the time he made it back 90 seconds later with two very large lamps he had obviously just 'borrowed' from Mercury labs, Cait had cut the costume off the girl and opened her chest, wanting to get the bullet near her heart first and then address the abdominal bleeding. She had lost an amazing amount of blood and it was a miracle she was alive at all.

"Barry if you really want to do this, set up a transfusion now. We have no choice, she has to have blood or she is going to die on this table in the next few minutes." Caitlin ordered. Barry set the transfusion line up in a second, even going so far as to enter the IV into Kara's skin himself, a trick he had learned from his personal physician.

Okay, cross your fingers and pray everyone." Cait whispered as she prepared to perform the first ever life saving surgery on a visitor from another universe and planet.


	2. Chapter 2

Do not own CBS or CW or DC characters

A/N- Thank you for the reviews. If I haven't gotten back to you personally I will. To answer some of your questions, yes the characters from both Earths will meet eventually, but it may be a while. We will keep up with the characters from Earth 1 but the main focus will be on Kara and Barry. It may be a while before they all get together (Earth 1 and 3) because I am not in a hurry with the story and really want to build up the relationship. I realize the first chapter was a bit dark but not all will be like that. This one will however. Superman is a bit unhinged by grief at the moment. Other than that I am not saying much for now. Thank you for the reviews. I wasn't sure I would get any to be honest as this is a new pairing and the first time I have written under this call sign but they are encouraging me to soldier on. That said, on with the story.

Chapter 2

 _Earth 3_

Cat Grant prepared to address National City and likely the nation, perhaps the world. She was as prepared as she could be, as anyone could be, considering the media mogul was attacking the President of the United States. The world would find out who had the real power in America, the media or the politicians. By striking first, she would give the Government no time to prepare. This was the last thing they would expect and by the time it was over it would be too late. She had found out more information though. On orders from her, Olsen reached out to the Man of Steel and who spoke to him and then Cat herself. He was very forthcoming. What he told her sickened her to the core.

Cat should have been excited. She would change the world, break a story no one else had that was of historical importance. Scoop the Daily Planet with information they did not yet possess.

Instead all she could think about was her missing assistant. The woman knew if this hadn't been her assistant, her hero, her Kara, she would wait, find out more information, dig deeper, but Cat was angry and grieving and needed to lash out at someone. Who better than the President of the United States?

"You are on in three, two, one…"

The cameraman pointed towards her as she sat behind her desk and looked directly into the camera.

"People of National City and the world. It is with great sadness that I bring you news which will shock, anger and deeply sadden you as it has done me. As we all know National City recently faced a crisis, narrowly escaping being slaves to evil beings who hoped to conquer the Earth through a mind control device. Through my efforts as well as those of Maxwell Lord we were able to stop the threat. As you all know we were not alone. Supergirl fought, and nearly died at the hands of the leader of this criminal group while the rest of the world watched on. The young lady who has proven herself time and time again, once again came through and acted as the champion we may not have deserved but we were blessed with regardless. She nearly died for us all. Through her efforts the city and by extension the world survived.

I have spoken to Superman today and was informed that the Army working under direct orders of General Samuel Lane, authorized by the President of the United States, caught a warehouse on fire in Metropolis and sent out a false distress signal reporting people trapped inside the inferno. Superman of course responded, only to find soldiers waiting for him, armed with Kryptonite bullets, who attempted to kill him. They were unsuccessful, however Supergirl was not so fortunate. She was attacked in her home, with no provocation, by men under the orders of General Lane and by extension the President of the United States, who shot her twice as she prepared for the day.

As of this moment, Supergirl is missing and presumed dead."

Cat stopped for a moment and looked around before realizing the assistant who she was looking for, the one who looked at her in a reverence that Cat had come to rely on, was not in the room and never would be again.

"The general public may not be aware yet of all the details in regard to the recent alien attack. The man who led this attack was a Kryptonian and Supergirl's uncle. He offered her a position of power over the human race and she turned him down, battling him at great risk to her own life and defeating him. It would have been easy to turn her back on the entire human race but she believed in freedom, humanity's right to choose its fate for better or worse, and the protection of all mankind. In other words she believed in the ideals of America, the ideals this country was founded on.

I knew Supergirl, not only as a hero but as a person. I knew her identity and I will never reveal it. She and her family deserve that peace. Supergirl worked a regular job with co workers who adored her. She was bright, sunny, always positive and always helping out for others. She was a United States citizen, yes from another planet, a planet that was destroyed through no fault of her own, and paid taxes like everyone else. She worried about paying bills, dealt with rude people, dealt with the same problems we all have. In other words, she was one of us and the President ordered her murder under the guise of National security.

Supergirl could have used her great power as could her cousin, at anytime in her life to infringe upon the rights of others. She could have harmed innocent people, could have taken whatever she wanted, could have supported the aliens in their plan to take over the world. Instead she stood by her adopted planet and defended it. I ask you to think about refugees who come to our shores from other countries to escape persecution, who we gladly accept. If their country suddenly went to war or acted in a manner not pleasing to the President would she order their citizen's deaths as well? Will she order yours?

What you also do not know is the President authorized a strike on National City that would have killed at least 400,000 people. Supergirl found another way. She saved hundreds of thousands of lives that the President was willing to sacrifice.

Because of the actions of the President, Supergirl is gone. The one who stood for hope and risked her life countless times is gone, most likely forever as is her cousin. I have spoken personally to Superman not an hour ago and he has told that he will no longer defend humanity, but live his own life, away from any government's reach.

I would ask you this America. The next time an alien invasion occurs, and we know that we are not alone, who will defend you then? Who will stand up and fight for you? What will the President do? Will she send a nuclear weapon and kill thousands, perhaps millions, without a second thought?

Superman also told me about a secret the Government has kept for many years. A place called Project Cadmus. This base is a concentration camp, not only for aliens who have never hurt a soul but also American citizens. Both humans and aliens are being experimented on, killed, dissected, and burned. This is America and this is what we have turned into. We are on our own now. The greatest heroes we had are gone, one to an unknown fate and the other in disgust at what the human race has become.

I am calling all of you, everyone who believes in fundamental rights of all living beings to take a stand. Protest peacefully for the removal of the President. I am calling on the Justice Department to investigate the President of the United States for the cold blooded murder of Supergirl. I am calling on President Carter to resign as she has clearly broken her oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. Fear ruled her decisions and through fear those who saved us were targeted for execution. This is still the United States of America President Carter and we will not stand for acts of villainy. Thank you for your time. May God bless America, God bless Supergirl and Superman and God help us all if we should ever need them again."

Cat motioned for the camera to stop.

"24 hour loop everywhere. Do not stop."

"Miss Grant, the US government could arrest you for inciting riots, not to mention discussing top secret projects to the nation." her legal counsel told her.

"I have cameras everywhere on this building inside and out, an army of lawyers and the world watching. Let her come at me. I will be a martyr and the people will see exactly who is leading this country. If I take a fall for Supergirl I will. It is the least I can do."

Cat's legal counsel's worry was unfounded however. Within four hours, while Cat waited for the FBI to arrest her, thousands had flooded Pennsylvania Avenue, calling for the immediate resignation and arrest of the President of the United States. Thousands more protested outside their representatives and Congressmen's offices. By five o clock no legal authorities had arrived at CatCo, with the exception of police who were helping crowd control for the thousands who marched in front of the building calling for the President's head.

At 6 o clock Eastern time, the Chief of the Justice Department and the Attorney General reported to the world that an investigation had begun into illegal activities conducted by the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.

Cat slept in the office on her couch that night, nearly calling out for Kara three times, asking for coffee. Carter arrived with a security team and stayed with his mother on the other couch, beside himself in grief when Cat had explained as gently as possible what had happened to Supergirl and entrusted him with the identity of the hero. It was like losing two heroes at the same time for the boy.

Two days later General Lane had been placed in hiding for his own protection, Lucy Lane's whereabouts were unknown and the DEO had been placed in the spotlight. The headquarters were empty, except for a few agents who stayed behind to mind the violent prisoners contained in the base.

The day after this, the FBI raided Project Cadmus. The military personnel quickly surrendered except for Captain James Harper who resisted arrest, fired upon the FBI and was shot to death by agents.

A week after this Congress called for and voted to impeach the President.

Two weeks later Clark Kent found General Samuel Lane in a secure bunker in the Appalachian Mountains.

Taking the few guards out was easy enough. He found all had Kryptonite bullets as expected. Walking in, disguised as Clark Kent, he took advantage of the two guard's inside confusion and knocked them out before they could blink. Opening a door to an office in the back he found General Samuel Lane, sitting behind a desk. The look on his face would have been humorous if Kal had not been so angry. Time had not quenched his thirst for blood. All were safe in his fortress, Eliza, Alex, Lois and J'onn. Only Kal El remained behind to take care of unfinished business.

"Kent? What the hell … how did you get in? How did you find me? Is Lois here?"

Kal El walked to the desk slowly, picked it up and tossed it against a concrete wall, shattering the wooden furniture in pieces.

"What the hell?!" Lane jumped back, eyes wide at the crazed look on his son in law's face.

"I've been looking for you. You didn't think you could hide forever did you?"

Kal El took off his glasses and slowly unbuttoned his shirt revealing his family's crest.

"Not very observant are you? Lois used to make fun of the simplicity of my disguise but it wasn't just the glasses, it was everything. Make yourself appear incompetent, shy, non confrontational, blend in and the average person would never believe you could be the one in the suit. It worked for a long time, it would work forever if I wanted it to but that is no longer necessary. How does it feel to know your daughter is married to an alien?"

Lane had felt fear many times in his life but never had the impending sense of doom he felt now.

"What do you want? Come to kill me? We both know you don't have it in you. Sure you may have killed those men who shot your cheerleader niece…"

"Cousin." Kal El corrected.

"Whatever, but that was in the heat of the moment. You really plan to kill me now? Premeditated? You want to show the world the monster you are?"

"Yes." Kal answered.

Lane tried to melt into the wall behind him.

"What would my daughter say if she could see you now?"

"I talked to her when I found your location. She told me to make it slow. She was quite fond of Kara."

"So do it already. I'm not afraid of you." Lane lied.

"As you wish General. Before you die you should know that the President was arrested today. You are considered a fugitive. A fugitive who will never be found. There will be no military funeral for you, no honor, no dignity. Even your own daughter thinks you deserve death. If there is a hell I hope you enjoy knowing that while you burn in it."

Kal El's eyes lit up and Lane knew what was coming. He had expected a broken neck, something quick. Instead twin laser beams struck him in the chest and he felt a burn like he had never experienced before.

Within seconds his clothes were on fire. He tried to run only to be tossed back into the wall by the former hero, now vigilante.

Kal El, the last son of Krypton listened to the screams of the man who may well have murdered his only blood bond and caused her to be lost to him forever.

It was over too fast.

 _Earth 1_

The events that proceeded after Kara's attack on Earth 3 were of course unnoticed by the inhabitants of S.T.A.R. labs, because on the heels of Kara's sudden appearance in their lives, Dr. Caitlin Snow was trying to save the heroine's life. Barry had told Kara on the balcony in his brief time with her that despite superpowers it was humbling to know that some things were out of their control. He had no idea how right he would be.

Cait had told Barry she believed in him many times. She had been supportive ever since he began his crusade as the Flash. She had told him he was a hero.

Barry would remind himself to let Cait know how much of a hero she was as well. Because right now it appeared she was pulling off the impossible.

"First bullet is out. Wells I need sutures and suction." she instructed calmly, feeling anything but.

Barry began to feel faint and Cisco noticed.

"Barry you are giving too much blood. You can't help her if you pass out. We need more."

I'll do it. I'm metahuman too." Cisco offered. Barry saw the wisdom in the words and before Cisco could say ow, he was hooked up to a new line.

Kara's heart stopped.

Cait took the defibrillator paddles calmly and placed them on the blonde's chest. With the first shock, Kara's heart started slowly beating again.

While this was going on, Barry shook himself out of the panic he felt and set up the lamps, Turning them on at full power, the three surrounding the table cringed, feeling the heat right away.

"Barry turn down the power. I can't have her healing over these wounds until they are repaired and we can't burn to death. The abdominal shot deflected off a rib and is buried in her lung. Dr. Wells grab the bag valve mask and begin breaths one every five seconds, 15 liters O2."

Barry turned down the power slightly, while Caitlin Snow, the biggest hero he had ever known at the moment, the woman who saved him many times, worked to retrieve a bullet while keeping her patient alive. Cisco became weak but Barry felt his body would have recovered from the blood loss enough by this time that he was ready to go again.

"Got it!" Harry get this away from here." Cait ordered.

She dropped the green glowing bullet in the pan next to the table and Harry ran off with it, out of the room and out of sight.

"I think I have the bleeding stopped and her lung sewn. Her heart rate and BP are increasing. I'm closing her up. Keep the blood transfusion as long as you can stand it Barry. Cisco can't recover like you can, so our next option is human … I can't believe i just said that… blood."

Barry watched closely as Caitlin closed up Kara. The three friends stood over the table, Barry providing blood, Cisco scared to leave and Cait watching every breath the Kryptonian took.

Barry passed out. Cisco caught him before he hit the floor and Cait removed the transfusion line. She turned the solar lamps to full power and backed away from the table, Cisco dragging Barry away. The solar lamps were at such a high setting they would have fried any human underneath, but to Cait's relief it did not appear to have an effect on Kara's skin.

"What now?" Barry asked groggily, coming too slowly.

"Now we wait." Cait answered. Cisco helped Barry to a chair, when Harry came back with orange juice for both.

An hour later Joe walked in and was shooed out of the make shift surgical suite by Caitlin. She wasn't sure of the chances of infection, the whole procedure had been anything but sterile, but wanted to take no chances. Cait refused to dress Kara so she could clean her and allow her to soak up as many rays as possible. Barry and Cisco sat outside behind a curtained off area behind a glass wall to give the blonde as much privacy as possible. Barry refused to go any farther.

"Barry can you explain to me just what the hell is going on? I just told Iris that Cait didn't want anyone in the lab and she is chomping at the bit to find out why. Who is she?"

"She's Kara." Barry answered simply. "She's my friend."

Joe recognized the desperation in his foster son's eyes and knew there was more to it. Barry looked at the surgical table like his own life was at stake. He had not seem him this drained, ragged and distraught since his mother's funeral.

"Barry if she was shot, a police report needs to be filled out. You know this. Who did this to her?"

"No one who can touch her again." Barry answered, surprising the hell out of Joe.

"You didn't… kill whoever did this, did you?" he asked, not able to judge him if he had. Barry was not a killer though. This was one of the reasons he never understood or approved of the close bond the man he considered a son in every way and Oliver Queen had. Oliver Queen was a killer. Was he involved in this? Did he kill the man who shot the girl behind the curtain who Cait would not take her eyes off of, despite the blaring light?

"She is from another universe Joe. Remember when I told you that I accidentally skipped to another Earth? She is the reason I got back here. We were together for a couple weeks and honestly I don't know what I would have done without her. Cisco had a vision of her being shot when he touched me and I went back then brought her here. No one can get to her here. She is safe. The men who did this are dead, the ones who ordered it can't touch her now and no I didn't kill them but I saw them die."

Barry's voice was so tired Joe wondered if the man had eaten lately, especially considering the calories he was required to consume every day.

"Can you explain why she is in a super powered tanning bed and why I had to convince Dr. McGee that the Flash needed to borrow some very expensive solar lamps for a life and death emergency and would return them as soon as you were done? You are lucky you saved her life a few times."

"She gets her power, her healing abilities from the yellow sun. She needs the rays to keep her alive long enough to recover on her own." Barry explained half heartedly. Joe accepted this. He had seen enough weirdness in the past two years that nothing phased him anymore.

"So she is a solar powered metahuman from another Earth. Okay, and you knew her so you went to help. She must be pretty important to you, to risk jumping dimensions."

"She is. She is very important. But she isn't a metahuman."

"Then what is she?"

"An alien."

Joe leaned back in his chair, and took a deep breath. "Of course she is. How did I not guess that? You think I could let Iris in now? She is texting me every five minutes and doesn't believe you are okay."

Before Barry could answer, Caitlin moved quickly to the lamps dimming them significantly. Barry hit the intercom button.

"What is going on Cait?"

"She is healing. Her scars are going away like they were never there. I have to get the stitches out!"

Everyone in the room separated from Cait by a glass wall held their breath, even Joe. Cisco was as nervous as Barry. He had never spoken to the woman but knowing how important she was to his friend was all he needed to consider her a life long friend. He hadn't spoken to her and did not want to lose her for Barry's or her sake.

Cait worked quickly and then backed up, bringing the lamps to full power. No one spoke for the next four hours. Joe allowed Iris in after explaining to her what was going on. She was disbelieving at first but recognized the look in her father's eyes and went with it. He wouldn't lie and like everything else in her crazy life she would accept it. The state Barry and Cisco were in shocked her. Looking into the make shift surgical room, she noted Caitlin appeared dead on her feet.

"Caitlin take a blood sample before she becomes impenetrable. We need to know what effect Barry and Cisco's blood is having on her." Wells suggested through the com. Caitlin moved to comply, turning towards the lamps but stopped.

"No. I don't want anything that could be used against her. She is healing and that is all that matters. We need to keep those bullets hidden until we can find a way to destroy them."

Barry was surprised. Caitlin was a scientist, knowledge was everything to her but right now she was more concerned with keeping Kara safe. Harrison nodded his head in agreement to his credit.

"She's right. We will just hope for the best." he agreed quietly. He had become a mentor of sorts to Barry but after his recent luck with mentors he still had trust issues. Harrison's agreement helped him feel better about the situation and the man who was slowly proving himself to those around him.

"She won't be studied. She isn't a lab rat. Everyone understand? As a matter of fact I do not want anyone outside this room to ever speak to anyone about what she can do, where she is from or any knowledge about her powers." Barry told the group in a voice that left no room for argument. All indicated an unspoken agreement.

"What are her powers?" Joe asked after a minute.

"If she ever wants to tell you she can. It's not my place." Barry answered shortly, surprising the man.

Cait did dim the lamps once more and grabbed a gown, walking behind the curtained off area. When she emerged she gave a thumbs up and a very tired smile.

The greatest hero Barry had ever known.

"She is dressed if you want to come…"

Before the sentence was finished Barry was as close as he could get to her without burning in the lamps.

"I'm going to keep them on medium power. I don't want to overload her system now that she has gotten better. Her heart rate is strong, I can't take her blood pressure because the cuff won't press down on her arm. I don't understand it. To touch her she feels like any of us but her skin is absolutely impenetrable now."

"I know, Barry whispered. "Thank you Cait. I'll never be able to thank you enough. You are amazing."

"For you? Anything. Barry who is she?"

"I told you."

"Who is she really, to you I mean?"

"A friend." he answered, He reached out and grabbed Kara's warm hand. Cait smiled and shook her head as she walked away to collapse on the couch in the next room. She didn't know what happened between these two for the two weeks Barry was gone but Kara was definitely more than a friend to Barry even if he wouldn't admit it to himself yet. He looked at her with more adoration that he had ever looked at Iris and that was saying something.

Barry fell asleep in a chair next to the bed. No one had left, not even Wells. Iris ran out to get food for the group and they all settled in for the wait. How long does it take a solar powered alien to wake? Cait woke up around midnight to listen to Kara's heart once again. She was still going strong.

A little past 1 A.M. most of the group left, leaving only Cisco and Cait to stay with Barry. The original three of Team Flash. Like Diggle, Felicity and Oliver, come what may they would always have each other's backs. Luckily their family did not have the drama and grief Oliver's family had at the moment.

At 1:30 Kara sat up in bed slowly, waking Barry from his restless sleep. Since he had been holding her hand it wasn't hard to notice the movement.

"Barry?"

"Hey there. How are you feeling?" he gave her a genuine smile, the first he had in at least 48 hours.

"How are you here? Where am I? I didn't … did you accidentally come here? What is going on?"

"Calm down. What do you remember?"

"Uh…" Kara scrunched her forehead, trying to clear her mind.

"I remember … Oh Rao, those men, they shot me? I thought I was dead. I saw you and Kal… how are you here?"

Barry took a deep breath. Despite being close to death and her heart stopping once not long ago she seemed fine if a bit understandably confused.

"Do you remember what I told you about my friend Cisco? What he could do, the visions he got sometimes? He touched me and saw you being shot. I came to you."

"How?"

"I ran really, really fast." the man answered with a soft and tired chuckle.

"You came to my Universe because you saw me get injured? Wait, where is Kal? He… he was there and he saved me. Then the both of you were over me. I thought I was dreaming about you."

"No, I wish I was there sooner. I never really understood Oliver until that moment… but Kara, your… cousin?" the blonde nodded her head. "he told me the government was out to get you."

"Lane." Kara said, more coming back to her. Lucy's warning, the men dressed like a SWAT team who shot her without hesitation.

"I guess. He told me it wasn't safe and there was no one who could save you there."

"There?"

"I brought you here." Barry admitted, waiting for her reaction. Kara shook her head, trying to take it all in.

"You saw I was in trouble and you crossed a universe for me then brought me back to yours? Why? You could have been trapped."

"Then I would have been trapped with you. All things considered not a bad deal. I mean partners right? Or am I still relegated to sidekick status? Besides there was no way I wasn't coming for you."

Kara's face softened at the grin he had. She had thought about him often but seeing his handsome face and smile in person reminded her of why she had been so mesmerized by the hero. He was always so confident and laid back, like nothing in the world could touch him but he had told her enough that she knew there was quite a bit of hurt behind that smile.

"So I'm okay? I thought I was dead." Kara stretched herself out and at that moment realized she was in a hospital gown.

"You did die for a moment. Your cousin helped us get through a breach into my lab. Luckily your body accepted my blood and Cisco's. We have had solar lamps on you since the surgery.

"They betrayed me." she said to herself as if making herself believe it. "They tried to kill me."

"Yeah. I'm so sorry, but they can't get you here. I promise. There are no aliens here, no Kryptonite except for the bullets pulled out of you and they are safely locked away until we can figure out how to destroy them. You won't be hurt here Kara."

"You came for me." she said once again staring at him, her voice almost disbelieving.

"Always will. How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy… and hungry."

"Can you promise to lay here and I will be back in five minutes with food?"

"Yeah. Barry who took the bullets out? I know I must have been…"

"Close to death? Yeah I was about ninety seconds too late. About thirty seconds behind your cousin. I have some friends I want you to meet. They are going to keep you company while I get you food."

Barry motioned with his hand that wasn't still holding Kara's to Cait and Cisco who both were wearing shy grins. The two approached slowly.

"Kara I want you to meet Dr. Caitlin Snow. She performed the surgery that saved your life and is one of my closest friends."

"Hi." Cait said quietly with a genuine smile. "You had me very scared."

"I don't know how I will ever…"

"You'll never have to." she said immediately before the sentence could be finished.

"And this is Cisco, my friend I told you about who sees things. Sometimes? Its sporadic." Barry offered by way of introduction.

Kara took in the long haired man who was a bit short but had a thousand watt smile. She liked him immediately. His smile reminded her of Winn.

"Why did you get a vision of me? You had never met me."

"I touched Barry. You have been on his mind since he came back." Cisco told her while Barry looked away in embarrassment. He began to move his hand out of Kara's but her grip held him in place and he relaxed. Cait noticed the blush but said nothing.

"And from that vision you came for me?"

"Yeah we covered that." Barry told her with a bit of humor.

"I can't believe it. I mean I can but… wow."

"Why are you so surprised?" he asked.

"Sorry. It's just not everyday a hero jumps universes to save my life." she told him, her eyes meeting Barry's and for a moment it was just the two of them in every universe.

"Cisco and I gave you our blood and we have had these lamps on you since the bullets came out. We aren't sure what affect our blood will have on you so take it easy for a few days, okay?"

Kara nodded, trying to come to grips with everything, the humans she saved betraying her, her cousin and the brief flashes she had of him tearing the men limb from limb, and the man she was certain she would never see again who crossed a universe to bring her to safety, to his friends who saved her life. They all did.

"I'll be right back. You need to eat. Just don't fly off anywhere, okay?" Barry said hurriedly, wanting to get food in her.

"Promise." Kara whispered with a small smile and let go of his very warm hand.

Barry was gone in a streak of light. Kara looked at the two strangers and wasn't quite sure what to say so she laid back onto the bed.

Cisco of course was never at a loss for something to say.

"So was Barry just kidding or did he mean don't fly off literally?"

"Yeah I can fly." Kara admitted, wondering how Alex was doing. Was she being hunted as well? J'onn? Kal? What would Cat think when she didn't show back up? Would she? Did she want to? Did Cat know? Did it matter anymore?

They betrayed her, They tried to kill her. Who exactly was at fault didn't matter. She would never feel safe in that world again.

"So you were a superhero obviously. What was your name? Power Woman? Jet Stream? No it would take me to come up with something that cool. An ex girlfriend of mine could fly. Okay we weren't actually at the girlfriend boyfriend stage but we were getting there before her dick of a reincarnated soul mate took her away. Do you grow wings? She did. I know it sounds weird but it was actually pretty hot…"

"Cisco!" Cait called his name to stop his babbling.

"Sorry, off point. So what are you called?"

"I was called Supergirl." Kara admitted.

"Supergirl? Okay … I guess I can work around that. I mean it's a bit, I guess boring, for this universe. But we can stick with Supergirl for now."

The thought of that name… Astra, Non, Indigo, Lane, James, Kal… it didn't sit right with her. The humans on that Earth tried to kill her.

"Call me Kara. I never want to hear the name Supergirl again."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Thank you all so much for the reviews. I was not able to respond because FF decided to not let me see the reviews on site, only on my email notifications. It looks lil that has been fixed now. I hope anyway. This chapter is a little lighthearted and of course Barry can't stay out of trouble so its more action than anything else. Next chapter we will catch up with Earth 3 a little and but will be mostly Barry and Kara chilling out and Kara really thinking about what she wants to do and where she wants to go. So here we go.

Do not own DC or CBS characters.

Chapter 3

Kara sat down across from Cait, as the woman insisted she be called in a smaller room in S.T.A.R. labs in a surprisingly comfortable recliner. She resisted the urge to lean back and stretch her legs, not knowing if that would be considered rude. Barry had returned the night before as promised with six pizzas. Cait and Cisco watched the pair down three apiece, smiling between bites at each other like a couple of love struck kids who were seconds away from pulling each others hair just to get the other's attention. It would have been sweet if either Cisco or Cait could stop watching the massive amount of food disappearing before their eyes. Afterward Kara fell asleep, while Barry sat next to her and eventually her hand reached for his. Cisco dragged him away at 3 AM, managing to get him as far as the couch before the speedster crashed. Cait stayed in a bed in the back lab and Cisco managed to make it home around four.

At eight AM all the inhabitants of S.T.A.R. labs woke while Cisco slept away the morning in his apartment, dreaming of a woman with wings being chased by a blonde with wings. The man had definitely developed a fixation with flying women.

Barry was by Kara's side before she had even sat up with a cup of coffee, cream and a small bit of sugar.

After Cait had said good morning, Barry received a call from Joe about a robbery in progress. Barry had nearly asked Kara if she wanted to come with but the look of doubt in her eyes stopped him. Instead he promised her he would be back quickly, after he captured the criminals, took them to the police station and then called in sick to work. The whole thing should take about 20 minutes by his guess.

That left the two women alone for the first time.

"So uh… I'm not really good at like making small talk. I mean I am but not really? I mean you said not to thank you but I want to but I don't want to if you don't want me to. By the way, thank you for the sweats. The hospital gown was beginning to get a bit awkward… not that I didn't appreciate it…"

"Kara relax." Cait told her, a soft smile gracing her lips as she was reminded of her friend Felicity.

"Sorry. Its just weird I guess? Yeah weird. I mean you guys aren't weird at all. And Barry of course isn't. I'm the alien and all but maybe thats why I feel … I'm sorry, I'm babbling again, aren't I?"

"Babble all you want girl. Want me to have Barry pick up breakfast on the way back?"

"You can talk to him? Does he carry a cell phone or something?" Kara asked.

"No he has an ear piece, kind of a small com that allows us to talk to him while he is out there."

"Oh yeah. I have … had one of those. I used to talk to my sister or Hank… so what do you guys say to him? Like left turn, right turn, stuff like that?" Kara asked.

"Sometimes. Or we give him ideas on how to take down other metas. Cisco usually is the one who talks to him. I monitor his vitals."

"You do what now?"

"His suit has quite a few enhancements that Cisco made. We can watch his speed, his heart rate, things like that. He has a defibrillator in the suit in case his heart stops for some reason or another. Thank God we have only had to do that one time but it scared all of us."

"Wait a minute, his heart stopped?! What happened?"

"He was attacked by robotic bees that had a pretty potent bite. Oh his chest piece has a live stream camera so we can watch what he does and see what he sees. There is also therma threading in the suit so we can heat it up if Captain Cold hits Barry with his freeze gun which happens more than I would like. It also gives him greater aerodynamic capabilities minimizing wind resistance. It's still a work in progress." Cait told her, the pride she had for Cisco evident in her bragging.

"He never told me the suit could do all that."

"I guess when he was on your Earth with no one to help on this side of the screen a lot of it really wouldn't help him. I was pretty worried when he was gone those two weeks. Zoom hadn't appeared during that time and I thought…"

Kara didn't need to ask what Cait thought. It was obvious she thought Barry had been dead.

"But he wasn't." she continued, "He had you. He never told us about what you two did on your Earth but you certainly made an impression on him."

"I did? I mean yeah we were pretty much together the whole time. He stayed at my friend Winn's apartment. They really hit it off but the rest of the time he was with me when we weren't fighting Live Wire and my former co worker who wanted to kill me. Barry called her Shreiky. She had… anyway I sort of rushed in the first time without a plan and Barry followed me regardless and we both got beaten pretty bad. It was kind of embarrassing. I mean Barry suggested we have a plan but I was so focused on taking them out and I guess … I don't know I guess I wanted to impress him. He is the reason we stood a chance the second time. He said he had sonic ear plugs from some guy he battled that Cisco made? Anyway he made us some and my former co worker who had like this sonic scream that really, really hurt, didn't have a chance. Of course Livewire, she is so hateful, anyway she nearly took me again but the fire department saved me. I guess I'm not great with plans." Kara finished, while Cait tried to absorb this information. This was way more than Barry told her and she wanted to hit him for not sharing the stories.

"Wow. I had no idea all that happened. It doesn't surprise me though. You wouldn't believe the things Barry runs into without thinking first. Oliver has been on him to try and change…"

"Who is Oliver?" Kara asked, not hearing that name before.

"Oliver Queen? He and Barry are strangely very good friends." Cait explained.

"Well if he is like Cisco he must be a great guy." the blonde commented. Cait held back a laugh barely, and thankfully hadn't been sipping coffee or it would have landed on the floor.

"Oliver isn't like Cisco. He is kind of the polar opposite of Cisco." Cait explained as neutrally as possible.

"Polar opposite?"

"Yes, Oliver is tall, devastatingly handsome, built like a god, dangerous, very serious and brooding and very, very good at fighting and killing when he needs to. He and his sister are pretty much the protectors of Star City while we handle Central City. He calls himself the Green Arrow unless it has changed in the past two weeks. He goes through names like Barry goes through suits."

That made sense. Kara remembered Barry asking if she had heard of the Green Arrow when they first met.

"So what powers does he have?"

"None."

Kara's face screwed up into confusion, her brows coming together and wrinkling her forehead a bit.

"Then how does he protect the city?"

"He has a complicated history. He is very … I suppose Barry could explain it better. I'm good friends with his fiancee… ex fiancee, but Barry and Oliver are closer, or at least as close as Oliver allows anyone to get."

"Wow. Okay. I mean I guess I'm just not used to people without powers protecting a city. There are a lot of cities on my … on the earth I came from, that didn't have superheroes I guess, but police usually handled things or my cousin helped out. It just seems dangerous for him."

Cait did laugh, thinking of the multiple scars that covered his body.

"Once a meta showed up in town who had the ability to make people act very aggressively to the point of killing others by looking at them. He got to Barry. Oliver was the one who captured and held Barry while we cured him."

"Whoa. Barry still had his speed?" Kara asked, fascinated. There was so much to learn about this world and she was already being overwhelmed.

"Yes but Oliver thinks differently than Barry. I think because he doesn't rely on powers he relies on everything else he has. I wish Barry was more like him in that way but thats the only thing I want him to emulate from Oliver."

Kara left that alone. Cait didn't say it with any bitterness but seemed worried instead. Kara would have to meet this Oliver Queen to decide for herself.

"So Kara how are you doing? I realize your world has literally changed in a short time but I am glad you are here."

"Yeah, my world changes quite a bit. My first one exploded, my second one tried to kill me and I am hoping for a better outcome here." the blonde tried to laugh but didn't have it in her.

"So you want to stay?" Cait asked, holding back the excitement in her voice. Kara stopped cold at her question.

"I hadn't really had time to think about it. My sister and cousin are there, my foster mom, my friends but…"

"But?"

"I don't know. Things weren't going so well there before the people I saved decided I was too much of a liability. I mean my personal life was a mess, my professional life was going nowhere, and honestly I wondered for a long time if my sister would be better off without me. I brought a lot of trouble into her life. I sort of became her life when my cousin dropped me off after I landed. I guess I haven't thought about it."

"Of course not. You have barely been here. But I'm glad you aren't rushing back. It will be good for you to take some time to yourself. Figure out what you want in life. You have a chance to start fresh here."

"Thats true. I can just be, oh crap." Kara froze, realizing a very important hitch in her immediate future. "I have nothing. I don't have ID, the IDs I had would be worthless here, I don't have a job, a place to live, money, clothes, even a phone."

Cait reached across the space between the two and put a hand on Kara's shoulder before a full blown panic attack occurred.

"Kara those are problems that can be easily solved. Clothes, well you are a bit taller than me but I am pretty sure I have something you can borrow until we buy you some. Barry even told me he was going to give me his card so I could take you shopping."

"I can't take Barry's money." Kara told her quickly.

"And how did he eat on your earth? Where did he have money hidden on that suit because I am pretty familiar with it and I know we didn't make a pouch for a wallet?"

Kara blushed a bit. "I may have bought him some clothes. He looked so cute in the outfits though and he couldn't run around in the red suit all the time, not that this would have been a bad thing…" she stopped herself, looking at Cait quickly, who had a knowing smile…"or a good thing! Not saying either. But of course I helped him and as far as food I love to eat so it wasn't a big thing to order more. Most of the foods I eat are really, really bad for the average human so we didn't have much problem consuming calories. I took him to my favorite donut shop and the look on the owner's face was hilarious. I think we went through two dozen glazed donuts in like ten minutes. They were so good though… I'm rambling again aren't I?"

"Ramble as much as you want. I'm kind of quiet so I enjoy it. You remind me a lot of Felicity. Speaking of which she is the greatest hacker in the universe so if you want to stay, getting you all the identification records you will need will be no problem. There is nothing to worry about if you want to stay. And if you want to leave we will all find a way to help you."

"Thanks Cait. I feel a bit better. I still need to find a place to live. Not that I mind staying here but it is kind of hard to relax around all this equipment." Kara admitted. The sense of deja vu most likely was caused by her memories of the DEO. Although they weren't bad memories it almost seemed as if everything was tainted now.

"This place will feel like home in no time but no one should have to stay here. I live alone and have an extra bedroom. I'll take you there later. You can shower, relax and then we go shopping!"

"I don't want to put you out." Kara told her quickly but liked the idea of being around someone familiar as Cait was quickly becoming.

"I've always wanted a roommate. I hate living by myself." Cait told her, sadness evident in her voice, "Besides its either that or live with Joe and Barry."

"Live with Barry? God no, I do not want him to see me in the morning…" Kara stopped talking, but Cait caught it.

"Don't want Barry to see you at your worst? I understand now why he was so depressed when he came back." Cait told her with a knowing smirk.

"What do you mean? Barry was depressed?"

"We thought it was the strain we were all under with Zoom but even afterward, every time we asked him about your earth he drifted off. He thought he would never see you again. You are the reason he was sad about leaving."

Kara's heart warmed at that. She remembered the loss she felt when he disappeared. The fleeting thought that the man who could have been the one, just disappeared from her life forever, like her family had done. But now she was with him. Now she had a chance. Did she owe it to anyone to go back? Alex would be fine. She missed her and wanted to hold her big sister right now but if Kara was there she would be hunted meaning Alex would be hunted, because Alex would never let her face any danger alone.

"I was pretty sad too." she admitted.

The moment of understanding that passed between the women was cut short by Cisco running in.

"Does anyone listen to the com anymore? Barry is out there!" he yelled, a bit of panic in his voice. Cait waved him off.

"The alarm hasn't gone off on any of Barry's vital readings. He's fine. He just went after some robbers." Cait told him dismissively

"Yeah he caught them ten minutes ago and ran into an old friend. Call Lyla Diggle and ask her if she is aware her pet walking shark is on the loose again! Barry I'm here, what is going on?"

Barry on the other side of Central City by the waterfront was having a bad morning. He really wanted to spend time with Kara, show her around, maybe go shopping, feel her out about her plans for the short term, maybe the longer term, figure out how to convince her to stay. A simple robbery was just a glitch. Catch the bad guys, pick up breakfast and be back with her.

Instead he caught the bad guys near the waterfront only to be jumped by King Shark, bursting from the water to land so quickly that Barry barely had time to get out of the way.

Now the damn monster wouldn't follow him into the water.

"I really hate this guy." Barry muttered to himself.

"Barry, make him follow you into the water." Cisco suggested.

"Yeah while you were sleeping in I tried that. I ran two miles out before I realized he was waiting at the docks for me. I'm not sure if Lyla is curing him or making him smarter."

"Caitlin is on the phone with her. They are close. Just, I don't know, hit him with lightning. Do your thing, whatever it is."

"That's your plan? Do your thing?" Barry asked, annoyed. This monster was tough. Lightning didn't affect him unless he was surrounded by water and he showed no indication he planned to get into water again.

Having no other plan, Barry began circling the monster, building up lightning and hoping if he could do strike him enough the beast would black out.

Before he could build up enough speed, King Shark swung, Barry sliding under his clawed hand just in time to save his own head. The Flash got off his knees while still sliding and came to a stop.

"Yeah, definitely smarter." he mumbled. "Cisco, he is heading into the city. I think he is bored with me or wants me to focus on saving the people before he eats them. I'm backing up and trying a supersonic punch."

Barry ran five miles away, calculating the straightest path he could take to build up as much speed as possible.

"Barry this is Cait! Do not, I repeat do not do that! If you are off by an inch, or he gets his teeth near you, or even swings at the right time he could kill you!"

"He's a big target Cait. I've taken smaller and been on the money. Tell Joe to get over here. I am going to need some sort of water source of keep him in and keep him electrocuted when he is down."

"Do not do it. Just run around, evacuate the people and an A.R.G.U.S. strike team can take him down." Cait pleaded.

Kara stood behind the rest just watching. She saw the monitor and saw the monster. In all the aliens she had faced she never saw anything that resembled this thing.

The blonde felt strong, she knew she could stop this creature, but if she did she would be a target again. Kara remembered the first time she met Hank, telling him the world didn't fear her cousin. He told her she was wrong and he had been proven right in the end. What kind of start would she have in this new life if she chose it, if she already made people fear her?

What kind of start in this new life would she have if Barry died?

"Cait can Barry take this thing down?" she asked quietly.

"He has before but that was difficult enough and he had to pull off a last minute idea of running on water and electrifying it around King Shark. This time…"

"This time nothing. Barry has this. Relax Kara. This is what we do." Cisco said, pride obvious in his voice.

Before Kara had a chance to voice anymore worries, Barry was back from his five mile journey. Even without the audio, all in the lab could hear the sonic boom that rocked the city from miles away. The camera on Barry's chest showed the sky. He was on his back.

"Barry!? What the hell is going on?" Cisco yelled. Caitlin looked at the Flash's vital signs and noted his breath rate was slow and his heart rate had leveled out at resting pace.

The Flash had been knocked out.

"Pulling up Wharf cameras now." Cisco mumbled. "Damn it they are both down."

The trio looked at the two, Barry and King Shark twenty yards apart, both on their backs. Kara's heart felt as if it stopped and a bit of bile rose up. Was this how Alex felt when she watched Kara fight?

"King Shark is getting up." Cait whispered, "Wake up Barry!" all pretense of calm gone.

"I …" she didn't want this. She didn't want the world to know. They would fear her, hunt her… of course…

"Cisco do you have another suit for Barry?"

"Yeah, its in the glass case in the room three doors down the hall. Thats my workshop."

Both turned around but Kara was gone. Changing into the unfamiliar outfit she noted immediately Barry was quite a bit taller than she was. The boots kept the pant legs from falling too far down her legs to hamper her running. She pulled her blonde hair into a quick bun and flipped the mask over. Adjusting it on the run, she managed to hold the eyeholes up just in time to avoid running into a car.

Then the blonde stopped.

"Where do I go? How do I get there?" she yelled, hoping an earpiece was in this suit.

"Go to the docks. He is about a block in on Foster Street."

"Where the hell is that?" she screamed, her unfamiliarity with the city being a major hold up to her plan.

"Follow my directions." Cisco ordered. "How the hell is she running this fast? I thought her power was flying?" Kara supposed he was asking Cait.

On the final turn, the blonde in the ill fitting Flash suit stopped and stared for a moment at the monster who was standing on wobbly legs, The thing had to be fifteen feet tall.

King Shark took a step towards Barry who was lying on the ground still. Kara could hear his breathing and heartbeat though so he was alive.

Before the creature noticed her she ran towards him, jumping slightly at the last minute and ramming it's gut with her shoulder. The monster flew back and fell but rolled over and hopped back up quickly.

"You have to be kidding me." she whispered. The blonde had hit with enough force to shatter three feet of concrete.

"Who the hell are you? Did I travel back in time again?" a voice behind her asked.

Kara turned and saw Barry had woken. He met her eyes and smiled, recognizing her instantly. Who else would it be? "Can you get him in the water?" he asked with a wink.

"I'm not flying him there." she told him. If people saw her fly, then they saw some other power like heat vision, it would only be a matter of time before the world feared her.

"Okay… no problem. I can…"

"I never said I couldn't get him in the water, just that I wouldn't fly him there." Kara corrected. She ran towards the shark again, stopping short to give him a target. The monster attempted to grab her, allowing Kara to wrap both her arms around the one massive wrist and twist her body, sending King Shark into the air a block away straight to the harbor. Before the creature hit the water, Barry was running making a whirlpool, and once King Shark hit the surface he guided a lightning bolt into the water. The harbor lit up with electricity and King Shark roared, before sinking underwater.

Back on the docks, Barry took Kara in, ill fitting suit, baggy pants and a mask that kept falling past her eyes.

"This looks way hotter than it should." he told her, causing her to smile a bit. Until she noted the blood dripping from his lip.

"You're hurt!" Kara took her thumb and wiped the stream of blood clean.

"I'll be healed in no time. So thanks. You saved my life."

"I owed you one." she quipped back.

"Maybe I can take you out of the lab later and buy you the best burger in any universe as a thank you?"

Kara smiled at the thought. As grateful as she was for his friends help, she really hadn't had time to talk to him alone.

"Thats a bold statement Flash. I guess I will take the challenge. First I should probably get some clothes."

"I don't know. I'm really liking the outfit on you." he said, trying not to laugh at how adorable she looked in his oversized suit.

The playful moment was cut short by a flight of black helicopters flying towards them. Kara froze.

"Who are they?"

"Thats A.R.G.U.S. I guess they are kind of like your DEO…" Barry stopped when he realized what he had said. Even through the mask, he could tell what Kara was thinking.

"Go to the Lab, change into the sweats and get Cait to take you to her place. I promise you Kara you are safe. I know these people."

"I knew my people too. I thought I did." she admitted.

"They won't ask questions. Go."

Needing no further encouragement, Kara ran, remembering the directions Cisco had given her slightly, she only made a couple wrong turns before arriving back at the massive structure.

The Flash stayed on the dock and watched the four helicopters land in a nearby parking lot. Five minutes later men in black with very large rifles rushed towards the water. Three scuba divers also jumped in.

The man and woman he was waiting for were the last to arrive.

"Lyla, Dig." Barry greeted them. Both looked sheepish. At least as sheepish as John Diggle was capable of.

"Hi Barry. I am so sorry about this. He escaped last night and killed the guards before one could sound the alarm. We had no idea he escaped until the shift change this morning. I should have warned you but we didn't think he would be stupid enough to come back here." Lyla explained. "Our procedures to reverse his conditions are having one major effect. He is getting smarter, thinking more like a human than a shark."

"And he still came for me? What did I ever do to piss this guy off?" Barry asked. Both Lyla and Diggle shrugged.

"Anyway if you guys could keep him in his fish bowl I've got something important I have to do. So…"

"Whoa there Allen. You don't have anything to tell us?" Dig asked.

"You looked like you have gained a few new muscles? New hairstyle? Looks great on you man."

"I don't have a new hairstyle and I don't need any new muscles. I'm talking about the little Flash clone that just tossed that monster a block into the water like he was a teddy bear." Diggle crossed his arms and gave his best intimidating stare. For a man that gets his ass kicked on a regular basis training with Oliver, he sure is confident, Barry thought.

"That wasn't a Flash clone. That was me. I can do this thing where I move so fast that it looks like there are other copies of me. It's a speed mirage. No big deal."

"Uh huh. And your speed mirage looks just like you only shorter and in a suit that does not fit?"

"Yep." Barry agreed.

"And your speed mirage just lifted a two ton monster and threw him like he was nothing?"

"I've been totally working out." Barry tried. Lyla actually laughed quietly, much to Barry's irritation.

"Do you know what one of the differences in you and Oliver are Barry?" Dig asked.

"I haven't killed hundreds of people?"

"Yeah that, but the one I am talking about is lying. You are nowhere near the skilled liar Oliver is. Now something is going on and since you are the worst person on Earth at keeping secrets I have to wonder why you are trying. You in trouble?"

Barry had enough. Big guy or not this man needed to know who the superhero is and who was the Green Arrow's sidekick.

"First of all John, I am not the worst person on Earth at keeping secrets. Cisco and I were discussing this last week over dinner and there are a lot more people that know who the Green Arrow is than know who I am. I'm serious, we made a list. Towards the end we started writing down names of people who didn't know. Second of all, if I was in trouble I can handle it, but I'm not. If there is something going on that I don't want to tell you about I would expect both of you to trust me. I believe I have earned that. I mean I did take down a group of assassins in a castle and rescued you all from a dungeon in like ten seconds. I think, yeah I'm pretty sure I saved you Lyla from a very sharp boomerang that was headed for your back and every time one of Amanda Waller's old pet projects gets loose I'm the one cleaning up the mess. I need you both to forget anything you saw. The person you think you saw you didn't see. I did a speed mirage. Thats all it was. I built up enough force that I was able to use momentum and toss him into the water. Thats it."

Both were taken back by Barry's tone. Neither had ever heard him even close to angry. Dig looked at his wife, worry on his face but nodded to her. They would let this go. If Barry said he had this then he had it. They did owe him a lot, and despite being freaked out by his speed, Diggle loved the kid.

"Well once again A.R.G.U.S. thanks you for your help. If you ever need us, for anything, even speed mirages that lay on the ground while another mirage beats up a monster shark, let us know. We are always here for you, understand?" Lyla asked.

Barry hugged her.

"Thanks Lyla. I really got to go."

Barry pulled back and took off in a flash of light. Dig shook his head.

"I will never get used tot that."


	4. Chapter 4

Do not own any DC or CBS characters.

Chapter 4

A/N Thank you so much for the support. I am having a great time writing this story. Just a quick explanation, time moves the same on Earth 3 and Earth 1 but Earth 3 will skip ahead in the story faster than Earth 1, just because right now the focus is on Barry and Kara and Earth 3 scenes are mostly check ins on how our favorites are doing there. So that is why things are moving faster there in the story line. After this chapter there won't be many peaks into our alternate Earth 3 for a few chapters. I mean come on, we are here for Barry and Kara right?

Earth 3

Cat Grant was a busy woman, a woman with a mission. The mission was simple, the media destruction of the former President of the United States. Samuel Lane was missing, or at least the military would not say where he was, but the man couldn't hide forever. She had Winn, yes she had learned his name, Cat knew all the names of her employees now, tracking the bastard, looking for any signs of online activity, military movements in regards to the General and sightings of Superman, who true to Cat's suspicion, was apparently done with the human race.

The fact that Lois Lane and Clark Kent had also disappeared was a slap in the face to Cat. Why did she never notice before? When she had started out in journalism, if someone had told her a pair of glasses, a different hairstyle and a meek attitude could fool the public, including her, as to Superman's identity, Cat would have laughed. Of course she figured out Supergirl was her assistant the first time she saw her, even through her doubts caused by the double, she recognized Kara's eyes. It was simply impossible to not recognize someone you saw every day as a superhero. Perhaps that is why Superman always kept a distance from Perry White and talked exclusively to Lois Lane and James Olsen.

James Olsen was another dead end. She had asked the man several times to contact the Man of Steel, only to be told he was no longer answering Olsen's calls. Cat believed him. He had become a shell of his former self, as had Winn.

Cat had eventually come to understand the multiverse and what had happened to Kara. Of course the police report had given her minimal hope. There were indeed men dressed as DEO agents in pieces on the floor of Kara's apartment but also a large amount of blood on the floor, the type unable to be classified. No one knew the state of Kara when Allen took her through whatever dimensional hole he had made and with Superman not saying a word, Cat feared the worst, yet still held a glimmer of hope for the best. She had to believe that one day a hole would open up in the National City sky and Supergirl would fly back into this world, hovering in the air with her sunny smile and the colorful uniform that she somehow pulled off.

Her assistant Susan, walked into her office without being requested. The woman was in her forties, with raven black hair and a dry demeanor, as though she were sleep walking through life, the exact opposite of her Kara. She had no idea the coffee Cat liked, had made her calendar a mess to the point Cat had no idea whether she was coming or going or even who would be at the meetings she attended. Still Cat was nice to her, a promise to herself that she would begin acting as courteous and respectful as her attitude would allow. Perhaps that was the problem. With Cat acting differently and Kara not there to mediate her moods and protect the other employees from her wrath,the atmosphere had changed drastically.

"Miss Grant, you have visitors who do not have an appointment. They say it is urgent that they speak to you now."

"I have a board meeting in ten minutes Susan. You should know this since you scheduled it without consulting me first."

So perhaps Cat Grant had not completely changed.

"Yes Miss Grant, I told them this but they were quite insistent I give you their names. The older woman said she is Dr. Eliza Danvers. Her daughter Alex is accompanying her.

Cat froze. Eliza and Alex Danvers, Kara's foster mother and the sister she had only seen in passing. Kara had told her the family took her in after her parents died in a fire. Kara had not lied about that at least. An exploding planet would have quite a bit of fire.

"Cancel the board meeting and show them in at once."

"If we cancel the board meeting then…"

"Do as you are told." Cat told the woman with an icy tone that informed her assistant that there would be no further discussion if she wanted to stay employed.

"I will let the board know and have them brought up right away Miss Grant."

Susan scurried off and within a few minutes a pleasant looking woman walked in along with her rather angry looking daughter Alex.

"Thank you for seeing us Miss Grant." Eliza started. Cat motioned to the couch and the two women sat, Cat taking a seat on the couch across from them. On closer inspection the two looked very tired, probably as tired as Cat felt.

"Of course… do you have news?"

Eliza took in the woman before her. Kara had told her what an inspiration and role model the media mogul had been to her. Alex had told her how the woman refused to call Kara by her correct name, and worked her to the bone on minimal tedious tasks even after four years. Eliza didn't exactly like Cat Grant based on Alex's stories but she needed the woman and could tell she cared about Kara on some level.

"No I don't. That is why I am here. I want to go after my daughter and I need your help."

"What could I possibly do? I am not an expert on interdimensional travel."

Alex held in her look of contempt for the woman as best she could while she answered.

"We have been hiding the last six weeks with Kara's cousin. Once it became clear that the President was taken out of power we have decided to stop hiding. Now it is time to act."

"General Lane is still on the loose." Cat reminded the women.

"General Lane is a pile of ashes and the government is keeping it quiet because they do not want the world to know that not only is Superman gone but he will destroy anyone who has ever harmed Kara. He is not doing well. None of us have been doing well." Alex explained before continuing on, missing the satisfied grin that crossed Cat's face for a moment.

"Superman told us that Allen was wearing a device across his chest when he arrived. He was also wearing the device when he arrived the first time in this world. He told Kara that he needed help getting back to his world the first time he visited our Earth. Apparently he needed her to push him through the breach. I find this strange since he didn't need anyone pushing him through when he arrived. Superman says Allen told him that he most likely could not hit the correct speed carrying Kara when he left the Earth a second time and required a push as well. We have theories about why he was able to get through to this Earth but not able to get back without help as well as the device he had on his chest that must have allowed him to augment his superhuman speed in the first place. Kara has been gone six weeks and I doubt that he would have a problem helping her back here. Since we both know he couldn't possibly force her physically to stay and from all accounts that I have heard of the man he wouldn't, that leaves two possibilities. One she doesn't want to come back or two she is…"

Alex couldn't finish the sentence. Refused to even think it. Eliza had talked to her about this possibility and she shut her down each time, once throwing a computer at the Fortress of Solitude into a wall, shattering it beyond repair. Even Lois Lane, as bold as she could be, would not mention the possibility of Kara's death. Kal El had already accepted it is a foregone conclusion. He had seen how much blood she had lost and doubted even in alternate world anyone would have compatible blood.

"Calm down Alex." Eliza told her daughter, still dressed in black even though she was no longer a part of the DEO. There actually was no DEO any longer, just a prison for aliens who had been recaptured or never released, thanks to Kara, after Non's defeat. It was staffed not with elite agents but prison guards.

"Why would Kara not want to come back? Her family and friends are here." Cat pointed out.

"If she thinks she would still be hunted she wouldn't return for fear that they would use myself or my mother to get to her. I would stay away from us too if I thought my presence mean't Kara would be in danger." Alex explained. "There is also the possibility…"

"Yes?" Cat encouraged, getting frustrated. She had hoped the women had news, not guesses.

"Kara and I were not in the best place when she was taken. We were working on some things between us. She had been exhausted from the battles over the past year, she had her faith in her mother destroyed by her aunt who I killed, an aunt she had been very close to as a child and was part of Non's plan before I killed her. She had a parasite attached to her at one point that caused a hallucination so real she believed she was back on Krypton and with her family. To her it was like losing them all over again. She also had been frustrated by her relationship with James Olsen and I am honestly not sure if she was in love with him or more depressed about Barry Allen leaving and seeking out comfort, hoping she wouldn't be alone for the rest of her life. In the two weeks he was here I understand the two became very close. Losing Barry and basically being shunned by James, she was in a bad place. Kara also had a career she excelled at and had not been promoted in four years and a boss she looked up to as an inspiration who couldn't be bothered to call her by her correct name."

Alex stopped at that point and openly glared at Cat. Cat met her eyes for as long as possible before the intensity of the woman's eyes backed her down, something she was not used to. Alex Danvers was highly trained and Cat suspected an exceptional warrior who was on the edge of losing her self control. She knew Kara's sister was extremely protective of her and worked alongside Kara from her talks with Olsen and Winn.

"Then to be hunted and injured by those she worked with, side by side, it is entirely possible Kara does not want to come back." Alex finished.

"Or she can't because she is…" Eliza started before Alex cut her off with a "Mom."

"Enough Alex! We have to consider the possibility that she could be gone. Miss Grant if that is the case I still need to get my daughter back. She would be buried on that Earth in the ground. Kryptonians have different traditions when it comes to saying goodbye. She is not to be buried in the ground! Kara deserves to be prayed upon by her customs, and honored by her customs, especially the prayers. Kal El deserves the right to mourn her properly! Whether she is alive or dead I need to find my daughter and if going to another universe is what I have to do I will do it!"

Cat took in the woman, calm minutes ago but so desperate now, as if she was hanging on by a thread to her sanity.

"Understand Miss Grant, when Superman dropped her off with us she was a scared girl who had been asleep, in statis for years and didn't even know it. The baby she was supposed to protect was grown and she was a 13 year old child entering a delicate time in her life, and she had just lost not only her parents but everything she knew and loved. She couldn't speak English, she had powers she had never had before and was very afraid. We took her in and loved her and she is blood to us. There is nothing, no length Alex and I will not go to find her. If she doesn't want to return we will stay there, support her as we have always done. But I have to have my daughters, both of them."

Cat hurt listening to the desperation in the woman's voice. Alex had tears in her eyes and was looking at the floor, her anger gone, giving way to sadness.

"What can I do to help?" she asked.

"I plan on assembling a team of the best scientists in their fields, mostly specializing in the fields of quantum physics, advanced mathematics, and structural engineering. Superman knows the vibrations Allen used to travel to this Earth he was from, the frequency if you will. He can replicate it for us, give us a baseline, a map. He can obviously not carry us to this other Earth and doubts he can get there without whatever device Allen was wearing on his chest. We are going to build a vessel, one that can get us to where she is. While we may not be able to reach the speed required to open a breach we can match the vibrations and frequency and I believe with sonic technology and replicating the speed of the surrounding air by finding a way to harness Tachyons. If not a vessel perhaps something that can at least open a breach, by firing tachyons at a certain point. Tachyons have never been proven though has found evidence in the past that they exist. A particle that travels faster than the speed of light is needed and need to isolate that particle first. We will jump into the breach if we have to. What we need from you Miss Grant, is simple. We need money."

Cat was shocked at the bluntness of the request. Not that she had a problem with it, she appreciated straight forwardness, but Eliza Danvers did not strike her as a woman who would ask for money at anytime. The fact that she had admitted this need showed Cat how truly desperate she was.

"How much?" Cat asked, surprising both women.

"We aren't sure. We plan to keep the team small, only the best. I think everyone we ask will jump at the chance to open a doorway or even a way to visit other universes. But they will still want to be paid. I can't exactly go to the government and ask for a grant, or a private corporation. The focus would be more on the study and possible military or profit potential of such a venture rather than a way to reach Kara. Honestly you are the only one I know who has limitless resources and though you never showed my daughter the proper respect she deserved I believe you did, you do love her. It was impossible to know her and not. No one besides Alex spent as much time with her as you did."

The possibilities were astounding to Cat. She did have nearly limitless resources, having the largest media company in the world tended to make one very, very rich.

She also owed not only Supergirl but Kara. Both had saved her in one manner or another, whether it was from murderous ex employees or from herself without ever asking anything in return.

Cat stood up and walked to the glass door. She did her best not to scream employees names any longer from behind her desk.

"Winn? Come into my office." Winn had been doing his best not to stare at Alex, planning on jumping her before she left the building and beg for any information she had on Kara. Now he had the chance to hear it firsthand and practically ran towards the door.

"Yes Miss Grant?"

"Winn, I trust you know Alex very well but have you met her and Kara's mother?"

"Yes Miss Grant. We met last Thanksgiving."

"Winn I need you to go to personnel and instruct them to begin looking at potential replacements for your position."

"Uh…" Winn was wondering if he had really been asked in to be fired in front of Kara's family.

"From this point on, while you are still a Catco employee and will receive your same pay, perhaps more based on certain factors, you will be under the direct supervision of Dr. Danvers. Catco is issuing an open ended grant to Dr. Danvers on a project outside of our normal scope but one I believe in strongly. We are going to find Kara. If the board has any problem with it I will simply remind them who owns this damn company and what happened to the last man who tried to take it from me. Dr. Danvers, Winn is the best IT I know and … he has other talents that fall into the grey areas of the law. He will assist you in whatever fashion you need. I would suggest the three of you begin looking for a suitable facility. I doubt this will be a short term project and I would like you to get started as soon as possible."

"Cat… I don't know what to say." Alex said, stunned at the conviction in the woman's voice..

"Don't say anything, just get her home. At least find out if she is happy and let me know if you decide to stay. That is all I want. Catco has as of this moment started an Advanced Applied Science department. I am very excited about the opportunities this will bring the company. If you need anything, feel free to call or stop by at anytime. As far as funds I will instruct our CFO to begin with five million with more as needed. Lets get this done."

Cat stood up and offered her hand to both women who took it, still in disbelief over how easy it had been and they walked out. Winn stayed behind. Cat couldn't help but notice this was the first time he had smiled since Kara disappeared.

"Thank you so much Miss Grant." he said quietly, meeting her eyes for once.

"Don't thank me yet. Thank me when it is done. Winn whatever it takes, whatever server you need to hack, whatever classified information you think you might need, take it by any means necessary and make sure if it can be tracked it is tracked to the company and not you. Do what it takes Winn. I know that no one will put more into this than you."

Winn walked out as shocked as the Danvers but feeling hope for the first time in six weeks. He thought of telling James but quickly decided against it. He felt a bit of bitterness towards the man who had turned down the chance to be with the most beautiful woman, inside and out, that Winn had ever known and still didn't know where Lucy Lane was or what connection she may have with the man.

He didn't need Olsen. He had Alex and that was enough.

Earth 1

Barry arrived at S.T.A.R labs desperate to see what condition Kara was in. Instead he found Cisco sitting alone at the main com station.

"Where is she?" he asked. His friend did not need to ask who she was.

"Man I tried to explain that A.R.G.U.S wasn't like the DEO and what they actually dealt with but she was freaked. She changed into sweats and practically dragged Cait out the door. I think they were headed to Cait's apartment.

Barry agreed with this, where else would she go, and changed quickly back into his civilian clothes. A wave to Cisco and he was gone, arriving at Cait's apartment 30 seconds later. He knocked on the door and saw a nearly panic stricken Caitlin Snow, let out an audible sigh of relief that he had shown up.

"She is in the extra bedroom. She is freaked out Barry. I mean really? Comparing A.R.G.U.S. to the DEO? Sure they used to be bastards but not since Lyla has taken over."

"I was a little surprised to see them so soon and didn't have a chance to think about what I was saying. I will talk to her."

Barry walked in the familiar apartment where he, Cisco and Cait had spent many movie nights, and walked directly to the bedroom. A knock on the closed door, followed by a quick opening and a beautiful blonde wrapped around him in an extremely tight hug. Barry did his best not to grunt from the pressure. Kara needed this so he would take a few cracked ribs if it helped her out.

"I am so glad to see you. Are they gone? Did they see me?"

Barry wanted to reassure her, lie and say he they did not, but when it came to relationships or possible relationships he had learned one very important lesson from Oliver Queen's mistakes. Do not lie.

"Yeah they saw something but have no idea who you are and I told them to mind their own business. They are going to leave you alone, I promise."

"You … I can't trust them Barry."

Barry sat on the side of the bed and motioned for Kara to join him. She did without hesitation, reaching without thought for his hand.

Barry proceeded to tell Kara all about A.R.G.U.S., what they had been and what they are now. He told her about his friendship with Dig and the trust he had in Lyla. Oliver Queen trusted no one outside of a very select group of people and he trusted Lyla.

Kara's grip on his hand lessened the more he talked, happy that no alien investigations had been conducted or alien life had been discovered on this Earth as far as anyone knew. It seemed Metahumans were the topic of the day. Not that this cleared Kara.

"So relax. They won't ever bother you. I promise you Kara."

"Thanks Barry. I know I can trust you."

"Of course you can. You're my sidekick. If you can't trust me who can you trust?"

Kara took a moment to realize what he had said.

"Did you just call me a sidekick?" she asked, faking indignation.

"Well you were dressed the same as me but shorter. I mean most people think I have some Kid Flash working with me now. Hey, Kid Flash! That might be a great name for you. I'll have to run it by Cisco."

"Barry I can't. I mean I can but I don't know if I could." Kara admitted. "And I would never be called Kid Flash, so get that idea out of your head, Mr. Allen, before I remind you that your only superpower is jumping out of alleys in a trench coat."

Barry took a moment to take this in. He debated giving her time to figure out things herself or just breaking the truth to her. Like most everything in Barry's life he decided fastest was the best.

"Listen, I understand your fear. I had a task force assigned to take me down when I first started. The police have been after Oliver for so long, a member of his team had to impersonate him and fake his own death just so the cops would leave him alone. Being a hero doesn't always mean being loved. Sometimes it is about doing what is necessary whether it is approved of by others or not. I'm not saying you should get back into the game if you don't want to Kara but you have one major problem."

"Yeah? Just one?" Kara tried to joke.

"Maybe a few more but yeah one major problem. You Kara Zor El are a hero. Not because of some costume or because you want everyone to love you. It's just who you are. As scared as you say you were of revealing yourself you took a huge risk to save my life today. By the way I totally had that. But I appreciate the assist."

"You were about to be shark food." Kara told him, bumping his shoulder with hers and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah probably, but I had a hero helping me out. We all need friends. Kara you cannot tell me if Cait ran in right now and said a plane was about to crash over the city you wouldn't do your best to catch it, revealing yourself be damned. If a building was on fire and I entered to save the people inside you would be right behind me…"

"I would get there first."

"…no you wouldn't, but you would be there, saving people and probably using that awesome freeze breath thing you do to put out the fire. You wouldn't think about it because it would be your first reaction and you would have no choice. Its just who you are Kara. You are a hero."

Kara sat for a moment pondering what he had said. It was true, not about being a hero, she felt anything but at the moment, but if a tragedy was occurring she could not sit back and do nothing. She just couldn't. Too many people would die, kids left without their parents, the way she had been. The same way Barry had been. Both had help, those who loved them as their own but losing parents especially at a young age sticks with you.

"But Barry what if I am feared? There is only one thing to be able to harm me and there is only a small amount here. Two bullets locked away somewhere. When someone tried to copy it on my Earth he failed but managed to make the substance I told you about that affected my mind. I have a lot of anger in me and the world never needs to see it come out."

"We all have anger. As far as that Kryptonite I have an idea of what to do with it, where to put it that it can never be used against you again."

"Then if I go crazy how would you stop me?" she asked, one of her worst fears after she nearly killed her sister.

"I wouldn't. I would trust you. I do trust you. I saw how happy you were as Supergirl. Nothing about that has changed. Yeah you were betrayed but this is a different Earth, a different life and you have something you didn't have there."

"What?"

"You have me. I won't leave you on your own, ever. Partners right?"

Kara smiled for the first time since she had returned from fighting Jaws. He could always make her smile.

"Ugh, I hate to think of wearing glasses again but I guess…"

"Kara that disguise sucked. You can't hide your light as Supergirl because you are exactly the same as Kara Danvers. Besides Cisco would never let you do it. On this Earth, we wear masks."

"And hide this face?" the blonde deadpanned.

"Yeah, as much as a tragedy as that is, just while you are doing superhero stuff. Now we have one other thing to talk about. Do you definitely want to stay?"

Did she? Kara had thought of the reasons to stay, to go. Her family and friends were there. But did National City even need her anymore? The alien threat was gone and the only threat now were the ones who wanted her dead. If they thought she was gone forever, there would be no reason for them to go after her loved ones. If she popped up on radar flying around, those who wanted her dead would stop at nothing. Since she was attacked at home, the DEO or Lane or whoever the hell was after her, obviously knew everything about her. By this point she was sure even Cat knew about her. She would miss Alex but Alex didn't need her, no matter how much Kara needed Alex. She could have the best of both worlds here, a fresh start at a normal life and be the hero she knew she had in her. Maybe it was time she stood on her own.

Maybe not on her own though, she thought, looking at Barry's smile.

"I want to stay."

"Cool." was Barry's simple reply. He had too many words to describe the feelings her simple statement evoked so he went with cool to sum them up. No one would mistake Barry for a poet.

Kara ignored his poetic reply with another shoulder bump.

"Barry, the first time you crossed into my universe, you used that metal thing on your chest and made it on your own. When you went home you needed me to push you. When you reached the universe this time you did it on your own but you Kal El pushed you through. Thats what Cait said. I mean I don't know anyone who is as fast as you except him. Why are you able to reach my universe on your own but not return?"

"Oh that. Yeah I just have to reach a certain speed. Its faster than I can usually run thanks to the Tacyhon device and the particles in it but much easier to achieve if I have someone vibrating at the same frequency I am. I needed your cousin to help me at the last moment because if I had lost velocity for even a split second I wouldn't have gotten us back. Since I was carrying you, I wasn't certain I could make the jump at the exact same velocity."

Kara could understand that but he hadn't answered the entire question.

"You didn't need me to get back the first time, did you? You already had it figured out."

Kara couldn't help but notice the feint blush on the speedster's cheeks.

"Yeah, I just wanted you to be the last thing I saw in your world."

Neither Kara nor Barry could believe he said that, but while it felt awkward to Barry to express his emotions, even those short of professing undying love but a simple admission of fondness, the statement caught Kara off guard and warmed her. The weeks she spent with him were wonderful. Miss Grant was of the opinion that Kara was attempting to make James jealous but that really wasn't it. It was probably the first time he brought her ice cream. Even when showing off his powers he had brought her something she would like. Maybe James was jealous but when Barry was around Kara found she never thought about James. Perhaps she wasn't as in love with James as she thought? Maybe it was a crush on a handsome, adventurous man who had a connection to her family. All she knew was when Barry was around, everyone else seemed to take a backseat.

"What if my cousin hadn't been there? How would you have gotten us back?" she asked.

"I probably wouldn't have been able to and…" he hesitated.

"And I would have died." she finished.

"I wouldn't have let that happen. I already had a back up plan." he told her with that confident smirk she loved to see.

"A back up plan to raise me from the dead?"

"Nope. I would have left you there, gone into a breach on my own. Once I got back I would simply travel through time to the previous day and come for you sooner, without having to wait for Cisco's vision. Then the two of us could have escaped or came back here before you were ever injured."

"Really? Didn't you say you didn't like to go back in time? That changing even the smallest thing in the timeline could change everything? Possibly make it worse? I remember that. We were watching Back to the Future with Winn at my place."

"Yeah but it was worth the risk. The world may have been worse, a number of things could have gone wrong but I only do it in dire situations where I have no other option. You not being alive? I couldn't think of any world that would be worse than that. You have too much light not to shine Kara. I'm proud to be your sidekick."

Kara laughed to stop the tears building up in her eyes.

"Thanks Barry."

"Always. Now it is five. The Central City Mall is open for a few more hours so why don't we grab Cait and go pick you out a couple of outfits then have dinner at my place. I know Joe and Iris would love to meet you."

"I can go to a thrift store. The mall isn't really my style."

"This is a new life. You don't have to dress down, wear glasses, be someone you aren't. You can be whoever you want and for that you need options. The Mall has options. We better hurry though. I'll let Cait and Cisco know to come to dinner so you will have more people you know. Maybe it won't feel as awkward."

Once again Barry had read her mind. How does he always seem to do that?

Kara stood up in surrender. It was time to shop and then meet the family. If this was going to be her life now, Barry was a major part of it. He obviously liked her.

Now she just needed to impress the family.


	5. Chapter 5

Do not own CBS CW or DC characters.

A/N Thank you all for the reviews and follows and favorites. You are all making this so fun. So who is ready for a little Kara Iris cattiness?

Chapter 5

Kara Zor El had fought every alien who wanted to kill her and won. She had defeated the Master Jailer, with help from her sister, she had defeated Reactron, a killer android that was literally built to kill her and stopped a nuclear missile from detonating. She had held up buildings, doused raging infernos with her breath and welded steel girders with her heat vision. She had broken the sound barrier with not much effort and defeated Non.

Despite these past experiences Kara didn't believe she could remember a time she had felt this nervous. Barry had told her about Joe and Iris on her earth when he first came running into her life. Now she was going to meet the man who shaped Barry into the man and hero he was today. A man who would run across universes to save a friend's life.

Barry was not concerned at all. There was absolutely no way someone could know Kara and not love her. Despite her wish to start fresh Barry was surprised to see her choice of clothes had still been casual and conservative. Even with her amazing looks she seemed to not have an ounce of vanity about her. The sneakers were standard Nikes, white with a pink Nike swoosh, her blue jeans were dark blue denim and she had bought a few sweaters, turtle necks, plain tees of various colors and to his great amusement and pride the shirt she had on now.

A Flash tee shirt.

One difference in her appearance was of course the lack of glasses and her hair was no longer restrained by a braided ponytail or a bun. She let her golden locks flow freely, accentuating her sunny smile.

She was perfect, like a beautiful day at a tropical island beach where nothing could go wrong.

"Are Cait and Cisco here? Wait… yes! I hear them inside."

"Would you relax? You are wearing a Flash tee. That is all the in you need with this crowd. Just stay away from the Green Arrow merchandise. I don't want him getting any ideas about who your favorite might be."

Barry grabbed her hand without even thinking about it. The act had become so natural to them but never went unnoticed. Kara heard the increase in Barry's heart when he touched her and while warning herself that it could be anything she would be lying if it didn't give her hope that he saw or could see her as more than a friend. Barry was perfect because he wasn't. He had loss and heartbreak and anger, even bitterness caused by the sting of betrayal but it never got the best of him. He knew what it was like to fight and lose, the self doubt that accompanied each loss. But Barry kept running, kept fighting no matter what. It was one of his best features. Plus his smile made her super strong knees weak.

"Just remember I don't live with my foster father. We are roommates, equals." Barry told her, wanting to head off that line of thinking.

"How much do you pay in rent?" Kara asked.

Barry ignored the question. The two walked in hand in hand to see Cisco and Cait talking to a woman Kara assumed to be Iris. Iris looked up at the two and smiled. A smile that went away when she spotted Barry and Kara's hands interlocked. Iris quickly recovered and planted a smile back onto her face.

"Kara! Look at you, out of sweat pants and everything! Love the shirt, still think we should get royalties off of those bad boys. Barry having a secret identity sucks." Cisco announced by way of greeting.

Iris stood and walked to the pair holding out her hand to Kara.

"Welcome. I'm glad to see you are okay. We were all very worried about you."

Kara could tell the woman was genuine about that and smiled at her.

She would still keep an eye on her though. Barry and told her some of his history with the girl he had grown up with including unrequited love he had for a long time. A love he told Kara back on her former earth that he had grown past. She wondered if Iris had moved on from what could have been as well.

If nothing else, I can throw her into space, Kara thought as she shook hands, fighting the need to squeeze and scolding herself for having those thoughts. She had just met the woman and had no doubt they would be great friends.

But space was always an option.

A tall dark man with a close cut goatee and an apron on came walking from the kitchen with a giant smile. Walking over to the two he ignored Barry and wrapped Kara into a hug, surprising them all.

"Glad to see you are okay Kara. You had us very worried." Joe whispered to her. His sudden display of affection nearly would have had Kara in tears had she not been so shocked.

"So I left you two at the mall an hour ago. What took you two so long to get her here?" Cait asked, smirking while Cisco waited for an answer with a raised eyebrow.

"Barry bought me ice cream." Kara explained with a dopey grin.

"Before dinner?" Iris asked, souring a bit judgmental.

"Yeah, she eats as much as Barry. You should have seen them tear through the pizzas we had the other night." Cisco told Iris, almost bragging.

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Its true, I do love food."

"And yet you have such a great figure." Iris commented.

"Benefits of being an alien."

Joe looked back and forth between the two women who were wearing the most forced smiles he had ever seen and decided to break the gridlock.

"Okay, well it is a good thing I made a lot of pasta! Who is hungry besides Barry and Kara?"

All moved towards the kitchen. Iris noticed that Barry was not sitting in his usual chair, instead sitting next to Kara.

"So Barry never told us he had such a close friend from another universe." Iris commented while the rest ate. Barry seemed to notice something was off and looked up at Iris. Was that jealousy? It couldn't be. He and Iris had moved on. She wasn't the type to judge someone because of being different. Maybe it was his imagination.

"Yeah well, I haven't really talked much to anyone since I returned. The Zoom thing took a lot out of me."

"Thats no lie. The first genuine smile I have seen on him in weeks was after Kara woke up." Cisco told the group. Barry nearly rolled his eyes but admitted it was true to the group. Kara focused on her food with one hand while the other went to Barry's on top of the table. Cait and Cisco looked at each other knowingly.

"So tell us about your earth, Kara. What is it like there? I mean it seems things are the same but a little different in each universe." Iris asked.

"Oh really? I haven't had time to acclimate myself here obviously but I don't see a lot of differences. Wait a minute, you guys have Homeland right?"

"Yep." Barry told her, smiling at her obsession with her favorite TV shows.

"Yes! I think I will be good here. Wait, other universes? What universe is she talking about? The one where you were all evil?"

"Yeah, thats the only other one I have been too. Its quite a bit different there."

"You can say that. Barry and I were married on that Earth." Iris told the blonde, doing her best to sound nonchalant.

The entire table looked down, Joe rubbing his forehead.

"Yeah and Deadshot couldn't handle a gun and Cait was a supervillian who tried to stab me with shards of ice. Pretty much the reverse of everything here." Barry pointed out, his tone definitely warning Iris to back off.

"And then there was the future news…"

"Iris, stop." Joe told her. Kara caught on though.

"Future what? I thought you could go back in time. You never told me about the future."

"Because I haven't been there. Remember what I told you about the Reverse Flash?"

"Of course." Kara rubbed her thumb over the top of Barry's hand. She knew this was a difficult thing for him to talk about. They had spent most of their time on her old earth talking and sharing secrets, even painful ones. He was so easy to talk to.

"Thawne had a room with an AI computer at S.T.A.R. Apparently I built it in the future. It was set to a newspaper on the day Thawne and I disappeared to the past. The lead article was written by Iris West Allen."

"Really?" Kara asked, not amused.

"Yeah, crazy huh?" Iris replied.

"Of course after Eddie died and Thawne was erased from existence the article changed. Nothing about me or Iris or anything else unusual. Even the AI disappeared. The future is what we make it now, the way it should be." Barry told her, meeting her beautiful blue eyes, causing her to grin.

"Thats true." Kara agreed, "I mean nothing is preordained. No one would have predicted my arrival here from another Universe if Barry hadn't pulled off the impossible. I suppose things change all the time in ways you never see coming or people you never see coming." Kara pointed out to the table but she was looking at one person now.

The entire table noticed that Kara was looking Iris straight in her eyes when she said this. Kara did not understand why she felt Iris was implying that Barry was hers. Nor did she understand why she herself felt so possessive.

Then Kara realized she did know deep down. Kara in the past took a back seat to everyone, even Lucy Lane. Before the Red K incident she let Siobhan intimidate her in the office and she cowered to every threat Cat Grant ever made about firing her, knowing the woman couldn't manage without her. She wouldn't again. Not here not now. She may not be ready to stake a claim but she would not allow someone to warn her off.

"Man I am stuffed Joe. That was really great." Cisco commented to break the tension they all pretended was not there.

"Yes, I am not sure if I can manage anymore." Caitlin agreed.

"Oh come on now. There is too much left. We'll be eating leftovers for a … never mind." Joe finished recognizing the look in Barry's eye. This time was different though. Kara had the same look in her eyes and they were looking at each other, almost as if challenging the other.

"You guys want to see something cool?" Barry asked, glancing at the large bowl of pasta not even half empty.

"I do." Cisco agreed immediately. Kara grinned.

"Same rules as last time. No sauce on the face or anywhere else on the table. No striking each other's forks…"

"That was you." Barry reminded her.

"And no distracting head bumps. That was you." Kara reminded him.

Joe crossed his arms with a huge smile and slid his chair a bit back.

"Back up everybody, This is going to get interesting."

"Ready?" Kara asked, holding her fork at the ready.

"On three. First one to the bottom gets to decide what to do tonight."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

The table sat in stunned silence at the blur of movement that erupted over the remaining pasta. The pile shrinked rapidly and three seconds later, Kara slid her chair back, and raised her hands in victory. A noodle was still hanging out of a disbelieving Barry's mouth.

"You went down loser!"

"You totally cheated!"

"I followed the rules."

"You got a long strand and used it to suck up half the bowl."

"It's not my fault I am really good at sucking…"

Kara's hand slapped to her mouth and her eyes bulged. Cait saved Kara once again when she started to laugh. Soon the entire table was laughing, even Iris. Kara felt a bit better and Barry reached over, hugging her.

"Okay, you are the victor this time. What do you want to do tonight?" Barry conceded. His plan had been a walk in the park. He hoped she didn't want to take him flying. Ever since Hawkman had dropped him in their brief get to know you skirmish, he was not a fan of the idea of being handled high up. He learned that night that even the Flash could not run on air.

"Don't you have to be at work in the morning?" Kara asked.

"It's Friday. No getting out of it. What do you want to do?"

The blonde thought for a moment. "Do you have karaoke here?" she finally asked. Cait paled at the reminder of that night which preceded the worst hangover she had ever experienced in her life.

"Absolutely. I know this great place. Who wants to come?" Barry asked.

Cisco and Cait immediately raised their hands.

"I have to catch up on paperwork tomorrow and am kinda tired since I wasn't able to call in sick like a certain lab nerd I know." Joe told the group, bowing out.

"I have to get home and proof some articles I have written."Iris casually mentioned. "I'm a reporter for the largest paper in Central City. What did you do back on your old earth, Kara?"

"I was the one the stories got written about." she responded instantly, shocking even herself. Space was looking more and more like an option.

"Well I guess its just the four of us. Don't wait up Joe." Barry stood and Kara followed never letting go of his hand. Once the four walked out, Cait and Cisco got into the front of Cait's car while Kara held Barry back.

"She hates me."

"No she doesn't."

"I hate her."

"No you don't."

"I might."

"You don't have a hateful bone in your body."

"My sister and former boss might disagree with you." the blonde reminded him.

"When you are not under the influence of Red Kryptonite you don't have a hateful bone in your body. Better?"

Kara nodded agreement. She really wasn't a hateful person. But she could learn to be.

No, no, she would not. She was better than that. She had to be.

"Look Iris is kinda protective. She knows I had a thing for her and I think now she is realizing that I don't have a thing for her anymore. She really is a great person, she just probably feels threatened by you. She kinda reminds me of that Olsen guy."

"James?" Kara asked, slightly surprised.

"Oh yeah. Big time jealous. Big time."

"Over you? He's got like forty pounds of muscle and at least a few inches in height than you. Are you sure?"

Barry's mouth hung open until Kara grinned.

"I'm kidding. I like men who are lean, devastatingly handsome and can run fast enough to break the sound barrier. Do you know anyone like that?"

"Sounds like you have high standards but I think we can find someone who meets those requirements. Let's go. Time to show you who the best singer in this partnership is."

An hour later Cait and Cisco sat at the bar drinking, pondering the fairness of life.

"I love Kara and Barry but I think I'm beginning to hate them both just a little." Cait told Cisco quietly while nursing her first drink.

"I know right? Good looking, super powered and could be Broadway singers if they wanted to. Some people have all the luck." Cisco groused.

"Luck? Her entire world ended when she was 13. Barry's mother died when he was 10 and his father went away for a crime he didn't commit. I don't think you could call them lucky."

"Maybe not, but wouldn't you want to trade places with them for a day? Just one day?"

"At this moment yes." Cait admitted. "I wonder if either realize they have been constantly touching since before she even woke?"

"Both are clueless but not that clueless. I mean look at them, staring at each other, love in their eyes. I could have had that with Kendra."

"It wouldn't have worked out Cisco. Leave it alone already."

"Maybe but what about Lisa?"

"She is a criminal, Cisco."

"She is still a good person. I really like her and we have serious chemistry. If she would just lay off the armed robberies I think we could be good together."

"Keep dreaming. How many songs are they going to sing? They have been up there for half an hour."

"Probably until they stop getting standing ovations." Cisco guessed.

The duo had sang three songs so far and were in the middle of their fourth, belting out A Thousand Years for the mesmerized crowd.

"They are practically making out up there. How much closer can they get and still sing? I can't tell whose mic belongs to who now."

"Come on," Cait smiled, "they are adorable."

"Yeah they are." The two sat back and watched, continuing to drink and listen to the beautiful voices. Caitlin had known but Cisco had no idea how good of a singer Barry was. Neither were prepared for the voice on Kara.

After another standing ovation and the crowd begging for one more, the two begged off and joined their friends at the bar.

"So not bad."

"Thanks Cisco. It was fun. You and Cait should give it a try." Kara suggested. Barry cringed.

"I'm not drunk enough for that. Even when I am drunk enough for that, its best I don't." Cait admitted. "Speaking of getting drunk would you like a drink Kara?"

"No, don't waste the money. Alcohol has no effect on me."

"At all? I guess you two aren't so lucky after all."

Kara and Barry exchanged looks at Cisco's comment but shrugged their shoulders. He tended to say random things at times, Kara was learning.

"Hey a table in the back opened up!" Cisco hurried over and had a seat, motioning to his friends who were trying to figure out why they needed a table when the bar worked fine. Instead of questioning they just followed, Barry's hand finding Kara's once again.

"Any reason we need to sit in the back Cisco?" Barry asked.

"Yes. We have to talk about the new set up of Team Flash. Since Kara has joined…"

"Cisco." Kara started raising a hand only for the man to keep speaking.

"Please girl. You lasted about three seconds after Barry went down to jump in a suit that didn't fit you and beat up a giant man shark."

"I had that." Barry tried.

"No you didn't!" Cisco and Cait both yelled, frustrated.

"Regardless of Barry getting his ass handed to him by a fish, we still need to know your powers so I can give you the two most important things you will need in this world."

"I.D. and a job?"

"No! A superhero name and suit. Now I understand you don't want the general public to know or anyone outside of us but you are on the team now. We need to know. I need to know. You said no to Supergirl and I completely agree. Now give me something to work with here."

Kara took a deep breath. Barry trusted them, they had saved her life and were her only friends now. They did deserve to know everything.

"Okay, I can fly obviously…"

"How fast?"

"I don't know exactly. I mean I broke the sound barrier and caught up to a nuclear missile once. Those things are more slippery than you would think."

"Okay then. And obviously you can run as fast as Barry." he continued.

"No she can't."

"Yes she can. You should have seen what we clocked her at today. With the tachyon device,oh my God the possibilities. So we have super speed on the ground and in the air. Also very strong obviously, by the way she tossed the man shark that almost had Barry for breakfast…"

"I totally had that."

"No you didn't. Let me think. How about…"

"I can also freeze things with my breath."

"Oh. Thats cool." Cisco admitted wondering how to incorporate that into the name.

"And I have heat vision. I can basically melt metal with beams from my eyes."

"Oh… wow. Okay so we got…"

"I'm pretty much indestructible as long as I'm not around Kryptonite obviously. I have really good hearing. I can hear for miles and isolate different sounds to track people I am looking for or hear people who need help."

"Okay…"

"And I have X Ray vision. I can see through anything except lead when I want to. I couldn't control it when I first came to Earth and had to wear lead lined glasses. Seeing people's skeletons all the time was a nightmare."

"X Ray vision? So you can fly, are basically bulletproof, fast enough to break the sound barrier on ground or in the air, you have laser vision, freeze breath, super strength, super hearing and X ray vision. I got all that?"

Kara nodded. "Thats all I can think of right now."

Barry smiled in pride while Cait stared with wide eyes and a new respect for the humble girl in front of her.

"Hmmm. I got it! The Bomb cuz girl you are it! I mean seriously besides that green crap we are about to destroy forever do you have any weakness?" Cisco asked. Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course. I'm not all powerful. I have a tendency to throw bombs into the atmosphere after waiting to long, leading to me usually falling a very long way to the ground. I can burn out my powers if I use them to much at once. That only happened once after I fought this really tough android. I had been having a really bad week and vaporized him to with my heat vision. It took a lot out of me. The thing was as strong as I was. Also I was almost killed by this guy who had a nuclear powered suit that could fire these radioactive blasts. He almost killed me the first time we fought. Those blasts hurt. My cousin saved my life which was very embarrassing for me. I mean yeah I cold have died but it was my fight, you know? He apologized later and honestly I should have thanked him. I was just at a place in my life where I was …"

"Okay hold up. You took a sustained blast of concentrated nuclear power and it 'hurt' you?" Cisco asked.

"Yeah."

"I am glad you are on our side. Whatever name I come up for her is the new name of the team."

Barry slapped Cisco in the back of the head.

"Kidding man. Don't get mad. Hey we should totally not tell Oliver and get him to fight her. How great would that be?"

"She isn't fighting Oliver, Cisco." Barry told him, not finding that funny. While he recognized Oliver probably couldn't hurt her the memory of those two arrows in his back still stung.

"Fine, look since you don't want to be called by your Earth 3 name then I am going to need some time. Let's talk suits."

"Wait a minute. Earth 3? Kara asked, looking at Barry. "Why is my old earth called Earth 3?"

"Uh, because when we started traveling the multiverses the only other one we visited was what we call Earth 2 where Zoom came from. Your's was the second Earth I visited so since my Earth was Earth 1…"

"Why does your Earth get to be Earth 1?" the blonde asked.

"Because I'm the one who traveled to them first so I get to name them? Kinda like an explorer gets to name new lands he or she might find first." Barry finished, proud of his reasoning.

"You get to name them and the best you could come up with was one, two and three? No wonder Cisco handles the names." Kara told him. Barry recognized the good natured humor he had come to associate with her.

"You get to name the next one and you can name it whatever you want okay?."

"No! No more traveling Earths for either of us. You brought me here and I am not taking the chance of losing you to some other earth. You might make friends with another super powered blonde girl in a skirt." she told him winking.

"I think I am done looking for anymore women in a skirt." Barry admitted.

"Okay if we can stop the Disney channel romance can we get back to what is important here?"

Caitlin hit Cisco in the back of the head this time.

"Stop that! Now your old suit was destroyed when Cait had to cut if off you. There is no way you are wearing a cape here regardless. It will only slow you down and give the bad guy something to grab onto."

"Wait. My suit was cut from me?" Kara asked Cait, her cheeks blushing.

"Uh yes? I mean I had to do surgery and we needed you to absorb as much solar energy as possible so…"

"Barry you said you two gave me blood. You both saw me naked?!"

Barry and Cisco both panicked.

"You did Barry Allen! I can hear your heart racing!"

"That is so unfair that you can do that. Technically I did see you naked while I was giving you blood, but in all fairness I was looking at your face and Cait had your chest literally cut open so I saw more of your insides than anything. I was kinda freaked and panicking and really didn't have time to see anything."

"Oh. I guess yeah, with my chest open… ow." Kara rubbed at the spot Cait had cut her open days before she healed. The thought alone of hr chest being opened up made her ache. That would have hurt if she had been awake and not near death. "What about you Cisco?"

"Honestly? I really didn't see anything but your insides because by the time my transfusion line was hooked up Cait had your stomach open and was digging around and there was a lot of blood and spurting and I really don't do good with that stuff. I can't even watch gory horror movies. It just makes me sick. I'm not saying you make me sick! Just seeing your insides was… pretty much all I could think about so I had my eyes closed the entire time."

"After I closed you up, the boys were gone and I had a curtain between us and them. The only one who saw you naked was me Kara." Cait told her. She had a feeling she wouldn't be the only one at this table who would eventually see Kara naked. Despite the trials and tribulations these two had endured in their lives they still acted like awkward teenagers in love. It was sweet. She had never seen this side of Barry. Yes he was happy with Patty but there was no passion in Cait's opinion. Barry and Iris kept missing each other with feelings for others and Iris had completely missed out now. Seeing Barry with someone who looked at him the same way he looked at her made her so happy for him. He deserved it. They both did.

"Okay so it needs to be aerodynamic. I'm guessing temperature doesn't bother you?" Cisco asked.

"Nope. I can feel temperature of course, but my body doesn't have the same reaction. It would take an extreme temperature change for me to be affected to the point I was incapacitated… hey wait. You still have my cape right?"

"I told you no capes." Cisco told her sternly. She needed to learn her place on the team. He handled the suits. Of course learning about her powers if she wanted a cape she could have a cape.

"No not for that. That cape was given to me by my cousin. It was the baby blanket he was wrapped in when he was sent to Earth. Its important that I have it. It's really the only thing I have left of my home now."

The smile that had been on Kara's face was threatening to leave and Cait could not have that.

"Hey, its okay. I have it locked away. It was unharmed and isn't going anywhere except back to you. I would never let anything happen to it."

Kara offered a smile of gratitude and Barry wrapped an arm around her, bringing her close enough for her to lay her head on his shoulder.

"So what is with the S? Is it because they called you Supergirl?" Cisco asked, remembering she did not want to hear that name ever again but reasoning she just meant she never wanted to be called that again. Mindful of her powers, he hoped that was the case.

"I guess that was part of it. My cousin had it first and he was called Superman by the public." Kara told him, ignoring Cisco's cough and the clearly spoken 'lame' it hid.

"It's actually my families crest, what you would call a coat of arms. It's the symbol for the House of my family. The House of El."

"Okay. So right now I am thinking we can incorporate that in the center, design you a suit like Barry's as far as material, better footwear than those boots with heels that you wore. I can put the minicam in the center plate, your family crest, because that has to be there and the mask will have to be more like Oliver's than your's Barry. She isn't going to want to put her hair in a bun when its go time. No lead lining in the mask that can negate her X ray vision though. Also I need to find some way to thin out lead, maybe some sort of wiring that I can at least weave into the fiber. That way if you ever by some accident come into contact with another substance like that green crap or radioactive blasts the lead will offer you some protection and be bullet proof against any type of ammo. You should be able to walk through an inferno and this bad boy won't even have a scratch on it. We are also going to have bio tech so Cait can monitor your vitals like she does for Barry. That way if you do ever go into power overload we can warn you to get out before you are in danger of blowing out. Defibrillators come standard. I know one works on you since we have seen it… not that we were looking! Oh, oh, I can add a solar panel on the inside of her crest, that way if she needs an extra dose of sunlight in case her powers are close to blowing out we can give her a few thousand watts of sunshine instantly! This is going to be so cool. I'm going to the lab and starting tonight."

"Glad you are happy." Kara told him with a wink, containing the emotion she felt inside that her new family, two people that had taken an alien in without question and made her feel like she belonged in such a short time, would think about a suit lined with lead to protect her, solar power generators and monitoring her health. The DEO never even thought to design one of the devices Non had for negating the effects of Kryptonite. Or maybe they didn't want to. When she was attacked during the Red K incident, Alex had a gun that could reverse the effects. The rest of the DEO had weapons Kara took from them before they had a chance to use them. Now she wondered what sort of ammunition were in those weapons. Had all of them besides Alex and Hank been prepared to kill her or just capture her?

"Its weird to think that somewhere in this universe there is a Kara Zor El in her forties living on Krypton." she suddenly said, the thought hitting her out of nowhere.

"Yeah maybe, but she isn't our Kara Zor El." Cisco raised his drink in a toast to the newest member of Team Flash, or whatever the hell it was going to be called now. Barry and Kara raised their water glasses and Cait raised her glass. In the back of a little bar, the protectors of Central City became much stronger.

After dropping off a very excited Cisco at S.T.A.R labs, Barry walked Cait and Kara up to Cait's apartment. Cait walked in after saying good night to Barry. Kara turned to follow but found Cait's hand on her shoulder.

"You two have been inseparable since you got to this Earth. Superpowers or not if you don't kiss goodnight I am hurting both of you."

Cait shut the door behind the two, leaving them awkwardly standing in the hall.

Kara looked at the floor feeling the heat in her cheeks. She wasn't sure what to do until Barry's finger gently raised her chin.

"She's right. I've been wanting to kiss you since the first time I saw you. Would you mind?"

Kara bit her lip but shook her head smiling. She closed her eyes as Barry leaned in and then felt his lips softly brush hers. The electric shock both felt had nothing to do with super powers. They lingered and the kiss deepened, until Kara felt she was being drawn into him. Barry wrapped both arms around her waist and brought her closer, feeling her body pressed against his, no awkwardness, no missed signals. They finally broke and Kara attempted to straighten glasses that were no longer there.

"Wow." Barry whispered.

"So was it worth the wait?" she asked quietly. Kara had been kissed before, much less than a woman of 24 should have been, but never felt the electricity she felt at that moment.

"I would cross a thousand universes for it. See you in the morning. You coming to the lab?"

"Are you going to be there? she asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes I am."

"Then I will be there."

"Great, I'll pick you up at nine."

"You have a car?" Kara asked, not remembering seeing one.

"Yeah but that isn't how I plan to pick you up. Just look for the flash of red. Good night Kara Zor El."

"Good night Barry Allen."

Barry walked away slowly, unusual for him and the two continued looking back until Barry turned the corner. Kara walked in, closed the door and squealed. Cait had a knowing smile.

"Your lip stick is smudged." she informed the blonde.

"I don't care. So worth it. Thank you for everything Cait."

"Hey you are family now. Thats what we do."

"Cait do you trust me? I mean I know we haven't known each other long…"

"Yes, I absolutely trust you." Cait answered without hesitation.

"Want to go to the roof? I feel like flying right now. What do you say?"

"You want me to fly with you?" Cait asked, a bit shocked. Kara nodded her head. Seeing the happiness on the girl's face who was so close to death a couple days ago the answer was easy.

"I would definitely love to find out how it feels to fly. Cisco will be so jealous."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Okay the season finales are throwing me for a loop. Sooo. If this isn't already AU, it won't run with the end of Flash and Arrow. Arrow won't be in this story much until the season finale not because I don't know if he will defeat Darkh (we all know he will) but whether him and Felicity get back together. As far as the Flash I am staying with the whole they didn't know where he was for two weeks. If time moves the same on both Earths in my mind when Barry disappeared on the way back from Keystone City he wouldn't have been gone a split second there and spent two weeks or so on Kara's planet. Honestly I don't know how long he stayed there because Kara told everyone that Barry had shown National City PD how to hold metahumans. That is some serious tech to show them in five minutes right? So I am going to assume Barry takes out Zoom, now whether he kills him or Zoom kills himself, who knows. A lot of people say Barry doesn't kill and I realize that, but remember the guy who was like sand? Garrick taught him how to toss lightning. When Barry lit him up the guy exploded. I don't think he was taken into custody. So this story picks up after Kara saved the planet but before she was given the promotion from Cat and the pod landed. Also Wells will be in the story but not much since I'm not sure what will happen to him. I love his character on the show and hope he stays on.

Now great SG finale and if they or CW doesn't pick it up for a second season I may give up on TV. Very emotional moments and while I admit SG is the complete opposite of Arrow that is why I love them both. Despite being 'fluffy' SG has had some damn fine acting and angst from Melissa Benoist and Cheyler. I mean some moving scenes and moments.

Now a couple questions, observations about the Finale. First I found it funny that Lane suggested she try lifting a million ton prison and later of course that is exactly what she did. Second she has gotten stronger. Midway through the season, she blew out her powers vaporizing Red Tornado and this time blinded Non and then lifted a million ton prison. Despite this she seemed good to go a few hours later. Now is Non dead? Did she kill him or just blind him? Speaking of, in the Master Jailer episode I swear it looked like she broke his neck at the end. It was never really clear though. How many damn times can Hank get stabbed? Guy has a stomach like a rock I guess. How did Alex fit Kara in the pod or even get her in there in the first place? I know, don't look to much into it. Got it. But one big thing. CBS or CW is going to have to cast a Superman at some point. They are going to have to if for nothing else guest appearances. Okay thats all I got. I love reviews of chapters but if you want to leave a review telling me what you thought of the season finale let me know. And thanks for all the support. Keep it coming, it keeps me motivated.

Don't own DC and CBS characters. Or CW for that matter.

Chapter 6

"Why the hell were you acting like that tonight?" Joe asked his daughter after Barry and his friends had left.

"What? I wasn't acting anyway."

"Yes you were and you know it. I thought you and Barry were past this on again off again never going to happen crap?"

"We are! But he is still my best friend and it doesn't concern you that he is acting like an alien is his wife in such a short time knowing her?"

"He met her before. They spent time together and obviously became very close. Barry hadn't been the same since he came back and now I understand why. It wasn't just Zoom. I haven't seen him this happy in a very long time and is he is your best friend. Can't you be happy for him too?"

"We know nothing about her!"

"He does! He trusts her and a lot more so that is good enough for me and it should be good enough for you. When he thought she was going to die he looked like he was going to die. I already saw the wheels turning in his head. He would have flashed back in time in a second to change that outcome. Face it Iris, she is it for him."

Iris grabbed her coat and moved to leave. Her father stepped in her way.

"Iris, you told Barry the two of you were better off as friends. He agreed and I know that hurt your ego but you can't really expect him to follow you around like a lost puppy the rest of your life while you live with other guys and date your editor, who hates the Flash by the way, and as you pointed out about Kara, knows nothing about him."

"She was shot. If she was such a hero, why did her own people try to kill her?"

"Because people fear what they don't understand. Eddie was ready to string Barry up before he found out who he was. You should know this. At least I think you are smart enough to figure that out. I hope so because I got news for you, he may not have much history with this girl but I have enough history with Barry to recognize the look in his eyes. Don't try to make him choose between his best friend and Kara because you won't like how it turns out."

"That is what concerns me. He would ditch years of friendship over a girl he barely knows. That is not Barry."

"No it isn't the Barry you knew. People change Iris. You didn't give up on Wally and he is in college instead of racing street cars. Barry has changed. The past two years he has known pain and death and betrayal by those he trusted the most. He blamed himself for Ronnie and Eddie's deaths. He had to watch his mother die again, his father moved away as soon as he was free, he had his damn back broke for God's sake and was nearly beat to death and he still kept fighting. You think that doesn't change a person? Barry was a good kid before he became the Flash. Now he is a good man. It was a hard road for him but he survived. He knows what he wants and if you really want to be his best friend like you claim to be you are going to get over this petty jealousy you have, that you have no right to and make friends with this woman. Do not call her an alien. We don't discriminate in this family and you know this!"

"She's from another planet." Iris pointed out weakly starting to feel vey ashamed of herself. "She is an alien."

"She's a person. A really nice, sweet person who Barry is head over heels with and you know it. If you are really his best friend you better make friends with her if you still can."

Iris turned around and sat on the couch, laying her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, recognizing how she acted and knowing she was less than welcoming. Yes she was jealous, and yes she saw how Barry looked at Kara. It was the same as he used to look at her but different. Kara was looking at him the exact same way. Iris never did.

"I know you are. You need to tell her that." Joe told her, sitting down next to his daughter.

"This has been a lot. Her showing up and all the drama. I'm just trying to adjust." Iris tried to defend herself.

"How do you think she feels? She was already out of place on her old Earth. She got betrayed the same as Barry has been and is now on another world again, no money, no ID, no family, no friends, no one she knows except Barry, who loved this woman so much that he jumped into another universe on the off chance he could save her life."

"I guess I never thought about it." Iris admitted.

"I know this has caught you by surprise, I'm still trying to take it all in, but you are going to have to find a way to be friends with her and accept that her and Barry are in this for the long haul."

"Dad even if he spent time with her on her Earth he wasn't there that long. How do you know she is going to be around for the long haul?"

"You know Iris. You know." Joe patted his daughter on the back and walked up the stairs. In the silence of the living room Iris whispered to herself.

"Yeah, I know."

The next morning Cait was up at 8:30, late for her, having coffee and still on a high from the night before. Flying had freaked her out at first but she relaxed eventually. Kara took it slow and seeing the city from that vantage point was breathtaking. The two talked when they got back about everything from favorite foods to movies, to bad relationships in high school. They also talked about never feeling normal, Kara for obvious reasons and Cait because she was so much smarter than her classmates, she always seemed to be shunned by those who thought of her as a genius bookworm and not just another regular girl. Until she had met Ronnie, no one had really understood her. Cait also shared what had happened with Ronnie. It was difficult but to Kara's credit she didn't say she was sorry but simply hugged her new friend when tears threatened her eyes, every time she talked about his death. Both of his deaths.

Around 4 AM they drifted off on the same bed and Cait managed to roll out of bed leaving Kara sleeping.

At 8:45 Kara sped in so quickly, the papers on her desk blew away.

"It's 8:45!"

"Yes. Want some coffee?"

"Barry is picking me up at 9! Look at me!"

Kara did look a mess, hair mussed, eyes tired from a lack of sleep and wearing a pair of Cait's favorite pajamas, the white ones with bunnies on them.

"Barry is always late. You have plenty of time. Have coffee."

"How does Barry have super speed and always late?" Kara asked, confused. It was a question that confounded them all. Caitlin just shrugged her shoulders and accepted it.

"No, coffee later. I have to get ready now." Kara sped back into the bedroom, causing Caitlin's hair to blow back and the woman briefly wondered if Joe had to deal with this at his house. Apparently living with a superhero was something you had to get used to. Not that she minded. Having a friend to talk to besides Cisco and Barry reminded her of how much she missed having girlfriends to talk to. Iris was nice but the two had never been particularly close, certainly not the type to sit and share stories about growing up.

Five minutes later, after listening to the shower, doors opening and closing, the sound of teeth being brushed and more doors opening and closing Kara zipped back into the kitchen.

"Oh my God." Cait whispered, looking at the woman in a blue, light turtleneck and faded denim skinny jeans.

"What? I look horrible don't I?"

"You look like a California dream girl. How did you do that?"

"When you put out fires on your lunch break you learn to get cleaned up quick." Kara explained. "So I look fine?"

"You look great. I heard the shower for like thirty seconds. How did you dry your hair so quickly?"

"I shake my head and rub really fast. Then run a brush through it a few hundred times. Does it look okay?"

Cait laughed. "You are going to hang out with us at the lab, not a date. Relax, you look great."

"Okay. I guess I will wait outside. Barry said he was picking me up. See you at the lab later?"

"Yes but it takes me a bit longer to get ready. I'll be there in a couple hours. Have fun and don't stay cooped up all day. Make him show you the city. I'm going to contact Felicity today about getting you set up. Don't worry, she knows how to keep secrets. She will probably ask questions but you can decide how much to tell her when you meet her. She is definitely going to want to meet you."

"Cool. Is she is going to have the same … reaction as Iris did last night?"

"You mean the passive aggressive attack she tried to pull? No and I have a feeling after Barry talks to Iris, she won't be pulling that again either."

"I don't want to cause trouble. They have been friends forever and…"

"Don't worry about it. You aren't causing trouble. She came after you for no reason. Just relax. You have more important things to worry about. I imagine Cisco has been up all night and a hyped up, over caffeinated, sleep deprived Cisco is a challenge all by itself."

Kara nodded and walked outside, still not used to walking around in street clothes without the glasses she had worn for years. It felt freeing and the idea of a mask didn't bother as much the longer she thought about it. Barry really looked hot in his. Still the first time he pulled the mask back and she saw that face, his hair, his little grin, she definitely preferred him without the mask.

Checking her watch, she saw it was 9:00 AM. Looking around Kara saw no sign of Barry. Then a flash of red, and she was moving, carried bridal style in Barry's arms, the same as the fist time he caught her. The two were in S.T.A.R. labs before she realized it. He sat her down on her feet and it took a moment to get her bearings.

"Good morning."

"Good morning. That sort of reminded me of our first date. Maybe later I could fall off a skyscraper and you could catch me again?" Kara asked, his smile brightening her morning and helping her forget the lack of sleep she had the night before.

"Absolutely. So since we had the first kiss, am I at the stage where I can kiss you good morning?" Barry asked. He hadn't slept much the night before either. He told her 9 and wouldn't be late.

"You better." she told him and didn't wait this time, awkwardness out the window. The kiss lasted more than a brief peck and became a bit more serious until they were interrupted by Cisco.

"New rule. No making out in the Flash Cave. We never had to worry about this before since none of us had a life but now things have changed. You two are not allowed to rub it in our faces that the rest of us don't have a life."

"Good morning Cisco." Kara half sang.

"Good lord she is a morning person too. Donuts in my work station but Kara you are not allowed in there yet. I still have about four hours of work left on your suit. I don't want you to see it until I am done."

"But there are donuts in there." Kara pointed out. Barry moved and was back half a second later with the box.

"Yes!" Kara and Barry immediately began breakfast while Cisco rolled his eyes.

"I had donuts anyway. Doesn't matter, my coffee was getting cold. I need a new cup. You guys aren't going to drink all the coffee before I get to it, right?"

Kara reached out for Cisco's cup. Confused, he handed it over to her. Barry grinned while Cisco's eyes went wide, as beams from Kara's eyes hit the coffee.

"Here you go. All warmed up. I used to do that at work all the time for my boss."

Cisco sniffed the coffee and took a small sip.

"That is so cool. So you can control how hot your eye beam thingies are?"

"Yep."

"Cool, hey I decided what to do with the kryptonite bullets. I'm going to open a breach."

Barry froze. What the hell was he thinking?

"What universe do you think you are going to, because I'm not going anywhere. I'm not…"

"Bar! Relax. Last night after my fourth pot of coffee I had a revelation. Kara, your universe has Kryptonite all over the place right?"

"More than I would like, yes. It's supposed to be hard to find but no one ever seemed to have a problem with it."

"And they have no way of breaking dimensional barriers, correct? I mean if they had they would have done it before. They already know it can be done because of you Barry. If they could replicate it, they, whoever, could make it here but so what? We have dealt with breachers before and know how to block breaches as well. Earth 2 was more advanced and able to do it but Earth 3 didn't have us and are not anymore advanced than us. Even if they figure out a way, we can deal with them, if it ever becomes a problem. So since they know it can be done but not how, all we need is a breach to last for a few seconds, long enough for Kara to throw the lead case I have the two bullets stored in back to Earth 3. We wouldn't be giving away any secrets and they already know the multiverse exists. Easiest way to get rid of Kryptonite? Send it back where it came from."

"She could be sucked in." Barry pointed out.

"No she couldn't. You had to punch Grodd into one. She won't be near it anyway. Just standing behind me. Of course if she misses we are going to have a large hole in the wall."

"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "I lifted a million ton alien prison into space before I came here. Of course I nearly died and would have if Alex hadn't picked me up from space in my spaceship. I'm not really sure how strong I am. I think I'm definitely stronger now than when I started. I struggled with a plane the first time I flew, as an adult anyway."

Cisco and Barry stared wide eyed at the blonde.

"You are seriously going to have to tell me what the hell happened after I left." Barry told her.

"Just the usual, saved the human race from extinction, had the President and General Lane thank me and then both tried to kill me a couple days later. Oh! Remember my Aunt Astra's husband Non I told you about? Totally kicked his butt, and bllnded him with my heat vision. We sort of had a battle and he lost, big time."

"You said a million tons right?" Cisco clarified.

"Thats what Lane said it weighed. I didn't exactly have a scale to put the thing on. It was kind of stressful and I thought I was going to die, I was on a clock, then … anyway point being I am pretty strong."

"So if I gave you a lead container that weighed, say forty pounds, how fast do you think you could throw it?" Cisco asked, trying to wrap his head around spaceships, a million ton prison, and blinding another Kryptonian with her heat vision.

"So the space ship still worked? Thats so cool. I can't believe Winn wouldn't let me take a picture of it. It was awesome Cisco." Barry interrupted.

Kara ignored both of the fanboys, smiling at the memory of Barry's acceptance of her and excitement the first time he found out about her. He didn't make her feel self conscious about where she was from, but instead seemed to find her even more fascinating.

"I have no idea but we can go out of the city and have a test." Kara suggested. "But I'm not sure I want you to get rid of them."

"Excuse me?!" Barry practically shouted. "Those bullets nearly killed you. There is no way I am not destroying them."

Kara understood. She didn't like the idea of them being here either but …

"Barry, would you mind if I talked to Cisco alone for a minute?"

"Why?"

"Barry?"

Barry hung his head in defeat. He really couldn't say no even if he did have a right to, which he didn't. Besides Cisco would tell him later. Barry knew all the man's weak spots.

Once alone Cisco looked wary. "You know he is going to make me tell you whatever we say. He has ways. If not he will call Oliver and Oliver has definitely unpleasant ways of getting people to talk. Barry will just hide all my tools."

"Cisco, I don't want the Kryptonite gone."

"Why not Kara? There is no reason for it to be here except to hurt you."

"Maybe, but it has come in handy too. Alex trained me to fight in a Kryptonite room. She could adjust the power and make me feel human. I need that sometimes."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

"Kara even at low power that stuff is not good for you and your sister should have known that. It is hurts you for a reason. It would be the same as me taking up smoking or hanging around plutonium. It won't kill you right away but eventually it will hurt you if you are exposed too much to it."

"You don't know that."

"Anybody with a brain knows that! I don't know what the hell your sister was thinking."

"I couldn't learn to fight with her unless I wasn't as strong. You don't understand. Sometimes I need to feel normal. You know how strong I am, but do you know what it is like to live like this? I have to control everything. I can't hug anyone as hard as I can or I would crush them. I can't do anything unless I am in complete control of every single thing I do. Sometimes I want to relax. When I am around low levels of Kryptonite I feel relaxed, not as guarded, free. I can hug as hard as I want to, lose my temper without blasting a hole in the wall, hit a heavy bag instead of a car to release tension."

Cisco stared at her for a moment then his face lit up.

"This is about sex, isn't it? You want to cut lose and not have to worry about…"

"Cisco!"

Cisco sat down and waited. Kara's blush went away after a few minutes but she did not leave.

"Okay maybe a small part of it is one day, maybe, but for now I just want to feel normal. Thats all I am saying."

"So it's totally about sex."

"Cisco if you say sex one more time I will melt your face off."

"Then who will build your Kryptonite sex enabler?"

"This was a bad idea." Kara mumbled and turned to leave.

"I won't do it. I am not keeping something that is made to hurt you here."

"Fine!"

"But I didn't say I couldn't help you."

Kara stopped before reaching the door and slowly turned around. "If you are about to say the word sex one more time…"

"Nope. You get your power from the sun, correct? So I am guessing when you were on Krypton the sun was different?"

"Yes, It was a Red Dwarf Supergiant."

"Okay, I am familiar with the star. Have you been exposed to it since you came to Earth? Any type of red star rays?"

Kara instantly remembered being held captive by the Master Jailer.

"Yes I was."

"How did you feel?"

"Human." she admitted.

"There you go. Since the rays of your home planet are natural to you, they won't be harmful. Kryptonite radiation bad. Red dwarf radiation not bad. You want to feel human I can make a bracelet, kept here, in a safe, for times you want to feel … normal." he finished with a grin.

"You can do that?"

"If you want. But Kryptonite has to go. I can't have you getting some sort of alien cancer. Barry would never let me live it down. So we have a deal? You throw the green crap through the wormhole and I will make you a bracelet that lets you get your freak on…"

Kara's eyes lit up.

"I didn't say sex! I'm sure you just want it to work out on a heavy bag. No big deal."

"Thank you. If we could keep this to ourselves…"

"Don't want Barry to know you want a sex bracelet huh?"

"Cisco have you ever flown?"

"Uh, no. Are you offering?"

"Yes. Have you ever been dropped? Because I am offering that too."

"Won't say a word about the sex toy solar bracelet to Barry. Promise."

"Thank you. Rao, I should have talked to Cait. What was I thinking?"

"That I was the only one who could build you a red solar ray sex bracelet?"

Kara walked out, not saying another word. She would only wind up throwing him through a wormhole. Then who would make her se… solar bracelet that could be used to stop her if needed? Yep, thats what she needed it for.

Barry walked in, phone in hand, pointed at her.

"If you need a picture for my contact info, I don't have a phone so it won't do you much good."

"Nope, Cait just called and she has already talked to Felicity. I'm going to text Felicity your picture and run to Star City. By the time I get there, she should be almost done. I won't be gone for more than a few hours. She works fast. Then we can get you a phone."

"Uh … okay. So you are going to be gone. I can handle that."

"Of course you can. I mean you can come if you want of course, but Cisco is going to want to show you the suit he has been working on probably and Cait is going to be here soon so you won't be alone."

Kara rolled her eyes. "I can be alone Barry. No big deal, I am a woman, not some little kid who needs to be babysat."

"I, uh, I didn't mean it like that. Look this can wait…"

"Barry? Run already. I will be fine. Hurry back and bring Chinese for lunch. You remember my favorite?"

"Pot stickers. Hard to forget."

"Thanks." She reached up on her toes, kissed him, took in his smile one more time and he was gone. She would never admit it but she knew Cisco was giving him a hard time. She was not nearly as fast as Barry, but it didn't matter.

Kara went to the lounge area and turned on the television. Doing a search of the satellite guide she was happy to see her favorites were in this world as well.

Cait still hadn't arrived and finding nothing for the moment to do, she wondered around S.T.A.R. Eventually she found her way to the pipeline Barry had told her about, then the particle accelerator that started all this.

She thought of flying until Cisco called her over the intercom. Zipping to his work shop, her breath left her momentarily.

"Wow."

The suit's body was identical to Barry's except where his lightning bolt was her Family Crest was shown dead center, the same size as her old costume's symbol. The color of the suit was a dark blue but the symbol remained red. It was on a mannequin, like Barry's, but instead of his mask that was attached to the suit hers was separate, covering her forehead and nose.

"The mask is awesome. All you have to do is put it on and the air releases, causing a vacuum that will mold it to your face. That way you don't have to worry about slipping it on or off. It is also the only weak spot on the suit, though. The rest has Kevlar coating, making it bullet proof just in case. Kryptonite radiation may be harmful but it still has to have a solid form to make contact with you. This was the same ionization as lead so it will dissipate the radiation and the solid mass wouldn't be able to break the Kevlar regardless. I know we are getting rid of the stuff but I don't want to take any chances. The only spot you won't be bullet proof, or at least the suit is your face so keep your head down or better yet catch them before they hit you. I was able to place a solar power generator behind your family's emblem, pretty small and Mercury is going to be pissed off that I borrowed a couple of the solar lamp batteries but they can get over it. It is impervious to flame so you can walk through an inferno wearing it and it won't scratch. I mean the heat would get to a normal person but won't bother you. The boots are the same as Barry's. They will give you much better traction but I designed some better cleats in the back, in the event you have to stop something trying to push you. It's not as light weight as I would like but I don't imagine that will be a problem. I didn't have your exact size so if it too tight or…"

"It's perfect, Cisco. I love it."

The man's smile lit up the room. "So you want to take it for a test flight? You can head straight up the lab's roof. There are still several … holes we haven't been able to get fixed. If you go straight up no one would notice. With all the metahumans out no one would probably think twice about it."

Kara moved slowly, taking her time, going over the suit. She tried the mask and while it felt weird, sucking to her face, it pulled off with no problem and felt like a second skin. The material of the suit was much like Barry's only heavier, probably because of the Kevlar weaving. It wouldn't be a problem for her obviously.

"I like the color."

Kara saw the zipper in the back and Cisco turned around while she zipped into the suit. It was a perfect fit, as tight as the top she wore before but different at the same time. It didn't make her feel exposed or like the girl Cat Grant had branded her as.

"The Black Canary used to have one sort of like it only more dominatrixy. I couldn't put Kevlar in hers because of the weight. I should have rethought that, but she wanted her mobility."

"Who is the Black Canary?"

Cisco shrugged his shoulders. "She used to work with the Arrow but she… was murdered not too long ago." Cisco obviously knew her well, judging by the gloom that covered his face, after being so happy a moment ago. Kara decided to take his advice and give the suit a test run to take his mind off of things.

"I think I will take it out Cisco. You don't think it will cause a scene?"

"Nah, the sky is cloudy today. Just head straight up as fast as you can past the cloud break and you are good. Take this. Just place it in your ear lobe. It will hold."

She took the device and it was snug but did not affect her hearing at all as far as the rest of the world. She could still hear blocks away when she tried, no different than the Blu Tooth she wore for the DEO.

"Why don't you show me a map? I would love to take a look, make sure everything is where it is supposed to be." the blonde super heroine suggested. Cisco walked to a table and a holographic map of the United States appeared.

"This is wrong." Kara noted immediately.

"Nope, this is a map."

"But I see National City and we have Central City. There is Starling City but it's called Star? Why is Coast City called San Diego? Where is Metropolis? What is New York City? What a dumb name for a city. It's Metropolis. Thats where my cousin Kal lives, lived. Where is Gotham City?"

"Uh Kara I have never heard of Gotham City, or Metropolis. We have a Minneapolis. Would that do?"

Staring at the map, the whirlwind of the past few days ended and Kara was hit with a cold dose of reality.

"Oh no. I'm…I'm going flying. I will be back later okay? Let Barry know when he gets back that I will be gone for a while. I need to check on something."

Before Cisco could say another word, Kara used her X Ray vision and navigated to a point in the back that did lead to a hole in the roof. There was no worry about the citizens seeing her because she was in the cloud bank in seconds, just a streak of blue on her way up. Turning South she flew, knowing what she would find, or wouldn't find, but needing to see for herself.

Once she reached Antarctica, Kara found the Continent was the same at least. Circling the icy wasteland she followed the familiar patch and landed on a ledge.

Kara knew what to expect. She expected nothing and that was what she got. No giant key, no frozen symbol of the House of El on an icy cliff side.

No Fortress of Solitude. Her cousin's place where he kept the prized possessions of Krypton his parent's sent with him. She was sent with the clothes she had on. Being smaller, they were able to fit more into his pod.

Kara sat on the ledge and thought about where she was.

She missed her sister. Not so long ago she had made Alex promise to live life, when Kara thought she would have to sacrifice her own life. She had told everyone how she felt about them, not expecting to make it back. She had said her goodbyes and thought they wouldn't matter when she had actually made it back. But less than a week later she was dead for all intents and purposes to them. She would no longer have Eliza's hugs, or chocolate pecan pie. Her cousin would no longer IM her randomly during the day to make her laugh, or tell her how proud he was of her. Alex would never hug her again. They would never cuddle on the couch and eat out of each other's ice cream cartons again. She would never hear Cat screaming Kiera again, see Carter's shy smile, see Winn's excitement when she told him about her newest battle. She wouldn't see her best friend again. Her apartment was gone, gone the minute home, her safe spot was violated and she was gunned down. She would never know if Alex found Jeremiah, never get the chance to tell him how much she appreciated him and loved him, all the more for what he gave up for her. She would never fly with Hank again, see the warmth in his eyes, the courage he had and the confidence she felt fighting next to him. She would probably never know another father figure who loved her so much he would rather she hate him than her sister.

So many things could have gone wrong when Alex flew that old spaceship, just a pod really, into space to save her life. Her sister could have been lost forever.

It was all gone and all she had was Kal's blanket.

Kara had known all this but from waking up from near death to meeting Cisco and Kate and reconnecting with Barry, having given up the dream of being with him the minute she saw him disappear only for it to become a reality, singing with him, touching him, kissing him. It had kept her occupied and happy but now with Barry gone and the suit and… Winn made her old suit. That day was so much fun even if she spent half of it angry at him for dressing her in spandex shorts and a spandex top. It wasn't high tech by any means, but she loved it. It made her proud to wear it, even more so knowing it came from him. Now it was gone, torn to pieces by bullets and the surgery required to save her life.

She didn't regret her decision to stay here. It was for the best for everyone. Alex would grieve and move on, as would Eliza. Kal … she hoped he was okay. Knowing him he was preparing to go to war with the human race over her. She hadn't seen him in person as much as she would have liked growing up, as he was always busy working or saving someone but he never went a week without some sort of communication, a phone call, an email, a postcard from Japan once, reminding her how much he loved her.

Did they go after Hank? He was given a pardon but she had been thanked by a woman who turned around and ordered her death and no matter how many times she saved Lane's life she was sure he was behind this as well. Lucy's call let her know as much. They used her and throw her away when they didn't need her any longer.

She couldn't go back. She didn't want to go back and she did. She felt loved here but there… they would move on. And she was here once again in a world she didn't know. The first time in a new world, she had her mother's necklace. She hadn't put it on that morning, Did Alex get it? She had her pod and the outfit she spent decades in the Phantom Zone in. She had Kal's blanket always wrapped around her as Supergirl. Now she had his blanket and that was it.

Kara sat on the ledge, legs dangling over the side and stared at the ocean of white before her. She wanted to get back to Barry and she would. But she needed this time to herself.

At S.T.A.R Barry had made it back in record time after skirting as many questions as Felicity could throw at him. He had no idea why he tried but the woman read him like a book. He managed to only tell her that he met a woman when he visited her Earth by accident and she meant a lot to him in a short time. When Cisco had a vision of her being shot he jumped universes to save her. Of course Felicity wanted to no more and knew instinctively that Barry was not sharing the whole story but eventually let it go. Then she began asking about the mini Flash Dig had seen, The one Dig said he would forget about and not speak of. Apparently when Felicity was involved there were no keeping secrets from her.

Unless you were Oliver. She always found out in the end though. Barry knew he couldn't hold her off long.

When he arrived with a driver's license, social security card, credit card, a great credit score thanks to his favorite hacker, a high school diploma, a college degree from a very small private institution that no one would look at too hard, including transcripts, and a bank account already set up, waiting for her employment to be direct deposited into, Kara was set. Felicity offered to find her a job with friends she had in Central City through her business but Barry thought it best that Kara take a little time to acclimate herself to her new environment before jumping head first into the fray.

"Where is Kara?" he asked Cait who sat at a console with glistening eyes that set Barry on edge immediately.

"The South Pole." she answered quietly.

"What is she doing at the South freaking pole?"

Cait wiped her eyes, sniffed a bit and looked at a very worried Barry.

"Shes been crying for hours. Her GPS hasn't moved but I can hear her. I'm just giving her time."

"Time to what?" the man asked.

"To grieve Barry. She wants to be here. She wants to be here with you, but her entire old life just ended. She is lost and is going to need a little time to adjust."

Barry's face fell.

"I'm moving to fast aren't I?"

Cait walked over to her friend and hugged her.

"You aren't moving to fast, you are loving her and that is what she needs. She isn't going anywhere Barry. She wants to be with you. But she also needs time to grieve. To her, her old life did end when she was shot. She wants a new one but the old has to be let go. She is letting it go. I don't know why she felt the need to fly to Antarctica but she did. She will tell us when she is ready."

Barry nodded and sat down next to Cait. A few hours later, Cait heard Kara's soft crying stop.

"Kara, this is Cait."

"Wow. I can't believe this thing works all the way down here." she said, trying to sound strong and failing miserably.

"Why don't you come home sweetie?"

"I don't know if…"

"Yes you do. We are your home. We can't replace the one you lost, either of them but we are here for you. Come home and we can watch TV. Or read, or fly, or whatever you want. Just come home."

"Okay."

Cait watched her GPS move at much less than her normal speed and knew she was flying slowly, taking it all in. Still three hours later, the masked blonde walked in. Barry took her hand and the two walked to another room while Cait turned off the coms and gave them privacy.

Barry took Kara in, noting she was freezing cold but unaffected of course.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded her head.

"Listen I know this has been a lot but I want you to know, if you want to go…"

"I'm staying with you. I didn't mean to make you feel like I wasn't or didn't want to. I just had to come to terms with some things."

"If you want to slow down we can."

"Slow down? Not really your style, is it Flash?"

"No, not usually, but I just want you happy. I can go back with you…"

"I'm not going back. I just had to say goodbye in my own way. As far as I am concerned and anyone I left behind, I died there. It's for the best. I told Hank before I went to fight Non that I wasn't meant to marry a human, have children, a house with a white picket fence. My mother sent me to Earth to protect it. That was what I was prepared to die doing. But maybe its time I started living for me and not what my mother wanted. I want to be here and I want to be with you. I'm going to miss them all so bad but… I know this is where I belong. Its just going to take some getting used to."

Barry leaned down to kiss her, nearly backing up in shock when his lips touched her ice cold ones. But he didn't. They warmed up soon enough.

"So we all good?" Cisco asked, walking in the room, Cait behind him, smiling.

"Yeah, we are all good."

"Glad to hear it Superwoman."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said that was corny? Or was it lame?"

"Yeah well, I just couldn't get it out of my head. All these super powers you got it, is appropriate. Except the girl part. Any woman who lifts a million ton alien prison and escorts it into space herself, not expecting to come back, sorry Kara, but you are one hell of a woman. So I guess its going to stick. Welcome to Team Super Flash."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Thanks for all the reviews. We broke 100! I didn't think that would happen when I started so thank you all. To address a couple of reviews from guests I couldn't respond to since they are … guests. Yes, I know in the pilot that Kara needed the cape for aerodynamics but to me that was just an excuse in the pilot for her to wear a cape. The reason I say this is one, she didn't have a problem saving Alex's plane without one. Now did she have problems with turns? Who knows? I guess they hinted that she did but what always bothered me about that is the other Kryptonians, namely Astra and Non, didn't seem to have a problem flying without capes. Alsoduring Falling she really didn't need one to fly around in that black suit. So to me in my mind, I think she needed the cape at first as more of a mental or psychological crutch. I could be wrong but I think she could do without. It also bothered me when she trained with Alex that the cape just seemed awkward in a fight and could be easily grabbed.

Character development. I went back this morning and watched the pilot. I was struck by how hurt she was after Vartex (sp?) cut her with his axe. She was freaked out about feeling pain for the first time on Earth. Then fast forward to Myriad where after being shot in the arm, she reached in and pulled the bullet out of her arm and barely flinched. Kara got tough as hell as the season progressed. One other observation from watching Youtube. Non threatened her a lot but did they fight one single time this year where he got the better of her? Because I can't remember one fight where he didn't have to escape to keep her from beating him like he stole something. Okay on with the story. And by the way, thanks Flash writers for not letting me know ahead of time that Wells would be shrinking the tachyon device. Ugh. I should have waited until the ends of the season. But I will say one thing was a little weird. Barry spent at least a few days on another Earth and when he showed back up at STAR he told no one where he had been or what happened? I mean I get that he was busy with Zoom but it should occur to him that he did it by accident and it could happen again if he didn't know how it happened the first time, right? I know, don't look to deep into it. Like how prisoners at the DEO and Pipeline went to the bathroom, showered and wore the same clothes for months. Okay on with the story. Oh one more thing. This is the last chapter we will see Earth 3 ahead of Earth 1. The next time we see them, the timelines will be matching.

Do not own any DC, CW or CBS characters.

Earth 3

Chapter 7

Alex Danvers sat in the break room of the new facility, drinking from a water bottle that was filled with Vodka and hoping her mother didn't notice. She really wasn't in the mood for judgmental looks or heart to heart talks today. The former elite agent thought she could be of use here, use her keen scientific mind to find a way to get to Kara, and a small part of her was a bit angry that Kara would not come back on her own. She had no doubt that her sister was alive. She could feel it, there was no other possibility. Not one she would consider anyway. She understood Kara would feel betrayed, perhaps even put Eliza and Alex in danger if she returned but she felt a bit bitter over it. Kara had never ran from a fight and she should know that Alex could take care of both of them. She didn't expect Kara to return dressed in her colorful Supergirl glory, but surely she knew enough about subterfuge to maintain a decent disguise, try to find out what happened after she was nearly killed.

She could at least send Allen to bring her to Kara. Although before the Fort Rozz incident, Kara had made Alex promise to live her life, Alex had lied. What Kara did not understand, and perhaps Alex never made it clear enough, was how much she needed her sister. She had resented Kara when she first arrived but that changed and she couldn't imagine life without her sunny sister. Alex was dark and Kara was the light that balanced her out.

"You going to keep drinking bourbon or start helping find a way to Kara?" Hank asked. Alex should have known that she could hide Vodka from her mother but doing so from a mind reading martian would be a bit harder.

"Helping with what? I am an expert on alien physiology. They are standing around talking about mathematics I couldn't even begin to understand. I have nothing to do but wait."

"You can train. We have no idea what we will face when we get to that Earth, wherever the hell it is. You can listen as an outsider and try to offer fresh ideas that someone in the field might not think of since they are all used to working in their own little boxes of thought. There are a lot of things you could be doing." Hank pointed out. Alex sighed and put the cap back on the bottle. Hank reached out and she handed him the liquor which he promptly reopened and poured down the sink.

Her mother had bought an airplane hanger at a small airport no longer being used, isolated but still close to the city, with a few offices and a lot of space. Not much was needed right now since nothing was being built. Until they knew how to get to another Earth, it was impossible to know what to build. A mechanical engineer had not even been recruited yet.

Kal El had been here along with Lois, but often left them all to visit his Fortress, hoping some sort of Kryptonian technology or knowledge would help them. Alex, Eliza, Kal El, Lois and Hank stayed in the hanger at night, not seeing the need to waste money on an apartment that wouldn't be used much. The scientists stayed at a nearby apartment building, but rarely left the new workspace. They were enthusiastic, having proof of the multiverse, but did not think it could be done soon. Finding the correct frequency to vibrate to another dimension was not the problem, Kal El had given them the information they needed. The problem was building up enough vibrational speed to cross the dimensional barrier. The consensus was Allen was amazingly fast to get here, almost more speed than a human body could handle without disintegrating. Winn had said Allen talked about being struck by lightning the same night a particle accelerator exploded leading to more theories on how he could survive and what conditions must have been met to enable him to not only survive but do the impossible. Alex pointed out that they were stating the obvious but the point was that even with superhuman speed, no human or alien should have been this fast. Kal El knew the speed and vibrations but couldn't open the breach. The key had to be that damn device.

Alex sat down on a fold out chair next to Winn who was reviewing remnants of the Myriad code looking for a clue in the information left behind, any traces, picked up from the Nevada desert, hoping for some sort of knowledge about the multiverse. She listened to the particle physicist, she couldn't even remember his name now, talking about black holes and the speed of light when an alarm went off on Winn's screen.

"Someone wants in." he told Alex, who wished at this moment that she had not drank. No one knew they were here but that didn't mean they were necessarily hiding. The top scientists in each of their fields leaving projects and research behind to work on a private, confidential project had made waves in the scientific community.

"Check the front camera." Hank ordered. J'onn, as he now was in his natural form at the first sign of danger, and Kal El stepped up beside the console.

"Pulling it up." Winn told them, already steps ahead, checking the back and side of the building.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Alex whispered. "I got this." Alex moved quickly toward the front, anger building in her the closer she got to the door. Opening it she saw Agent Vasquez, Lucy Lane and him.

Maxwell Lord.

"Hello Alex."

"What the hell do you three want?" Vasquez had never done anything to her and she had once considered her a friend. However the fact that Alex was not at the DEO the day it was supposedly taken over in an attempt to kill her sister gave her reason to not trust any DEO agent, especially Lucy Lane.

"We have information you are going to want, something you need to see and we want to help." Lucy calmly explained. Alex took her in, noting she appeared tired, depressed even. There was not much emotion on her face, but what was there was not pleasant.

"What makes you think we need your help?"

Vasquez flinched at this but remained looking Alex in the eyes.

"We had nothing to do with what happened to Kara, Alex." Lucy told her. "I tried to warn her but the damn cell service was cut…"

"By your father. Your very dead father." Alex reminded her. "And you." she pointed out Max, "there is absolutely no way in hell I would ever trust you. You would rather find a way to make sure Kara never returned than help us."

"That may have been the case when she first showed herself Alex, but I believe you know that Kara and I had come to a sort of working relationship towards the end of Myriad and believe it or not I have great respect for her. She saved us all and don't for one second think I have forgotten that. She is the bravest woman I have ever known, besides yourself, flying a spaceship that had never gone out of atmosphere to save her? The bond you two have is special and I would never try to stop you from getting to her. Alex, I know I have done many things, not all good, but my intention was never evil."

"You turned a brain dead girl into a weapon to try and kill my sister." Alex reminded the man. "You studied her, going as far as planting bombs at different sites to identify her weaknesses. An innocent man who relied on a medical treatment for his daughter sacrificed his own life on your orders. You spied on us to find out her real identity. You Max, may have the best intentions but you are a monster." Alex reminded him.

"Maybe you are right. I did also help save her, I helped her against Myriad. I… Alex I won't defend my actions. I realize I have done some horrible things in the pursuit of what I thought as the bigger picture. The fact is you cannot get her without my help. You know not one of those so called experts in that room are near my capabilities. If you really want to get to her, you are going to need me. If you don't want to believe I am capable of just helping you then I will give you another reason. Since the government is out of the alien hunting business I have started a new enterprise. A task force to protect the Earth against the next invasion and I promise you, there will be a next. It is only a matter of time. How long? We have no idea, but this world needs all the help it can get." Max looked behind Alex and saw the tall green martian and the Man of Steel standing behind her.

"So you have started a private DEO. I am assuming you and Vasquez are in this venture as well, Lane? Trusting Lord? Vasquez, have you lost your mind?"

"I'm doing what I do best Alex. Max is the only one who is willing to fund a …"

"Under his direction! How can you trust him?!"

"They have no choice. Might I remind you that I am the one who told you not to trust the government. You don't have a choice about trusting me either if you want to get Kara back. If she doesn't want to come back then at least I can be at peace knowing that you are with her. I didn't try to have your sister murdered Alex. That was Lane and the President, and you know I hate the military."

"This time you may not have tried to murder her. What about before?"

"I wanted her defeated, not dead. I know she is a good person, better than all of us. Once I realized this, I hope you can admit that I helped her when the Dream Shade was attached to her, when she was under the influence of the experimental Kryptonite…"

"That you made." Alex pointed out.

"It was a trap for Non and I never meant for that to happen to her. I also have the megahedron. The late General Lane gave it to me to try and weaponize. He must have forgotten that I don't play well with the government. Neither do you big guy." Lord noted with a wink to Kal El standing behind Alex.

"I have all the megahedrons I need." Kal told him, knowing they were in the one place in the world Lord couldn't get to them.

"And you have someone who knows how to apply theoretical physics into reality? I do what others consider the impossible Alex and you know this. If you want her back, these guys may be able to help, in ten years. Maybe longer. It may take me as long but I believe we can have it done sooner. If we work together, I can harness these little super batteries, pun intended, to try and open a breach."

"You would use it to visit other worlds and steal tech. I know you Lord. You wouldn't do anything unless there was some benefit to you."

"What makes you think even if I got to other worlds I could steal anything? I doubt your muscle would ever let me go on my own. BesidesI have never needed to steal anything from anyone. I prefer to trust my own brain."

"Get out." Alex told him, moving to slam the door in his face. Lucy's hand stopped the door before it was closed completely.

"There is something else Alex. Max located a possible breach site, six days after Kara disappeared. We rushed there hoping to find her. Instead we found a canister. A lead cannister."

"And you are just telling us this?!"

"We wanted to tell you earlier but you haven't been exactly easy to find. We were also hoping if you let us help …"

"You are using it as an incentive right? Show us what you got and we let you in the club?"

"Yes." Lucy admitted. She had wanted to tell Alex immediately but the woman and her mother, even Lucy's own sister had disappeared, no doubt to Superman's secret hideout.

"Let them in Alex. If they try anything I will kill them." Kal El told her.

"And if they have Kryptonite?"

"Then I will kill them." J'onn told her, looking at the three.

"I'll get the 's quite heavy." Max offered and walked to the car, leaving Lucy and Vasquez alone with the three.

"Alex I am so sorry. You know how I felt about Kara. I tried to warn her but they hit us too fast." Lucy tried.

"I killed your father." Kal told her, daring her to complain. Even without his suit, perhaps because it was gone, he was intimidating.

"I know. He deserved it. He had gone too far. Perhaps he had always been gone too far. Lois saw him for what he was long before I did. I always hoped he would change. I do not hold it against you. If it had been my cousin, I would have killed him too. Is … Lois here?"

"Yes." Kal answered shortly.

"Do you think…"

"What would give you the idea she would want to see you?"

"She is my sister?" Kal said nothing. The awkward silence was broken when Lord walked up, obviously straining from the weight of a lead cylinder. Hank grabbed it with one hand and he and Kal took it in. It was lead, in the shape of a football, and it was obvious where it had been welded in the middle. The weld was different though than normal welding techniques. Most wielders loop the stick in circles overlapping themselves to form a strong bond. This was a straight line, smooth at just the right temperature to mold but not melt the metal.

"You haven't opened it?" Hank asked. He saw what Kal had seen. Only someone with heat vision could have made this wield.

"I haven't been able to X Ray it for obvious reasons but I did check it for radioactivity. I couldn't find any traces on the outside. If you look at the bottom there are letters but I can't make out the language. For all I know it could be a bomb inside or some biological weapon."

"Its not a bomb. The writing is in Kryptonese." Alex told the group. Kal was always impressed by her mastery of the language. She had learned as much of the native language of Krypton as Kara learned of English.

"You can read Kryptonese?" Max asked, impressed.

"Read, speak, it is only one word written. Danger."

"Why would the word danger be written in Kryptonese? Hank wondered.

"Because Kara wanted the only one left in this world who could read this, besides me, not to open it, because there is Kryptonite in here." Alex reasoned. "How long ago did you detect the breach?"

"About six days after Kara was attacked." Lucy told her, Vasquez nodding in agreement.

"Was this all you found? Did you search the area? How do you know she … she could be here. She could be hiding here! On this Earth! Show us where…" Alex rambled, hope filling her heart for the first time since that fateful day.

"She isn't here Alex."

"You don't know that!" Alex screamed at Kal El, being one of the few people on Earth not intimidated by him.

"If she was here she would have taken whatever danger is in that cylinder and hid it herself. This container was thrown through a breach. I need to know what is in it."

Before anyone could talk him out of it, Kal El had taken flight and touched down a mile from the airport. Using his heat vision he opened the weld and immediately felt the presence of Kryptonite. Only a small amount, not enough to incapacitate him. Only enough that if fired from a gun, would pierce his skin.

Two small Kryptonite bullets, the forms still intact, along with a note. He unfolded the note and smiled, covering the Kryptonite as best he could and walked back. Alex ran to meet him when he was near, followed by the others.

"What is it?" she asked,

"See for yourself." he told her grinning, a sight she had not seen in a while.

Hank held the cylinder while Alex reached inside, pulling out the two Kryptonite bullets. She just stared at them lying in her shaking hand.

"These must be the bullets Kara was shot with." she whispered.

"I have Kara's DNA. I can run a test to be sure." Lord offered.

"No these are the ones that nearly killed her. She survived, she had to have survived to write on it in a language only three people on this Earth now know. She is alive." Alex whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"Yes she is. You should read the note." Kal suggested. Alex wiped her eyes.

"She wrote a note?"

"No she didn't, but obviously someone who knows her did." he answered. "She probably didn't even know it was in there, knowing her. It's not exactly her style."

Alex took the note with trembling hands and read for the group.

 _To whoever finds this,_

 _Kryptonite is not allowed in this universe. Anyone attempting to bring it onto this Earth will be dealt with. Don't mess with us, we take care of our own._

 _Sincerely,_

 **Cisco 'Vibe' Ramon -Technical Director TeamSuperFlash- Technical Consultant Team Arrow**

 **Dr. Caitlin Snow, Biomedical director and badass field trauma surgeon TeamSuperFlash**

"I think I'm in love with this Cisco guy and the badass trauma surgeon." Alex whispered.

"This Caitlin Snow. Allen wasn't lying. He had help waiting and she saved Kara." J'onn said wanting to believe so badly that the woman who lifted a large space prison into space not expecting to come back was still alive. Watching her battle with Non, J'onn was certain she would have been drained. Her heart wasn't though. Nothing in the universe would have stopped her that day from saving everyone.

"She is alive. Now we need to get to her." Max told the group.

"She didn't come back with the breach. She threw this in instead. She doesn't want to come back." Alex realized.

"Maybe she doesn't realize the whole world isn't out to kill her. If nothing else Alex we can get you and Eliza to her. You and Lois if you want, Super… Kal El. Personally I think if anyone can convince her to come home it would be you, Alex."

"Why do you want her here Max? Its not like you to seek out aliens." J'onn pointed out.

Max shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said it's only a matter of time before the next invasion. This world needs her, the big guy and the green guy too. I'm not seeking out an alien, I'm looking for the champion who went to certain death on the off chance she could save us all. And I want her with you Alex. I know how much she means to you and despite your thoughts on my faults, some, most of them deserved, I have never harmed you or tried to harm this planet. We all have common goals. Mine is to protect this Earth without relying on politicians and inept military brass. Yours is too see your sister again."

Alex looked at Kal El who shrugged.

"You betray us and you are sharing an urn next to Lane." Kal told him in a voice that let Max know he wasn't joking. Lucy flinched but remained stoic for the most part.

"Wouldn't dream of it. So are we in? One big happy family? My strike force and scientific genius and your group of amateur hacks?"

"Yeah, you are in." Alex told him, feeling Hank's hand on her shoulder squeeze. She had his backing and knew he was reading Lord's mind. If he saw something wrong he would have told them no.

"I need to show this to Mom. She needs to know Kara is alive." Alex ran inside holding the forty pound metal cylinder like it weighed nothing. The others followed, Lucy looking for Lois immediately. After all had walked in Kal El stopped J'onn.

"What is he thinking?"

J'onn, now resembling Hank Henshaw again, smirked.

"He's thinking he is in love with Alex Danvers, knows she probably hates him and will do anything he can to get in her good graces."

Kal El nodded. The man was slime but he was a genius that put Lex Luthor to shame. If winning a woman he had no chance at is the motivation he needed that was fine with him.

 _Earth 1_

"I am so glad you didn't miss the hole. I was afraid you would throw like a girl, all awkward and no form or follow through." Cisco told the blonde who had just launched a lead football into a breach. He managed to slip the note in before she welded the thing closed with her eyes from a distance. She had insisted on writing Danger in her alien language, saying she didn't want a chance that her cousin would open it, without expecting Kryptonite. Cisco knew the chances of it being found by the one Kryptonian in the galaxy were non existent but humored her.

She was not humored now.

"Did you just say throw like a girl? How exactly does a girl throw Cisco?"

"Uh … Barry tell her."

"Nope, this is all on you." Barry told his friend, leaning back against a counter and enjoying Kara stalking closer to his friend.

"I just meant that not a lot of girls play sports and…"

"And how many did you play growing up? Were you the Quarterback Cisco? Why don't we step outside and have a little game of football." Kara suggested, smiling at the thought of how much better she would be able to throw than the guy who may be a genius but did not appear to have much of an athletic background. Alex had taught her quite a bit about sports and was a great athlete herself.

"Sorry, okay? I didn't mean to offend you. I throw like a girl… I mean I throw like… I'm not good okay? Point taken. Caitlin never gets this mad when I make remarks about girls."

"Yes she does." Barry told him, still smiling, arms crossed and eyes trained on his beautiful, he guessed he could say girlfriend? They had definitely picked up where they left off. Their time on her Earth was always bitter sweet, growing closer each day and knowing that their time was short. They knew they should have kept their distance, conversations more casual than intimate, yet it was too difficult. They found each other so easy to talk to, Barry found himself telling her about things even Iris didn't know. She told him stories about Krypton, her childhood, how she got the small barely noticeable scar on her forehead, seeing birds for the first time, her first crush that happened right before her planet exploded weeks later. She had even shown him the hologram Alex had given her from her pod after she first appeared as Supergirl. Barry had, in a way, met her mother. He also let her cry on his shoulder, because she could never watch that hologram and not cry.

"Barry, Kara, an explosion at Central City Tower Heights just occurred. Looks like something happened on the thirtieth floor. That floor and the ones above it have people trapped. The whole top of the building is in flames and debris!" Caitlin's voice cut in.

Barry moved without thinking, running into his suit and moving towards the center of the city. Central City Tower Heights were luxury high rise apartments, spanning forty floors. Whatever caused the explosion must have been catastrophic if Cait had that much panic in her voice.

"What is the situation, Cait?"

"People on the lower levels are evacuating but the top floors, I doubt the people on the floor where the explosion occurred are alive. See if you can make your way past the debris and take as many as you can down. There is too much heat for a thermal so I have no idea what you will be facing as far as obstacles."

Barry moved up the stairs to the 30th floor but paused before opening, wondering if a backflash was waiting for him. Having no other option he opened the door and began rotating his arms causing a vortex to try and calm the flames.

It didn't take him long to realize the floor had been gutted. Hardly any fire was present, but what was present were the bodies, some blown out into the hall. He took the scene before him in, feeling helpless.

Then he heard the cries from above.

He moved back to the stairway and entered the 31st floor. People were laying on the ground, those who had not been dropped into the floor below. Grabbing two of the nearest he made his way down and then back up, over and over again. He had managed to get twenty people to the street before he started on the 32nd floor.

"Barry you are overheating. Your body temperature is at 103 degrees."

"Well it is kind of hot Cait. I don't exactly have time for a water break."

"Kara," Cisco's voice cut in, " You cannot bust through a wall. The structure isn't sound. Make sure you land on the roof and use the stairwells. If you open a window you could ignite a backflash."

"I can handle fire Cisco." Kara told him, much more nervous than she tried to sound. She had rescued people from burning buildings before but never one that had been rocked like this. She knew people were killed instantly and had seen bodies already using her X Ray vision.

"Yeah but the people in the rooms can't."

"Got it." Kara wished she had this kind of help from the DEO when she started. They were very helpful in dealing with aliens but when she saved others, not affecting the DEO, she was on her own.

Kara worked the floors as best she could, pushing debris aside, using her vision and hearing to find the ones still alive and flying them to the rescue vehicles who were just now arriving. Jumping back up onto the roof she entered the stairs again, this time meeting the Flash on the 36th floor.

"Kara, cool Barry down a bit." Cait instructed. Barry stood still, not knowing what to expect. Kara did her best, she had been working on controlling the temperature of her breath, but was unsure. She didn't want to risk freezing Barry.

"He is at 105 degrees Kara. Just a bit, you can do it." Cait encouraged. Kara stood back from Barry and blew gently. As her breath surrounded him it turned to steam. She continued for a few more seconds until the steam around him stopped forming.

"Okay he is back at 99. Good job, guys, lets keep moving. Cisco is picking up movement on the 39th, no they are heading to the roof."

"Fly them down Kara, I'll search the rubble for survivors." Barry told her. He took quick notice that her suit was holding steady, no tears or burns. Good job Cisco. Kara nodded and headed for the roof. She took in the panicked people looking down, praying for a rescue from the fire department. Taking the youngest two first, a boy of around 11 and a similar appearing younger girl, probably a sister, in her arms she shot up in the air.

"Close your eyes, we are going to be dropping really fast."

Not waiting for an answer, she moved, dropping as fast as she could, feet first so the children would not have to be upside down. They landed and stumbled a bit but confused firemen, trying to figure out who the blonde was, grabbed the children.

Barry having no clear way to the roof now, ran to the bottom of the building and then straight up, grabbing a man and running back down. Kara met him at the top, grabbing two, landing as Barry reached the ground with his guy. The two continued working and a minute later, twenty people had been rescued from the roof.

Just in time it appeared because the roof was collapsing on the floors below. A cell tower that had been perched on top tilted over and screamed towards the ground, a street crowded with police, firefighters and onlookers. Kara raced into the air, catching the tower and moving it a street away, landing it safely, blocking the road but not causing any car wrecks. In her mind that was a win.

"Kara, take deep breaths." Cait instructed.

"I feel fine."

"Maybe but the pulse ox reader in your suit shows your oxygen blood stream absorption rate at 92% You need to be at 99%, Blow your lungs out to clear the carbon monoxide and take in oxygen. You don't want a power outage now. Your heart is racing and you are going to need as much oxygen as possible to avoid dizziness. Barry you are at 94. Vibrate for a few seconds."

"Yes ma'am." Barry responded. Both did as Cait suggested and Kara actually felt better instantly. She had never really thought about the need for oxygen while using her powers. Sure she needed to breathe, as Red Tornado had taught her when he nearly choked her to death but she assumed as long as she was moving, her body was still getting all the air she needed.

"Got another problem guys. The parking garage on the bottom of the building. The fire department has cut all power to the building but I am picking up a distinct electrical signature. Could be a bomb." Cisco informed them.

"Great." Barry whispered. "Someone wanted to make sure the job was done right. A bomb at the top and one set for a later detonation to bring the whole building down." Barry's CSI mind was already at work. Whoever did this must have had a target on the thirtieth floor and the second bomb would go off after others had a chance to evacuate. The ones above would still die but this guy probably thought he was being merciful by allowing the majority to live. Barry was reminded again that it isn't just Metahumans that can harm others. Ordinary people were capable of evil on their own with no powers.

Barry moved into the garage locating the bomb in a second. It was inside a trash can. He saw a timer on the top, at ten seconds.

"I'm not going to have time to get this out of the city guys."

"I'll fly it." Kara responded beside him.

"No time."

"Kara use your freeze breath on it. Wrap it up in a block of ice. It will slow the electrical current." Cisco instructed.

Kara did so without delay, admitting to herself while doing it that her first instinct would have been to fly it out and she probably would have failed and landed hard, if not injured along with whoever was around her. When the timer hit 2 seconds it stopped, wrapped in a block of ice the shape of the trash can around it.

"Any chance of deactivating this thing without it blowing?" Barry asked, knowing the bomb in one piece would be a better piece of evidence than an exploded bomb.

"Doubtful Barry. Can you take it out of the city maybe let it melt and see if it still goes off? At least no one will get hurt if the ice melts and the timer does start." Cisco suggested.

"I'll do it." Kara told him immediately. Not liking the idea of Barry carrying a bomb, even one encased in ice.

"Kara you have another problem. A large section of wall on the 29th just came loose and is hurtling towards the ground. I'm talking a twenty by forty section of brick. If it hits it is going to blow shrapnel like a grenade."

"Go, I got this."

Kara did as Barry said, not liking it but seeing the wisdom. She would have to remember he had been doing this by himself long before she arrived and trust him to take care of himself.

Whipping out of the parking garage she saw the section Cisco was talking about hurtling very quickly towards the ground.

"It should be solid, judging by the way it came off Kara, Just catch it with soft hands as close to the middle as you can." Cisco told her. She flew into the air, not as fast as she could but slower. Kara had learned before that catching a wall too fast would just cause the wall to crumble around her. When her hands touched the wall she hovered down at a slightly decelerating pace. To one looking it would appear that she was being forced down by the wall but as she slowed, this was shown to be untrue. Twenty feet from the ground, she stopped in midair balancing the wall perfectly and lowering it gently to the ground.

"Thats my Superwoman! This isn't the first wall you have caught, is it?" Cisco asked. Kara instead of answering, looked for Barry and saw he was gone, a streak of red blurring away from the city.

"Flash you okay?" she asked.

"Almost there." he responded. Kara jumped back into the sky hovering around the building's ruined sections, scanning with her X Ray vision, for any sign of movement,listening for moans, any sign of life. Sadly finding none she began scanning the lower floors for people who may not have been able to evacuate for one reason or another.

"Barry?" Kara called, high enough that no one would hear her use his name.

"I'm good. Cisco let Joe know the bomb is at the ordinance range the police use. Send the bomb squad out. Kara, when you are finished there we could probably use you out here."

"Are you okay?!"

"I'm good, but when this block of ice melts I doubt the police will be able to disarm it. We are going to have to let it blow and try to reassemble the pieces. I'll ask them when they get here but if they want it to blow you are the best option. You can laser it from a safe distance."

"I'm on my way."

"Kara stop by here. I'll be at the back entrance to the lab. You and Barry both need Gatorade. Your resting heart rates indicate you are both dehydrated."

Kara shook her head at Cait's suggestion. She took in the scene around her, a crumbling building, onlookers, police, wounded.

Then she realized they were all looking at her. For the first time Kara wondered if she looked scary in a mask. She didn't need the city frightened of her.

Her concerns were answered when soot covered children rushed her, hugging her waist. Police officers and firemen walked up with a smile and patted her on the back, thanking her.

For a moment, Kara felt alive again, really alive, the way she always had after she had helped one person or hundreds or even billions in the case of Non.

Then she thought of the ones who didn't make it down.

"What do we call you?" A police officer asked, She looked and saw Joe's smiling face.

Kara shrugged her shoulders, not feeling very super at the moment.

Joe stepped up to her and whispered into her ear.

"There are always going to be those you can't save. Those people never had a chance because of the person who did this. Look around Kara. You and Barry, you just saved over a hundred people. They are alive because of what you two did. You are a hero and this city is damn lucky to have you."

"Thanks Joe." Kara whispered back.

Joe stepped back and turned to the crowd. "That's a Superwoman if I've ever seen one people!" he told the crowd loudly. The people began clapping and moved towards her, patting her on the back, one woman hugging her with her children next to her.

"Can I have your autograph?" a little girl asked. "and could you ask the Flash to be my boyfriend?"

Kara chuckled and bent down.

"But he's my boyfriend."

"Oh, well if you get tired of him let me know." A detective Kara did not recognize, meaning not Joe, handed her a pen with a stoic face, trying not to be amused. Despite the devastation, seeing the Flash have help from this amazing woman who was obviously good with kids warmed his heart on this tragic day. Kara grabbed a piece of paper off the ground, one of many that had blown from the building and signed her name.

Superwoman.

With a smile, she bent her knees and shot into the sky, following Cait's directions until she saw Barry. A bomb squad truck was next to him and the frozen trash can holding a bomb sat a hundred yards away. The field was open and no one else was around for miles besides the officers and Barry.

Landing next to the disbelieving officer, Barry smiled at their reactions.

"Hey guys, meet Superwoman." Barry introduced her, his voice vibrating, sounding hilarious to her. She supposed he wouldn't want his voice recognized by people he saw at work every day.

"Pleasure ma'am. Uh… so Flash says you can detonate the bomb for us? We don't want you getting too close. We can send a robot in and handle it."

"No problem officer." Kara turned towards the bomb and her eyes blazed, the twin beams causing a massive explosion, one that easily would have brought down the rest of the building on the citizens in the streets.

"Gotta go guys."

Flash took off and Kara took to the sky following him. On arrival back at S.T.A.R. they found an irritated Caitlin Snow standing in the back, a Gatorade bottle in each hand.

"Inside you two. Barry your body temp is way too hot, Kara your cells are burning oxygen too quickly. This might have to do with why your powers blow out at times. It may have nothing to do with how much you use and instead linked to your stress levels and breathing efficiency. The next time I ask the two of you to drink, I expect you to make a pit stop. Neither of you are any good if you pass out. There are twenty pizzas inside. Save two for me and Cisco."

Kara and Barry took the bottles and walked inside, Kara dazed a bit by Cait's irritation and Barry already used to it.

Cisco however was not irritated.

"Way to go guys! You two just personally save one hundred and two people and counting. The news is all over the Superwoman and Flash! We are a hit!"

"How many died Cisco?" Barry asked.

"62 so far."

"And its not 168 because of you two, or even hundreds more in the streets." Caitlin told the two, catching up.

Barry pulled the mask off his head and turned to Kara peeling the mask from her face.

He kissed her gently, the blonde not even minding the fact that both smelled like smoke and Kara looked like a raccoon with the darkened bottom of her face and the clean top that had been covered by the mask.

"How did I do for my first time as a sidekick?" he asked her.

"You looked like a hero to me." she told him and kissed him once more, before the smell of pizza became too much for them to turn down.

"I'm going to have to head into work after I eat and shower. I've got a bomb to try and reassemble tonight."

"Need some help?" she offered, not knowing much about reassembling bombs.

"I could use some company."

"Then I will be there."

Maybe the old Earth didn't need Supergirl anymore, but Barry needed her and that was enough.


	8. Chapter 8

Do not own CBS, CW or DC characters.

Okay this is going to be a mostly Kara chapter with a little Barry thrown in. No action in this one but it can't be about action all the time right? Thank you so much for the reviews and follows and favorites. All of you are really making this fun for me. Keep letting me know what you think!

Chapter 8

"How was your night?" Barry asked Kara over the phone, already knowing. Even though they saw each other during the day, they spent every night on the phone, rehashing anything the other might have missed.

"You know how my night was. Why did I get the jumper and you got the armed robbery?" Kara complained.

"Uh, you can fly so if the guy jumped, you could catch him? I would have loved to have been there and let you have the bad guys but it's not my fault I can't fly."

"You saved me, okay you didn't save me, but you caught me when I fell out of a building." Kara reminded him.

"Yeah but you were already falling and I was already running. Catching a jumper in midair just seemed like more your thing. I mean you could have just floated…"

"Barry?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you just admit that you want to go after bad guys instead of dealing with suicidal people?"

Silence.

"Barry?"

"Yeah?"

"Admit it."

"Okay, yes I wanted to go after those guys. They had been active lately and this was the first time they had been caught in the act instead of after the fact. I wanted them. Besides you did great. I mean you talked the guy down. I don't know if I could have done that." Barry lied. He probably wouldn't have tried. Running up buildings and catching people was much more fun and looked cooler on the news.

"I didn't talk him down." Kara admitted. "I told him to jump."

Barry laughed.

"No really, what did you say to him?"

"I told him to jump." Kara repeated.

"Oh, okay. Not the tactic I would have used but effective anyway. Did you want to make some dramatic midair save?"

"Nope. I wanted him to jump. Do you remember the jumper four days ago?"

"Yeah…"

"Same guy. Four days ago I caught him, carried him over my shoulder on the way down and he tried to grab my… you know, butt! So I see him again tonight and he tells me he only came up to the top so he would be seen and I would show up. He wanted a ride down and then asked me out! The pervert actually asked me out. So I told him to go ahead and jump but I wasn't saving him. He was not going to have another free shot at my goods. Rao, I miss wearing a cape sometimes. No one tried to grope me from behind when I wore a cape."

"Yeah but not having the cape isn't a bad thing. I mean I definitely enjoy the view."

Even over the phone Kara blushed. She had never had many successful relationships in her short twelve years on Earth, and none had ever gone very far, actually past the first date. In a lot of ways she was still the awkward, unsure kid that landed in a pod from outer space. Having a boyfriend to flirt with, make out with, who actually wanted her and didn't look at other women when he was with her was a big deal. The fact that she was crazy about him didn't hurt either. Still taking compliments about her appearance was a bit difficult for the beautiful woman. She had spent so much time trying to shy away from attention, dressing down and hiding under layers of clothes, she never had to get used to compliments.

"Well, since you put it that way, I suppose I can keep the cape off for now."

"Would you have really let him fall?" Barry asked, knowing the answer.

"No but I would have waited until he nearly hit the ground and then flown him straight to a mental hospital. Or the police station." Kara admitted.

"You could always press charges on the guy for lewd conduct."

"And have a police officer write down Superwoman as the victim in the report? Yeah, I'm sure that trial would go over well. I'd have to change my name, get new IDs and start wearing glasses again. Oh hey, I'm watching the news. There you are, saving the day while I was encouraging a pervert to jump to his death."

"You can have the next armed robbery and I will handle the not suicidal pervert, I promise. What are you doing tomorrow? Can we have lunch?"

"Oh, not tomorrow. I forgot to tell you I have a job interview!"

"A… a job interview? Isn't it too soon? I mean you've only been here a month and you said you would take time to acclimate yourself…"

Barry knew a job would definitely cut down on the time he saw Kara everyday. They had lunch nearly everyday together unless she was out on Superwoman business. Plus her presence allowed him to not have to invent lame excuses to get out of work.

"I've been freeloading off Cait for a month." Kara reminded him.

"She doesn't mind. She loves having you there."

"I mind Barry."

"Sorry, you're right, not my business."

"Hey its not that it isn't your business, its just if I am going to live here, have a life, with friends and you … I mean… yeah with you, then I need to get a life. I can't hang out with Cisco and Cait all day watching them work, not being able to help and waiting for something to happen. I need as normal life as I can make for myself. Hanging out in a lab waiting for a reason to put on my suit is not a normal life. I have the sweet, hot boyfriend, great friends and now I need a job."

"So am I more sweet or hot?"

"There is no way I can win with that question so I won't answer. Anyway we will still be able to have lunch most days. I'll be close to the police station. There is a bookstore not far from you. I applied there and they called me today."

"A bookstore?" Barry repeated, sounding unexcited.

"Yeah. I love books."

"You love TV."

"And a lot of TV shows and movies started as books. I read that somewhere. No wait, I saw it on the E Channel. Besides its not a lot of money but its a start. The only job I have had before this was at CatCo and that doesn't exist in this world. I'm still trying to get over Fox News and CNN. Are they always like this or is it because it's an election year?"

"They are always like this. I get that you don't have any jobs to put on a resume but Felicity can make you a job history at Palmer Tech. You are kind of overqualified for a bookstore Kara."

"I need a job. I have applied at quite a few places and this store was the first one to call me back. Speaking of this mysterious Felicity woman, who Cait tells me she caught you in the lab with while she was shirtless, we are apparently meeting her for lunch tomorrow."

"Number one, she was shirtless because I gave her a lift at really high speed to the lab and when we got there her shirt was on fire. You caught on fire for me too, remember?"

"Point taken. Anyway Cait said she is in Central City on business and wants us to have lunch. What did you tell her about me?"

"That you were a friend from another universe, Cisco saw you injured and I ran into the universe to bring you back here so we could help you and keep you safe. She kept bugging for more but I wouldn't give in. Just be ready for an interrogation, but don't worry, she is one of the best people I know."

"You said the same thing about Iris." Kara reminded him.

"And she has been writing some great articles about you. I think she feels bad about how she acted the first time you met. She said she planned to ask you to lunch the other day. Did she?"

"Uh… yeah, but something came up. I heard a dog ten blocks away crossing the street and a car blaring its horn. I was worried the dog would be hit so I flew to the scene. She was okay but I played with her for a while because she was so adorable."

"You ditched lunch with Iris because a dog crossed a street?" Barry asked, trying not to laugh.

"She was really cute!"

"Okay, hey I don't blame you. I haven't spoken to her much lately either, but that doesn't matter. How much or little you want to do with her is completely up to you. So I'm really not going to have lunch brought to me tomorrow? You know how busy I have been reassembling the bomb fragments. Having lunch with you in the lab is the only part of my day I enjoy. Can't you come after lunch? I know you wouldn't mind eating again."

"No, if I keep showing up everyday your Captain is going to ban me from the building for distracting you. Beside you reassembled those bomb pieces in less than a minute the first night they came into your lab." Kara reminded him.

"I know but I had to disassemble it because no one would believe it could be done that fast. Besides there was nothing there that I could find giving any clue who built it. We are also at a dead end on who the target might have been. I have a feeling, considering the bomb was high grade military tech, it probably falls more into A.R.G.U.S territory than Central City PD. Since they haven't tried to take over the case it probably means they know who did it and don't expect us to get anywhere regardless, so pushing us away from the case will just draw attention. Okay then, you'll be at the lab after I get off? I miss you."

"You saw me four hours ago."

"Yeah…"

"I miss you too. Want me to fly over?"

"No!" Cait yelled from the living room. "Scandal starts in five minutes. Get off the phone with lover boy and get in here. We have ice cream to destroy!"

"I guess that answers your question. What about coffee at Jitters before your interview?" Barry suggested.

"Sounds great. I am kind of tired. If any perverts threaten suicide by jumping tonight let them."

"Copy that Superwoman. See you in the morning. Hey Kara, I wanted to tell you I lo…"

"Don't." Kara said immediately.

"Oh, sorry. I just…" Barry stammered, making Kara feel bad instantly.

"Barry what I think you were about to say, has only been said to me by four people since I left Krypton. Eliza, Alex, Kal and Jeremiah. Not one of them meant it the way I think you do. When you say what I think you want to say, I want to be with you, not over the phone. Maybe I am totally wrong about what you…"

"No. You're right. You're also right that I should say it to you in person. See you tomorrow Kara Zor El."

"Good night Barry. And hey, what I think you were going to say, just so you know I feel the same way."

Kara ended the call and smiled, wondering what he was doing at this moment. Probably already in the shower in less than 5 seconds. She had been on this Earth for four weeks and in four weeks the two had learned nearly everything about each other. They had spent most of their time together, talking about anything and everything. It was as if the two weeks spent on Kara's old world were never interrupted.

Kara walked back into the living room, curled up on the couch and laid her head on Cait's shoulder, who handed her a spoon and ice cream carton. Neither talked while watching the TV, both pretending to watch the show but secretly just enjoying the comfort of their friendship. During the second commercial break, Cait spoke up about a concern she had.

"You realize if you get this job, it won't pay much." Cait brought up quietly. Kara's ears perked up, her mind going in a thousand different directions.

"I know. But I can get two jobs. I don't really get tired, I mean I do, but it usually takes something pretty extreme or a few days without sleep." Kara told her. Perhaps Cait was tired of Kara's reliance on her and Barry's support. "I promise I will start…"

"Kara you can't work two jobs and be Superwoman and see Barry and try to have any time to yourself. I'm just saying that I think its great if you get the job but don't rush things. I really like having you here. Even if you get a job I still want you here and hope you won't move into your own place."

Kara felt relief and a weight off of her chest she didn't realize had been there.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. I've never had a roommate and I realize one day you may want to live with someone else, whoever that may be, probably a guy that spends half his time in a red suit, but I hope you will consider staying here for as long as you want. Coming to the apartment used to be the worst part of my day. It was always so quiet and reminded me that even though I had friends, I had no one to come home to. No one to cook for or with and watch TV with or share my day with. I want you to stay here. I realize you want to pay your own way and you can, you can pay whatever you can but just don't rush, because you are wanted here. You've probably done as much for me as I have for you."

Kara listened to the woman who had become her best friend quickly, and wanted to cry. The loneliness in Cait's voice when she was obviously thinking about Ronnie broke her heart every time she heard it. Kara had lived alone as an adult on her old Earth but never felt alone, Alex always being there, seeming to know when she needed someone to hang out with, to cry with, to laugh with.

Being lonely was still a fear of Kara's though. Despite Eliza and Jeremiah taking her in, and sharing a bedroom with Alex, until she learned English she felt very alone in the universe. Alex had tried her best to avoid her weird foster sister around her friends, not that Kara blamed her. Then once Alex was gone to college Kara had been left alone to try to navigate high school on her own, no longer having the protection of her older sister to keep others from picking on the strange girl who never went out, never drank, never had a boyfriend. She stayed alone until she arrived in National City. Then she had Alex and she had Winn and she had many failed dates that never elicited a second date but they were still dates. No one she met in National City knew she was the strange girl who was fascinated by birds and butterflies as a child and sometimes said the wrong word until her grasp of English was complete. She didn't laugh at the right jokes, because she didn't understand them and didn't understand why some people picked on others just because of things like wealth and social standing. She wasn't the girl who sat on the roof at night, staring at the stars while holding her necklace, wanting her mother, crying softly so she wouldn't bother Eliza, who Kara could always hear crying in her own room at night over her dead husband.

"I'm not really good alone either. I mean I lived on my own before, but I was never there or if I was it seemed like someone was always with me. Honestly I hate being alone now. If not for you, Cisco and Barry I would have lost my mind, probably buried myself alive in Antarctica. I'd like to stay with you. Thank you Cait."

Cait's relieved smile was obvious but then gave way to uncertainty. Kara recognized the woman's expressions, she was good at reading people. Cait wanted to ask her a question and wasn't sure whether she should.

"You can ask me anything Cait."

"Why there? Why do you go to the bottom of the Earth at times and stay for hours in that one spot? We have all wondered but I told Barry you would tell him when and if you were ever ready but I'm just curious. If it's none of my business or I should take my advice to Barry…"

"Cait its okay. I think the two of us need a secret Barry doesn't know. I mean thats what best friends have right? When I first came out as Super … her, I only told one person who didn't already know, my best friend Winn. You are my best friend now too so I figure it gives you the right to one of my secrets.

I told you about my cousin, Kal El. When he was sent from Krypton by his parents he was an infant. I suppose they were able to fit more in his pod or my parents didn't have time, I'm not really sure. When he grew up his human father gave him the contents of his pod, pieces of Kryptonian history, technology, knowledge banks, holograms of the planet, and crystals from our planet. He went to Antarctica, the most remote place on any earth I suppose and made a Fortress of sorts. He called it the Fortress of Solitude and only he and I could get in. It is where he protected what was left of our history. He invited me to visit several times after I arrived but I couldn't do it. Every time I thought of taking him up on the offer, I thought of getting into that pod, saying goodbye to my parents, my mother telling me to protect my cousin and sending me off, knowing I would never see them, my home, anything ever again of my heritage. Then to have reminders in one place, I just couldn't do it. I was dealing with a lot of grief when I arrived. I had been asleep for decades, never aging. When I woke it felt like I had just left Krytpon, felt the shock wave, understanding my home had just been destroyed along with everything and everyone I ever loved. I was doing the best I could but Kal didn't understand. He grew up on Earth. He never worried about learning the language. He didn't even come into his powers until he was 13 and they came to him slowly. The suns rays hit me at once, my cells fully matured already to be affected by the solar radiation and I had to deal with everything, all these powers and not knowing how to control them. The strength was so hard to control. I must have broken three sinks and a few toilets, don't ask, before I finally got it under control. Anyway I just couldn't do it. I tried so hard to fit in, find a purpose now that Kal didn't need me, the last thing I wanted was to be forced to remember that which I was doing my best to move on from. Still it made me glad to know it was there, that somewhere in the world, I had something besides my mother's necklace to remind me that I came from somewhere, that not all was lost.

Before Barry arrived in my life I was fighting this living computer woman. I needed information and the only way to find out how to defeat her was to visit the Fortress. A friend of mine and my cousin's who had been there before showed me the way and I finally went inside. It was like being home again. Remembering my childhood, and I suppose enough time had passed that though it hurt, I felt safe as well. I promised myself that every chance I had, I would return, just to have my own little sanctuary away from the crazy world. I never got the chance to go back. When Cisco showed me the map of this world and I recognized the cities but some of the names were different I guess it really hit me then. I had to see for myself. I had to make sure. I don't even know why, I knew it wouldn't be there, but I went anyway. Of course where the Fortress was on my old Earth there was nothing but a solid ledge jutting out from a frozen mountain. But the way Barry and Cisco explained the multiverse, is our worlds aren't far apart, just vibrating at different frequencies so we can't see each other gave me an idea. So when I sit on that ledge, I know that even though I can't see it, the Fortress is there with what was left of my home, and I feel closer to Kal, closer to my mother, closer to Krypton and closer to the life I left behind. I go there to think, and grieve. I've done quite a bit of both tin my life. I don't have my own Fortress of Solitude but my ledge is a spot I can be alone, try to come to grips with my crazy life and wonder when my luck is going to run out."

"What do you mean? When your luck is going to run out? Why would you think like that?" Cait asked, concerned.

Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"I escaped the death of my planet. I escape death at the hands of Reactron because James Olsen called my cousin to save me. If Kal had been somewhere else, Reactron would have killed me that day. Then I should have died after I put the prison into space. I would have if Alex hadn't pulled off the impossible. After I was shot twice, on my knees before I passed out, I saw a man place a gun against my head. If Kal had been even a second later I would have died. Then my heart stopped while you were pulling off the impossible and saving my life. It just seems like I have been living on borrowed time since I escaped the destruction of my home. It has to end one day. I'll keep pushing and die or give this all up. I don't know if I can give it up so I wait for whatever tries to kill me next and hope I can get lucky once again. Hope that no one is taken down with me."

"Kara you don't need luck anymore. You have us and we are better than luck. I have the statistics to prove it to."

This simple statement of confidence from Cait put a smile back on Kara's face and once again she was struck by how lucky she was that Barry Allen accidentally jumped into her universe.

"I'm really lucky to have you Cait. If Barry hadn't accidentally jumped into my universe…"

"That wasn't luck." Cait told her immediately. At Kara's questioning gaze she clarified.

"I don't believe in preordained futures. Lord knows we have screwed with timelines enough to prove that nothing is preordained. But when Barry first started out, he went to Oliver for advice. He knew before any of this happened that Oliver was the Green Arrow, they had a history, and Barry was filled with a lot of self doubt. Oliver told him that he believed it wasn't an accident that the lightning bolt hit Barry but rather it chose him. Later on after Barry had temporarily lost his powers, and we were being attacked by a metahuman, he told me about that conversation and asked if I believed it. I told him I did and I meant it. Barry didn't even know he could jump universes, Kara. It was an accident supposedly, but he could have jumped into countless worlds. He didn't though, he wound up on yours, the minute you were falling out of a window. I truly believe that it was fate that brought the two of you together, because I understand probabilities and for what happened to actually occur, the timing, everything else, only a concept like fate could have had a part in it. The odds of two people so prefect for each other, finding their other halves by a random accident at just the right place and time is something I just can't buy. That breach chose you for each other Kara. You were meant to be here."

Kara reached over and hugged her, being gentle but Cait didn't hold back. The two women stayed like that for a moment, before Kara wiped her eyes and decided it was time for bed. She had a big day tomorrow.

"By the way I put a dress in your closet. I bought it for myself but it was too long and since I lost the receipt I couldn't return it. It would probably be the perfect length for you though. I think it would be great for you to wear to the interview tomorrow."

Kara rolled her eyes. "You are almost as bad a liar as Barry but I will let it pass. Thank you for buying me a dress Cait."

The next morning, Kara met Barry at Jitters. HIs eyes nearly popped out of his head when she walked in, wearing a blue sleeveless floral print, knee length dress with a sash around the middle. She wore small heels bringing her closer to his height and looked like a runway model only healthier.

"You look beautiful. Not that you don't always but, wow. I mean, yeah, just wow."

"Thank you," Kara told him, pleased she passed inspection and giving him a quick kiss. He had her latte and two sticky buns ready and the two sat down to have their breakfast that had become a tradition of their's on weekdays.

"So are you nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little bit. I mean it can't be as bad as my first interview with Cat, but still its a job interview. The whole point of them is for someone to judge you, determine if you are worthy …"

"Just because someone doesn't hire you doesn't make their opinion of you worthy. Maybe they are just too dumb to see greatness in front of them."

"Hey I know. My whole disguise before my life here was blending in, hoping no one recognized me for the super heroine they expected, or even as simple as not being suspected as an alien. Do you plan on spending the day playing with the bomb again?"

"Nope, maybe later, but I have to work the evidence on a homicide yesterday."

"That's horrible. Is a metahuman involved?"

"Nope, just a normal all American married couple. The husband already admitted to killing his wife, I just have to clean up and organize the forensic analysis in the event he retracts his statement and takes it to trial. Not hard but it has to be done right or the case could be thrown out."

"I hope I get this job. It would be so nice to have something to do, even if it isn't important work like yours."

"Hey, don't say that. Everything you do is important." Barry told her. Between the two of them they had enough self doubt and deep seeded grief and anger, it is a miracle either became the superheroes they were. Or perhaps it was because of these traits, that they became who they are.

The two talked about nothing of any importance, just enjoying each other's company until Barry had to leave. She walked him to the station and then walked around the block, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city. Cait texted her before she began her interview, reminding of her date with Felicity for lunch with the two. Kara confirmed and then walked into the bookstore.

An hour later she arrived at the lunch destination to find Cait and a pretty blonde woman wearing glasses, sitting at a table on the patio. Kara sat down and took Felicity's offered hand.

"Hi, I'm Felicity. You must be Kara, the one who stole Barry Allen's heart?"

The heroine smiled, liking Felicity already, despite knowing nothing about her. She had this ray of sunshine in her smile and her eyes were like Cait's, full of kindness she couldn't hide. Kara had not expected this out of a CEO of a huge company.

"It's nice to meet you." Kara replied.

"So how did the interview go?" Cait asked, cutting to the chase. Kara's face fell a bit so it obviously hadn't gone well.

"I met with the lady, who took one look at me and I guess thought I wasn't qualified to sell books. She asked me a few questions, looked me up and down a few times, really didn't ask about my skills, just why do you think you would be a good fit for my shop, things like that. The whole thing lasted about five minutes. While I was leaving I saw another woman introduce herself. The owner talked to her for longer than five minutes. She actually smiled at this prospect and the two were laughing, joking, you would think they were old friends. I have a feeling I won't be getting a call back."

"Let me guess. The two women were not beautiful blondes and dressed like librarians, I'm betting hair in buns, and the applicant looked like a younger version of the owner, maybe not in appearance but mannerisms." Felicity told her, making Kara wonder if the blonde CEO had been watching. "Don't be surprised, some women are intimidated by other attractive women, can even look down on them without knowing anything about the person. She took one look at how beautiful you were and decided she couldn't have that at her store. You got off lucky, she is probably full of misery. So you are from another universe?"

Kara's eyes widened and she looked around to see who might have heard.

"Relax, no one would believe it even if they did hear." Felicity told her, while Cait sat, enjoying Felicity's lack of a verbal filter.

"Yeah. Thanks for all the… stuff by the way."

"Took me like ten minutes and I got to grill Barry about a girl he really liked. Of course I want to kill him because he obviously left quite a bit out. I didn't know he had it in him."

Kara looked at Cait. "You told her?"

"Nope." was Cait's quick reply.

"Yeah seriously, you show up and then Barry has a new super powered partner he refuses to talk about? I'm blonde but not that blonde. So can I see it later?"

"See what?"

"See you fly?" Felicity whispered.

"Uh, yeah I guess."

"Cool. So Barry was struck by lightning when the particle accelerator exploded. What the hell were you doing that gave you so many awesome powers? I mean a particle accelerator had to have exploded on your old Earth right?"

"Not exactly. No explosion or lightning." Kara told her hesitantly. "I'm not a metahuman."

Felicity's eyes widened. She could tell the girl was not lying. Magic must be involved, the kind that made Damian Darhk look like an amateur.

"I see. Well I'm glad he was someone with him, not just to fight with by his side but obviously you have changed his life in more ways than one. When I spoke to him the last time he visited to pick up your items, I hadn't seen him that happy, ever. So Cait I have an announcement to make. I am moving to Central City. For a while at least. Palmer Tech needs more space, a space dedicated to the nanite technology Ray developed that helped cure the blockage after he was shot and the chip buried in my spine. I'm separating the company from the regular business, the software and smart phone side of things and setting up in Central City."

Cait was shocked, and a bit saddened. "Things still aren't good with Oliver?"

Felicity's face fell a bit. "We are working on some things but I think a little distance would do us good. I have no doubt, knowing him, that Thea will suddenly need a change of location as well, try to pass it off as a fresh start but the distance will do us some good. I love him, you know I do, and I have forgiven him for a lot. It's not that I am angry he chose to keep his son a secret, its the fact that he doesn't trust me. He really doesn't trust anyone but himself when times get tough. Plus we are in a bad place right now due to recent events and could use some time to work on ourselves. I know I do. I have been with Oliver so long, I have forgotten who I was before him. I need to find out, before anything can be resolved and he needs to work on becoming the man who doesn't go back to the island emotionally when things get tough. I suppose time will be the judge."

"I'm sorry Felicity. I will be glad to have you here though."

"Thanks. Maybe I can help out if you guys need it. I'm not talking full time of course because I am really focused on getting our tech off the ground. Curtis Holt is my right hand and will eventually take over the position in Central City but for now I want to oversee it myself."

"Great. The three of us can hang out. Kara needs more friends than just the three of us. Harry isn't the warmest person as you can imagine."

"Yeah, it looks like I will have plenty of time to hang out." Kara admitted.

"Hey Cait said you were an executive assistant to a CEO of the larger media corporation on your old Earth right?"

"Yeah, not that it does me a lot of good here." Kara admitted. She missed her old job, her old friends, Cat, even if the woman wouldn't call her by her correct name. It was the part of her life that grounded her, let her feel a bit of normalcy.

"Well my old EA doesn't want to leave Star City so I planned to look for one here. Curtis will need an EA who knows the business when he takes over. The job is tough and the hours can be long but it's yours if you want it. Plus I understand you are as bad at lying as Barry, so you wouldn't have to come up with lame excuses to slip away and take care of your other … job."

"Really? That would be so great! I can help you out so much. I'm really good at managing schedules, proofing documents, liasoning between departments, pretty much anything you need." Kara told her, the idea of being involved in a large office environment exciting her.

"Great, The job doesn't pay much, only $70 K a year, but there is always room for advancement."

Kara froze.

"Did you say $70 K a year?"

"Yeah, I know it doesn't seem like a lot for the responsibilities you will have but our asshole CFO has decided a budget is imperative in this venture. None of the board members are happy about us branching out but they can't really do anything about it. I'm sticking to the budget for now to appease them, but once we are past FDA trials I see things really looking up."

"$70, 000 is twice what I made at my old job." Kara told her, still trying to wrap her head around the number.

"Really? You were the personal assistant to the CEO of the largest media conglomerate of your Earth and you made $35 K? The economy must have sucked there. So are you in?"

" I am definitely in. Thank you so much."

"Thank you. I really hate dealing with the business side of things, so having someone with your skills will be huge for me."

"I have to tell Barry! I'll be right back!"

Kara walked away with as much control she had, managing not to fly off in front of everyone and tell Barry in person. She would see him this afternoon in person but had to share the news.

As the blonde heroine walked away Felicity looked at Cait and shook her head.

"You are right, she is certainly something. No wonder Barry fell so hard for her."

"She is great. She is a survivor." Cait agreed.

"You know what I am most jealous of her about?"

"The flying, super strength, heat vision?" Cait guessed.

"No her hair. Look at those waves. When she walks they just sort of accentuate her and bounce in slow motion. If my hair was that long and I didn't keep it up, It would be all over the place within a couple hours. Look at her walking away. It's like hair porn with every step she takes." Felicity noted, envy in her voice.

"It takes her five minutes to look like that every morning."

Felicity saw Cait was being serious. "Now I think I may hate her a bit. Nope, can't do it. She is too adorable. So tell me about your love life."

"Lack of one, you mean?" Cait started but her phone buzzed. She saw a text from Kara.

/Barry needs me. No super big deal. I'll be back in twenty. Order me a double cheeseburger, all the way with bacon and avocado. Seasoned fries also. Thanks, love ya./

Cait relayed the information to Felicity.

"She can eat like that and maintain her figure? Okay if she isn't a metahuman then how did she get these powers?"

Cait took a second.

"She will tell you I'm sure, but it is hers to tell."

Felicity agreed, knowing Cait would never break confidence. She wouldn't crack under her glare as easily as Barry did.

Barry had concentrated on his job as much as possible all morning, even going as far as taking his time and not using super speed to get the workload done early. He was used to seeing Kara nearly everyday at lunch and would probably have to wait until after work today. He could imagine once she was hired, there would be forms to complete, probably taking up most of her afternoon.

Instead he received a call from her, and listened fascinated, first by the news that Felicity would be in Central City for a while and second that Kara would be working for her. This was better than he could have hoped for. Kara was too talented at what she had done to settle for anything she could find here. He hung up and wondered what he could do to celebrate with her tonight before he was interrupted by an old friend.

"Hello Barry."

Barry looked towards the door and saw Oliver Queen for the first time since Laurel's funeral. He looked better of course but still tired. He had spoken to him on the phone but not as much since Kara had arrived back in his life and instantly felt bad about sort of putting his friend on the back burner.

"Oliver! Its great to see you man. I was just talking to … someone about Felicity moving here for a while. Are you… moving as well?"

"No. She thinks distance would do us some good. I'm not in any position to argue with her. Barry I need your help."

Barry's mouth opened and then closed. Oliver very rarely asked for help, even turning down Barry's offers before. He preferred to handle things himself or with his own team.

"Okay, anything, you know that. What's going on? Some new major villain messing with Star City again? You guys can't catch a break, can you?"

"No, not some new villains, some old ones. Slade Wilson and Digger Harkness," Oliver began.

"Deathstroke and Captain Boomerang, got it."

Oliver rolled his eyes at Barry's insistent use of those silly nicknames.

"Yes Barry, they escaped."

"Oh, okay. So we head to the island and put them back in their cells?"

"Not that simple. Slade bent the bars of his cell, and walked out, releasing Harkness. There is no trace of them on the island, according to A.R.G.U.S. That means they had a ride out. Barry even on his best day, before the Mirakuru cure, Slade wasn't strong enough to bend the kind of bars that were on his cell. Something has happened, because the security footage shows a hooded mystery man handing Slade a syringe. He injected himself and within minutes, opened the bars like he was walking through curtains. I'm worried, Barry. Felicity has decided to move at the best and worst time. Digger is going to come after Lyla eventually and Wilson … he promised me once he would take everything away that I hold dear. He wouldn't stop until I had lost everything. Barry I have two people left that I love more than anyone or thing in this world, Felicity and Thea. He is going to come after them. I have to find him and kill him. I can't just let him plan, like he did last time, always being one step ahead of me. But I can't protect Felicity and despite Thea's assertion that she can take both, we both know that isn't true. I can't take both at the same time. It took Thea and I to defeat him on the island last time as we lost the first fight. He wasn't this strong either. I need your help and I need your girlfriend's help. I can't lose either of them Barry. I know it isn't fair to ask you this, it isn't your fight …"

"Hey, your fights are my fights alright? Let me call Kara. It just so happens Felicity just offered her a job. Did you know that would happen?"

"No idea. Felicity doesn't exactly let me in on her plans right now. I suppose she wants to me to know what it is like."

Kara walked in minutes after Barry's text ,surprised to see Barry with a man she did not recognize. Her first impression was that he had a charming smile, was obviously in shape and had a haunted look in his eyes. He had seen tragedy on a great scale. Kara saw the same look in Barry's eyes at times, the same look in hers in the mirror when she was feeling particularly low. Unlike her and Barry's eyes, this looked seemed permanently entrenched in his gaze.

"Hello, my name is Oliver Queen." he told her, walking up and offering his hand. She took it, noticing the callouses immediately.

"I've heard a lot about you Mr. Queen. "I'm Kara Zorel." she introduced herself, emphasis on the first syllable of her last name.

"Please call me Oliver. Zorel? Is that French?"

"Kryptonian." Kara told him. Considering he had his own secrets and Barry trusted both him and Felicity she saw no reason to lie. Olivers eyes widened then he grinned.

"And here I was thinking I had traveled everywhere. Kara, Felicity and my sister are in danger. I don't usually involve other people in my problems but they are all I have left, so pride be damned, I need you and Barry's help."

Kara walked over to Barry and kissed him in greeting then turned back to Oliver.

"Barry talks about you like family. Of course I will help. What do you need me to do?"

Oliver Queen had a genuine smile for the first time in weeks. Barry appeared calmer and more confident that he had ever seen him. He had gotten the girl after all and what a woman she was.

Good for him. He deserved it. If anyone deserved happiness it was Barry Allen.

"I need to tell you about two men named Slade Wilson and Digger Harkness…" the Arrow started.

"Deathstroke and Captain Boomerang? Yes, I've heard about them." Kara told him.

Oliver rubbed his forehead.

Yep, they were perfect for each other.


	9. Chapter 9

Do not own CW, DC or CBS characters.

A/N Thank you for all the reviews and favorite and follows. I am having a lot of fun writing this story and corresponding with a lot of you.

Chapter 9

Barry wrapped his arms around Kara from behind while she leaned back into his chest and listened to Oliver Queen brief her on his history with Deathstroke and Cap… Harkness. She felt so good pressed against him, her strong lean body just melted in his arms and the feeling was like no other he had ever experienced. He hoped the two could go somewhere secluded tonight, maybe run, literally, to Coast City and walk the beach, or find a mountain to hang out on top of while Kara pointed out the planets she recognized in the sky. They needed some time, just the two of them, so he could sit and stare into her beautiful eyes, no worries, no emergencies, no grief or heartache or pain, just the two of them, enjoying being happy with one another.

"Barry!" Oliver snapped.

"Yeah?"

"Are you paying any attention?"

"Of course. You were talking about Deathstroke and murderous impulses and tracking Felicity and Thea and … stuff. Oh and Captain … Harkness. I guess you couldn't call him Dig since that would confuse us with your own Dig."

"I was telling Kara about the enhanced strength that Wilson showed, and the mystery man who gave him the syringe. Harkness could be anywhere, Lyla has already been moved to a safe location with Sara, so I am guessing as part of the deal for his release, he will have to help Slade and this mystery man's agenda. No matter what this guy wants, Slade only has one agenda and that is to make me suffer. So if this guy went to the trouble of letting out one of my enemies and a guy we have both fought before, you can bet it is to keep us busy so we won't know what he is up too. We are going to have to keep our heads on swivels. I'm sure they know you have a new girlfriend since she is on the news all the time. Nice job letting a photographer catch the two of you kissing on top of that building by the way, Barry. Everyone after you knows she is more than just a crime fighting partner. You have made her a target…"

"I'm sorry." Kara interrupted, "Weren't you asking for our help?"

Oliver shut up, closed his eyes and calmed down.

"Yes, I apologize. As to what I was saying Kara, I understand and have seen on TV how strong you are but Slade could very well be stronger."

"No he can't." Barry told Oliver before Kara could do the same.

"Its an unknown Barry. We have to assume he could be."

"Is there any assumption you can make that would justify him lifting a one million ton space craft and launching it into outer space?"

Oliver began to answer when what Barry asked, struck him. He stared at Kara for a moment.

"You did that?"

"Yep."

"Krypton? Thats not a joke is it? You aren't … from around here. Not just from another universe but…"

"Yep. Hey Barry I could really use a cone. I saw that vendor on the corner…"

Before the request could be completed, Barry and Kara both had Ice cream cones in their hands.

"I love it when you do that." Kara sighed.

"What the hell was that?" Oliver was less than amused. Barry ignored the question.

"Anyway, Kara will be with Felicity at all times during the day and you know we can be there in seconds, either of us, if either of the bad guys show up. I'm guessing Thea has already talked Felicity into letting her room with her so give them both panic buttons, speed dial or something. They send and we deliver."

Oliver frowned a bit.

"Whats wrong Oliver? Don't you trust us?" Kara asked, then continued to lick her cone.

Oliver took the two in, both pressed into each other, both looking at him with dopey grins and holding ice cream cones. These were the two who could stop Slade. Unbelievable.

"Yes, I trust Barry and if Barry trusts you that is good enough for me. But I'm sure Felicity thinks that Thea is just there because I am paranoid about her safety in general and Thea knows of course but believes she is all the help Felicity needs. I would kind of like it if Felicity didn't have to worry about this right now. If we could keep it among ourselves, that would be great."

Before Barry could stop her, Kara opened her mouth.

"You don't want to let her know that three psychos, one of whom she personally had a hand in taking down, are after her? You seriously don't think she has a right to know?"

"She doesn't need to worry about this right now. She is focusing on her company …"

"Kara, I'll talk to him." Barry whispered, but unfortunately it didn't stop her.

"That is ridiculous Oliver Queen. No wonder she stays angry at you. Honesty is very important and you are keeping her life threatened by madmen a secret as a favor to her? Barry and I have an important rule in our relationship, absolute honesty. We call it the Oliver rule, don't we Barry?"

"Uh…" Oh crap Oliver is getting that stone face where he tries to seem unaffected but everyone knows he is boiling over on the inside, Barry noticed. He began subtly scanning the ground and walls for crossbows.

"We are actually basing our relationship around the Oliver principle. We think what would Oliver do and then do the exact opposite." Kara finished. She had been warming up to Oliver but lying about one's life being in danger was a no no in her book.

"Barry…"

"Leave me the hell out of this man." Barry told him taking another small bite of the cone and hoping he didn't get brain freeze.

"So do you want to tell her or do you want me too? Because I'm going to tell her Oliver." Kara said in no uncertain terms.

Oliver's jaw was clenching and it appeared he was trying to hold in an epic tantrum. Kara noticed.

"One million tons, Mr. Queen. Think about that before you yell at me or my boyfriend. So I ask again, are you going to tell her or are Barry and I?"

"Me?" why the hell did he always get dragged into Oliver and Felicity's messes? First with the finding out Oliver had a kid and keeping it a secret from her or better, asking Barry too, and now keeping another secret. Oliver knew Barry sucked at keeping secrets!

Oliver smiled, the kind of smile he wore when he knew he was backed into a corner and had no choice but to retreat and plan a new strategy.

"I will take care of it as soon as possible. I will call her and then start the trip back to Star City so I can begin the hunt. If you would not let Thea know that I have asked this of you, I don't want her to think I don't trust her…"

"Thea is your sister you said? Speedy, the one in the red costume like yours?" Kara asked.

"Can you please, please stop?" Barry whispered in her ear. Kara licked some ice cream off the side of the cone.

"It's a uniform, not a costume and yes she is…"

"I'm so going to tell her."

Barry gave an apologetic look to his friend. Oliver did not seem to be accepting of his unspoken apology.

"Look I can tell you are not happy, but from I little I have overheard, you have destroyed relationships in the past because of lies and secrets. I'm trying to help you out here." Kara explained.

"I need help protecting Felicity and Thea, not relationship advice."

"It's a free service I offer. You're welcome."

"Barry could I talk to you outside, alone? You can bring your cone if you want."

"It won't matter where you go. I can hear for miles and I mean that literally. So go call Felicity, tell her about Captain Boomerang, the unknown bad guy and the new and improved Deathstroke and then let Thea know we are here to help her, not baby-sit her because I am pretty sure she is capable if she is going out with you every night doing what you do. After that the four of us can meet and develop a plan while you go to find these guys."

"Kara, could you check the room for any hidden crossbows?"

Kara took a look around with her X Ray vision, not sure why but humoring him. Barry sounded nervous.

"That was one time and it was to teach you a valuable lesson Barry. Why did you ask her to look around?"

"She has X Ray vision." Barry explained.

"You can see through walls?" Oliver asked.

"Yep."

"What else can you do?"

"I assume since you have been studying my news feeds you have seen the beams that I can emit from my eyes?"

"Once or twice." Oliver admitted, wondering at the time if it had been a trick or one of Cisco's inventions.

"Yeah, I can control the temperature of the beams."

"Cool." Oliver was admittedly impressed and further convinced to follow the woman's advice. "How hot can you make the …"

"Heat vision? I can warm up a cup of coffee or melt steel. Before you ask, I can also freeze things with my breath, put out fires, make walls of ice to stop bomb blasts, that sort of thing. I'm pretty much impenetrable to any weapon but bombs usually knock me out for a while if I am too close."

"Knock you out?"

"For a few minutes." she admitted. "I also have a real problem with guns. I used to think it was cool to let the bullets bounce off of me but not so much anymore. I see a gun pointed in my direction I am melting it. I'm also fast enough to catch bullets like Barry but I prefer not to be shot at. Oh and if I even see emeralds I have very minor panic attacks. I've been doing yoga with Caitlin every morning though and it is so centering and peaceful I think I am overcoming my fear."

"Emeralds?"

"Any green crystals really." Barry explained. "We all have our things right? I heard a kid playing with toy cars on the side walk two days ago say zoom, zoom, and I freaked out, nearly suited up right there, ready to fight for my life again."

"Okay then. I suppose I will talk to Felicity. Kara it has been a true pleasure meeting you and I am very glad she will have someone of your caliber working for her. Barry I look forward to our next training session."

Barry gulped.

"I do too. I want to see you and Barry train together because if you try to shoot him from behind with crossbows I am going to fly you so high in the atmosphere that you will have trouble breathing then drop you and probably catch you about twenty feet from the ground. Just think of it as extreme sky diving without a parachute. So when is the next training session?"

Oliver winked at Barry.

"I'll let you know. Goodbye you two."

Barry waited till Oliver had been gone for a minute then turned Kara towards him. Of course she looked up at him with those wide innocent eyes and licked her cone again, bringing thoughts into his mind that would distract him from work the rest of the day.

"The Oliver principal? Really? The guy is my friend Kara. I know he isn't perfect but we have been there for each other and had the other's back…"

"I like him, I do. But I can certainly understand what Caitlin was talking about. He thinks he has the right to decide who needs to know what for their protection. Thats not the way it works. If he is really your friend you are going to let him know this."

Barry sighed, took Kara's cone and threw both of theirs in the trash with a blink of an eye. Before Kara could ask him what he thought he was doing, she was laid on top of his suddenly clean desk and Barry was on top of her, kissing her passionately. Kara made no move to stop him, instead gently by her standards, wrapping her hands in his hair and pressing closer. Both felt the need to breathe and Barry leaned up just a bit, still on top of her.

"Barry I …"

"I love you Kara."

The blonde smiled. "Had to get there first, didn't you?"

"Its kind of my motto in life." he admitted.

"I love you too."

The two stared into each other's eyes, both wondering how in the craziness of their individual lives, they had gotten lucky enough to find each other. Maybe Cait was right and fate was involved. Whatever it was, both were glad it was on their side for once.

The moment was broken by a knock on the door. Both were on their feet in half a second, Kara, straightening her dress while Barry wiped lipstick off his mouth casually. Joe however, was not fooled.

"Hey kids. Just coming to see if Barry had gotten lunch since he wouldn't be seeing you today Kara, but it seems you two are doing okay."

Joe's grin let them know he knew exactly what their super speed and lame attempts to look casual were about and Kara's face lit up in a blush to rival the red sun she spent her childhood under.

"I uh… have to be going. I asked Caitlin to order me food, she is with Felicity so yeah… I'll see you after work?"

"Absolutely." Barry told her. She walked away in a hurry not quite meeting Joe's eyes while he held back a chuckle. Barry seemed to have forgotten Joe was there, instead staring at the spot Kara had walked out.

"You still here man or you did you travel back in time a few minutes and relive that new use for your desk you seem to have found?"

"I love her, Joe."

"I know, Barry."

"With her it's different. It's like everything I thought I felt so strongly in the past, for anyone, doesn't hold a candle to what I feel for her. It scares the hell out of me. I know she can take care of herself, she is the strongest woman on this planet, literally, but knowing that she could be hurt, she could blow out her powers at anytime, that … Joe I will never forget the sight of her lying on her apartment floor, all her blood, she looked so broken. Then I found out she nearly died a few days before that saving the world, literally. I don't know how to not worry for her."

"You always will Barry." Joe told him, setting his hand on Barry's shoulders. "And if she had been around to see some of the beatings you have taken the past couple years she would probably never let you out of her sight. But thats okay. You are supposed to worry but trust that the other will be okay. You take care of each other. You two, you have a unique situation. The two of you have to deal with a responsibility and stress that not many people do, much less couples. You have to deal with the darkest people this planet has to offer and not only do you have to defeat them, you have to be better than them or else you are in danger of becoming them. But if there are two people who can understand that and each other its you and Kara. It won't ever go away, that fear, but thats a good thing. Having someone to lose makes you more careful, smarter, and better as a person and a hero. Hold onto her Barry. Now how about we grab some burgers? I'm starving."

Barry nodded his head in agreement, still a bit dazed hearing Kara tell him that she loved him. Maybe after all the beatings Joe talked about, he was due something good, and thank God or Rao or whoever helped him out, that it is her.

Kara managed to arrive just as lunch was arriving. She told Felicity that Oliver had wanted to talk to her and Barry and Oliver would be calling Felicity, probably tonight to let her know what it was all about. If he hadn't called by tomorrow afternoon, Kara would tell her new boss herself.

After being given a company credit card and told by their was a hire on bonus to buy work clothes, which Kara did not believe for a second, the three were off shopping for the rest of the afternoon. Caitlin decided to work late at the lab so Barry arrived and the two ate Chinese food, telling each other over and over I love you. Neither having much experience with the phrase in their lives in regards to those outside of family.

Barry left at 11 so Kara could be up early and ready to resume her career as an executive assistant for Palmer Technologies this time. She arrived early, presented her ID at the security desk to receive her ID badge and entered the impressive building. It was obviously still under reconstruction, the vestiges of the last business being taken away and replaced with the new offices being repainted, large servers being brought in along with other equipment Kara did not recognize. She also kept an eye out for anyone in a large overcoat and a face resembling a weasel or a man with an eyepatch.

Reaching the top floor, she was surprised to see Felicity was already at her desk. At least she thought it was her desk. The office wasn't large, not compared to the one next to it, and it was filled with multiple screens on the desk, computer parts littered the floor.

"Hey Kara. I made a fresh pot of coffee if you want a cup. You are here early. You always get to work at 7:30?"

"Uh, yes? I mean I usually arrived at work at least half an hour early. I liked to pick up Miss Grant's latte and beat the 8:00 clock rush. That way when she arrived I could just give it a quick zap and it would be hot for her."

"Wow. Well latte da for her. Thats cool I guess. I have been here since midnight. Oliver called and told me what was going on. Yay, more psychos are out to get me. At least its not his psycho ex girlfriend. Do you know he has slept with two women who later tried to kill him? How can that not be a sign that he is the problem? Anyway when I stress I work and I really need my systems up and running. I will hack A.R.G.U.S. later and see if I can find any clue on who the mystery man is under the hood. Of course since it involves the island and probably Oliver's past it could very well be another one of the beautiful women he was marooned with. Or one he picked up in Russia, or Hong Kong, or … sorry you don't really care about this. I promise I don't spend most of the day bitching about Oliver. My life doesn't revolve around him. I am my own person, you know what I mean?"

"Yes…"

"He actually seemed proud of himself for telling me about those guys. Like he wanted a treat for telling me the truth. Thea is furious he talked to you and Barry, not because she doesn't like you guys, well she likes Barry and doesn't know you but has been fangirling big time since you jumped onto the scene. She is just mad because Oliver told her he wanted her to protect me and didn't want to involve Barry, when he really wanted her to be protected too. Like I don't know you threatened to tell me the truth today if he didn't. By the way, the Oliver principle? Pure gold girl."

Felicity raised her hands and the two attempted to high five, neither any good at it.

"How did you know that Oliver talked to me and Barry?"

"I have a bug in his phone. Whenever I want, I can listen in on it. It pings when he leaves Star City, so I tracked it and figured he would be coming to see Thea and spy on me. When he stopped by the police station I turned the bug on. Caitlin and I listened while we waited for the food to arrive. I can't believe how long that place took to make burgers. Hey I told you that dress would look great on you! Are you wearing your super suit under it?"

"Oh, no I have it in my purse. It is very flexible even with the kevlar except for the chest symbol. Cisco is going to have to do something about that because you know it kind if is uncomfortable on my, I mean around, over, you know."

"The girls? The twins? Yeah I never understood how Laurel or Thea could stand to wear those things. Costumes are too confining. Thea's is a bit looser but Laurel … I guess it doesn't matter now."

"Not uniforms?" Kara asked, amused at Mr. Serious refusing to call his Robin Hood outfit a costume and trying to divert the conversation from the Black Canary, who she understood Felicity was close to.

"God no, they are costumes. Nothing wrong with that. I kind wish I had a costume sometimes, just not one that lowers my bra size. Hey can I ask you a personal question?"

"Can I stop you?"

"No. So you are from outer space?"

"Cait told you?" Kara asked, wondering if that would freak Felicity out.

"Nope I heard the conversation with Oliver remember? Anyway I have to ask…"

"What powers I have, where my home planet is or was back on my old Earth? How I wound up on Earth to begin with? Its all kind of a long story…"

"Cool, I love long stories but right now I have to know, how do you cut your hair or shave your legs and arm pits?"

"Uh…" Kara had never actually thought about why she was able to.

"I mean you fly into burning buildings and don't come out bald so I am guessing your hair is fireproof, which probably means it is incredibly strong too. So how can you use regular scissors or a razor?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Just lucky I guess. Rao owed me a few back then."

"Rao? Oh your religion, right? Do you have any special holidays you need to observe?"

"No, not really. I hardly ever took a day off except for once a year. Its not a holiday, its the day my planet was destroyed, seconds after the last time I ever saw my parents."

"Wow. That is going to be a long story. Hey, have you seen your action figure?"

"Wha… wait I have an action figure?"

"Yep." Felicity opened her desk drawer and pulled out a toy figure of the Flash and one of Superwoman.

"Wow. I've never had a toy of myself. Cool. Did I see other action figures in your drawer?"

"Yes I have twenty or so Green Arrow action figures. When I get frustrated I throw one at the wall or beat it on the desk until the head breaks off. Not a healthy way to deal with my problems but it beats smoking right? Hey smoking, Smoak smoking? Not a good combo, or pun now that I said it out loud. Why don't you set up your new office? Its the one next to mine."

"The giant office? Shouldn't that be yours?"

"Nope, I only need space for my workstations. I'll be spending time in R&D mostly. You are going to need to space for file cabinets and such, plus in an emergency you can open the window and fly away to save the day, or I don't know, stop Barry from getting his back broken by the next speedster demon that comes hunting for him."

"Oh, okay." Kara responded wondering what the hell she would need all that space for. "What would you like for lunch today?"

"Huh? Oh I'll probably head to Big Belly Burger at some point in the afternoon. You want me to pick you up something or are you going to have lunch with Barry?"

"You… you wouldn't mind if I had lunch with Barry?"

"Of course not. Go have fun, beat up a few bad guys, eat pizzas with your boyfriend like most people eat chips."

"Okay, you don't want me to get you coffee in the morning, you don't need me to get you lunch, do you have a calendar I can look over for you?"

"Yeah but I keep it online. I prefer to do most of my meetings by video conference. The less time I spend with the suits the better."

"So what do you want me to help you with?" Kara asked, feeling completely lost.

"You are my assistant, which means your word is my word. Figure out what still needs to be done, liaison between the different contractors, meet the employees, things like that. Basically get us open for business. Oh and I hired a PR firm to help with media releases regarding our new products and the devices we are creating to treat spinal injuries. You have a lot of experience with the media and PR. Meet with them and let them know you are to have final decisions on marketing campaigns before they are released. Eventually when we are up and running I can get rid of the outside firm and you can hire your own people to work under you in PR. But for the moment, relax, set up your office and explore the place. Its going to be great. Great things are going to happen here. We are going to make them happen."

Kara thanked her and strolled out, a bit lost. This was definitely a different work environment than she had known before. She had almost expected to hear Kiera shouted at her the minute she stepped out of the elevator. Still, while it was apparent she would have much more responsibility here, she was a bit nostalgic for CatCo. Cat, for all her faults had really been kind hearted. Kara missed her. She missed seeing Winn every morning. Greeting everyone by name, feeling pride from the back handed compliments Cat would give her.

She would miss messaging Kal at her desk randomly during the day. Rao she missed him. Alex wouldn't be calling her phone, telling her she was needed at the DEO immediately, causing Kara to make up a lame excuse to be gone, only to arrive and find Alex was bored and wanted to see her. She never could stay angry for long when it came to Alex.

But was that true? Kara wasn't completely naive. She knew her and Alex had lingering issues between them. The fact was both needed the other so much they pushed aside those talks, one scared of losing the other if an issue was brought out.

Max Lord's Kryptonite experiment changed all that. But it probably started even before that. After the Black Mercy when Alex saw Kara's dream world didn't involve her human family and friends, what were her real feelings? She told Kara she understood but not an hour later Alex killed Astra. Of course it was to save Hank but what Kara wondered about was the wound. Alex didn't slash Astra, or stab her in the shoulder, to save Hank. She placed the sword from behind into the middle of her aunt's back and shoved straight through her body.

It never mattered though. She should have been furious to find that Alex had let Hank lie to her, She should have been furious, told Alex she could have found another way. All the Aliens, including Kryptonians, Alex had taken with the DEO, swords being shoved in a back had most likely not been a standard take down technique.

Instead of furious, Kara immediately forgave her, outwardly. Even in Fort Roz, at what she thought the end of her life was, her concerns, were for Alex. Because despite the rifts between them at times in both their lives, Alex was the big sister she clung to in a strange world and Kara was the little sister, Alex had grown to love, to protect. She missed her. Rather than crying once again, a habit she had picked up quite a bit since she arrived here, she began focusing on where her belongings should go. She hadn't brought enough to fill up the large office but it would be a start.

The view was beautiful.

Joe dropped by forensics lab that afternoon with some DNA requests and a cup of coffee for his son. Barry was working at a normal pace and had a grin on his face.

"In a good mood today?"

"Hey Joe. Thanks for the coffee. Yeah you know me. Always in a good mood."

"Yeah since she been around anyway. So how much longer until I am going to have to find another roommate, maybe one who pays me rent?"

Barry shook his head.

"Not rushing into this Joe. It has to be done right. She is really happy with Caitlin, and Caitlin has been in a better mood since the thing with … yeah. Anyway everybody is in a good place, and I just want it to stay that way for a while. Kara has really been making a name for herself in the city."

"Not just as Superwoman either. Hell she has every guy at the station in love with her. Kara Zorel I mean. No one is talking about forming a Superwoman task force to take her down." Joe jabbed.

"Hey I fought hard for my street cred and she is benefitting from it. If you have the Flash seal of approval you are in. Speaking of those who will not approved, were you able to discretely pass the photos of Slade Wilson to the officers on patrol? I should be getting one of Harkness later. Oliver apparently had quite a few of Slade. Complicated history and all."

"I already got photos from A.R.G.U.S. and have told the captain and officers that these men are deadly fugitives wanted by the Government and if they are seen to report immediately but do not engage."

Barry let out a bit of breath. He did not want to lose anyone he worked with to Harkness and Wilson. The two were deadly, Slade being the one that concerned Barry the most. Harkness he could handle, Deathstroke was worse, way worse, especially if he was more powerful than ever. Could he be giving whatever was in that syringe to other people, building an army like he once did? No way could the speedster believe that Wilson was simply here to kill Thea and Felicity to make Oliver's suffering complete. He thought bigger picture. Plus the third party was the wild card, someone dangerous enough to give that kind of power to a madman like Deathstroke and not worry bout either killers turning on him or disobeying him.

Barry's phone buzzed and he pulled out out quickly hoping it was a text from Kara telling him about her morning.

Instead he saw it was a call from Thea.

"I'm on the roof of the apartment building across the street from Felicity's new building. I need both of you, now Barry."

Joe jumped back, not even bothering to ask before Barry was gone. He debated picking up Barry's phone and calling Kara but decided to leave it alone. She was having a first day at work in a new universe around new people and Barry could handle whatever was going on.

He hoped.

Barry moved, not even bothering to weave in and out of traffic, running on the roofs of cars instead. He spotted Palmer Tech's new building, and the apartment building across the street. It was an average size building, only about ten stories compared to some of the skyscrapers in the downtown area. Not bothering with a stairwell, he shot up the side of the building and reached the top ten seconds after Thea had called him.

"Thea!"

"Right here."

Barry turned to watch Speedy walk from behind a large AC Unit. She was not suited up, had no bow on her, no weapon Barry could see, although her hands and literally everything around her could be considered a weapon.

"What's going on Speedy? Deathstroke?"

"Huh? No, I just… where is she?"

Barry rolled his eyes.

"Please tell me you did not call an SOS with two major killers possibly the city, just so you could see my girlfriend arrive. All you had to do was ask to meet her."

"This is more fun. I wanted to see her swoop in. The running up the building thing is pretty cool too. So where is she?"

"At work."

"Like Felicity wouldn't let her out if she thought I was in trouble. Or just to see her fly. Hey when you guys make out does she ever like lift you in the air? Kinda like you both are floating? That would be so romantic. I haven't had romance in a … while."

"So you staged a fake emergency to lure my girlfriend in … Hey Kara."

"Felicity said her name was Kara…" Thea stopped speaking, feeling a change in the wind. She turned around and saw Kara Zor El, floating ten feet off the ground, glaring down at her, eyes completely ablaze. Her long flowing hair somehow made her more intimidating.

"Who are you?"

"I uh… I'm Thea."

Kara immediately recognized the name and her eyes went back to the natural blue while her feet softly touched the ground.

"Speedy! Is it okay if I call you that? I've heard a lot about you. I'm Kara."

"Wow. You were like just flying there kinda standing on air." Thea stuttered. "And your eyes were lit up like… I could feel the heat. That is amazing."

"Thank you but its not that big of a deal. Is everything okay? I heard there was an emergency?"

Barry titled his head to the side to get a better look at her from around Speedy.

"Who did you hear this from?" he asked.

Kara shrugged her shoulders and pointed to her ear. "Really good listener."

"Tell me Felicity did not give you one of those cell phone bugs she stalks Oliver with."

"No! Okay, I saw you from my office, your lightning anyway and followed it, then saw a woman I didn't recognize come out from behind an AC unit, and with everything going on and not knowing who might be who I thought you could use some backup. Looks like everything is fine so…"

"No wait! I actually told Barry there was an emergency thinking you would come with him. I just wanted to see you in person."

"You wanted to see me? All you had to do was ask." Kara laughed.

"Yeah but its not the same as seeing you like you just were. You can be scary as hell when you want to be."

Kara's smile faltered. She supposed that is what the humans on her old Earth thought too. Was Thea the only one who had noticed how scary Kara could be if she wanted to? What if there were more? How many more green bullets would come for her and different universes could she hide in?

"Hey! I didn't mean you look scary. I just meant you look kinda badass. I'm sorry if it was taken out of context."

Kara could tell the girl was sincere and offered a smile but the thought lingered. From what Barry had told her Thea was a pretty fierce individual who had also killed quite a few people, nowhere near the number of bodies her brother had wracked up but still a shocking number for a 20 year old. If she found Superwoman intimidating what would others think? Kara had been seen doing good works around Central City. Saving jumpers, or fake jumpers, helping out at fires, car wrecks, a couple bank robberies with Barry, this was the norm lately. But what would happen the first time Kara had to take on a really difficult enemy? One she couldn't hold back on? No one on her old Earth had seen her vaporize Red Tornado or defeat Non but what if they had seen the perfect blonde super heroine screaming in rage, powerful energy beams blasting from her eyes. Sure they all got a preview when she was under the Red K but what if she had been in a serious battle? Barry would understand, Oliver Queen would not judge so neither would Felicity or Thea but what about the general public?

What if this Deathstroke is as strong as Oliver believes and the only way to stop him from hurting others is to kill him? Could she do that? Alex certainly had, apparently believing there was no other way but did Kara have it in her?

Yes she did and that scared the hell out of her. It was a side no one in the public could ever see or she would give it up forever. The idea of being hunted and feared again was too much for her.

Perhaps that would not be an issue. Maybe with no other aliens on this world there was no one she couldn't handle easily.

"I know what you meant. It's fine. I guess when it comes to unknown possible threats and Barry I can be a little intimidating. So is this building where…"

Kara's question was cut short when she saw the glint in the space between buildings.

"Barry!"

Barry turned and saw it, coming, of course to him, in slow motion but at a high rate of speed to everyone else. It was not coming for his back but straight for Thea who was slightly to his left. It must have been thrown from the Felicity's building.

Barry snatched it out of the air easily enough, and checked the rooftops.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Thea asked, alert now. Kara scanned the area for possible suspects but found no one unusual on the roof with her vision.

"I recognize this." Barry told the two, looking at the unique disk. "Kara can you see from here where Felicity is?"

"Yeah she is in R&D on twelfth floor. Wait someone is in her office. No one should be there. She doesn't have any appointments this afternoon. Now another is walking in."

"Thea, call Oliver and suit up. Let him know Wilson and Harkness are here and we know the mystery man behind it all."

"We do?" Speedy asked, already pulling out her phone.

"You should know. You shot him out of a window once."

"We killed him! You and Ollie killed him!"

"Yeah but he apparently has a problem staying dead. Kara you need to get to Felicity now. Forget about Wilson and Harkness, I will handle them. Get Felicity and fly her out. Speedy how soon can you meet me in Felicity's office?"

"Keep them busy for five minutes!" Thea yelled running into the stairwell from the roof.

"Kara this Savage guy who just threw this? He is immortal and he knows magic. I have no idea if he may have a certain staff with him. We thought it was gone but thought the same thing about him. Don't engage him unless you have to with Felicity around. He can throw knives by the dozens. He managed to hit me once while I was protecting the others. Do not take any hits from any weapons he might have. Understand?"

"Yes." Kara told him immediately, trying to remember if she heard about a magical immortal with a penchant for knives and powerful staffs. Barry was gone and while a part of her wondered what he was thinking taking on two people like Wilson and Harkness by himself she had to trust him. Get to the boss, take boss to a place immortal wizard can't get to her and come back to beat up bad guys. Best plan she had for the moment.

Not bothering with stealth since she was already in costume, Kara shot through the window of the twelfth, scaring the hell out of every programmer in the room. Felicity nearly choked on the pen she had been chewing but looking at Kara in her costume, she realized the situation must be dire.

"We need to go now, Miss Smoak."

"I don't think Miss Smoak will be leaving with you today."

A sinister looking man in an overcoat walked into the room. Kara sped in front of Felicity, who had just cursed under her breath. Apparently she recognized the man. The man she guessed to be Savage reached into his coat with both hands, but before he could throw the knives inside, Kara hit him with a blast of heat vision, knocking him against a wall and leaving him smoking. The monster slowly stood up, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"I don't remember you from the last battle I had in this city."

"I wasn't there. Trust me you will remember me after today."

Up above Kara heard a scream and the sound of a body being thrown through a wall. She looked up quickly and saw Barry was still standing while another body was on the ground. She had to take this guy out quick.

"So what do you call yourself?" he asked, seeming amused despite being the one who was smoking. Then a flash of light and the staff that must have been mentioned before was in his hands.

Instead of answering, Kara turned her back on the man, grabbed Felicity and flew her out the window. Reaching the rooftop next door she saw Speedy running onto the roof, suited up.

"Keep her safe."

Kara turned back toward Palmer Tech to see a very confused Vandal Savage staring out the window at her.

Barry was running circles around Wilson probably building up lightning while Harkness still appeared down.

Aliens, humans, cyborgs, why not an immortal magician? Before Savage could blink, Kara had rammed into him at full speed, sending him flying across the room. He dropped his staff in between the two. Trying to gain the offensive Savage threw a blade, striking her stomach.

The look on the man's face would have been humorous when the bent knife hit the floor but Kara was not having a good day at work. The building budget was tight and every second these murderers were here was another dollar she would have to negotiate with the contractors.

"It's too bad you are immortal. I promise you by the end of this you will be wishing you could die."

Savage dove for his staff as Kara attacked. Across the street Speedy and Thea watched the room the heroine and villain were in explode in a blinding flash of light.

"I should get over there." Thea whispered and aimed her bow. Felicity stopped her.

"Kara has this. Help Barry, make sure Harkness stays down."

"You sure? You know who that guy is? What he is." Thea pointed out.

"Yeah but he has no idea what she is." A sonic boom erupted from the twelfth floor. "But I have a feeling he is figuring it out right now."


	10. Chapter 10

Do not own CBS, CW or DC characters.

A/N again I should probably mention in terms of the shows that haven't finished I am taking liberties kind of making this AU. So there will be differences in the happenings of the shows and this story. Thank you for all the support you have given me on this adventure. We still have a long road ahead of us but it won't be all action. Lighter times are ahead… just not right now.

Chapter ten

Barry moved towards the office as quickly as possible, stopping at the last second to think about the situation. Oliver had told him not to run in blind. In the office he would be in an enclosed space with two killers, limiting his speed. He had no idea how quick Wilson was, how strong he was, or what sort of weapons he had on him.

Screw it. Sometimes you just had to act. They weren't coming out which meant he had to go in if he had any chance of getting to Kara and helping her with that madman. Barry had no idea what effect that Staff of Horus would have on her and didn't want to find out.

An explosion four floors down spurred him into action. Moving in he saw Harkness standing near a wall while Wilson sat at Felicity's desk. Harkness was the first target. Barry ran directly into the man's gut, causing him to crash back into the wall, nearly knocking him through it.

Wilson stood up and tossed the desk in front of him away.

"Now who are you? Oliver's sidekick? I thought he would be here himself to protect the woman he loves."

Wilson moved, quicker than Barry imagined the big man could, but still in slow motion compared to the Flash. Barry stepped aside, running around Wilson, pummeling the man with his fists, landing thirty shots to his side in two seconds. Wilson twisted, swinging his arm around, but Barry slid under, stepping in front of the man and hitting him in the jaw. The result was not as hoped when Barry felt his knuckles crack with no effect on the man.

"That's not good." he whispered to himself.

Barry jumped back to gain space, and saw the one eyed man grinning.

"You are fast but not strong. You are no match for me and your luck will run out. Go run to Queen and tell him my revenge is nearly complete. I will have Smoak and sweet Thea."

"I think I will stay anyway. I'm sure he isn't far away." Wilson swung, Barry jumping to the side, frustrating the man. He noticed Harkness begin to stir and moved towards him, emptying his overcoat of six weapons.

Six boomerangs hit Wilson at high speed, four sticking into his chest and two in his abdomen. He barely flinched at the ones in his chest but the explosive devices in his abdomen went off, throwing Barry back and Wilson through the wall, falling 16 stories below to the street. Barry was near blackout until he felt a hand shaking him. Looking up he saw a familiar red hood, a black mask and a smile.

"You okay?"

"Never better. Pin Harkness to a wall for me?"

Speedy saw Harkness was standing and fired three arrows, one into his leg and the other two in his shoulders pinning him against the one wall left standing.

Flash did not wait around to see if Speedy would kill the man. He knew she didn't have Oliver's restraint and at this moment didn't care. Civility went out the window once the men had attacked his friends, not to mention Slade Wilson was now on the street hopefully knocked out. Running down the wall, he momentarily stumbled when a shock wave came from the 12th floor making him lose his footing and fall. He was too far from the building to begin running and commenced free fall.

This was going to hurt.

Three stories from the ground, an arrow shot into the building and a green familiar figure grabbed him mid air and threw him over a shoulder, swinging and lowering to the ground. Barry landed, nearly fell to the ground and looked at his old friend.

"Felicity thought you were on your way back to Star City." he told the Arrow, with a grin that showed he knew better. Oliver would never leave Felicity with Wilson out.

"Yeah, I put that bug she thinks I don't know about on a bus to Star. I knew they would come here. Thea said Vandal Savage?"

"Yeah. I need to get up there."

Another burst of energy lit up the twelfth.

"You should probably let them work this out. Does your manhood ever suffer from the number of times I have to swing in and rescue you?"

"If it's a choice between my bruised ego or hitting the ground 16 stories from above then I can take the bruised ego. Besides how many times have you lost to him? I just took him out in less than three minutes." Barry pointed out, looking at the crater on the ground.

Then Wilson stood up.

"Damn."

"Thats just what I was thinking." Oliver admitted. "This isn't good."

Wilson brushed off his black BDUs and pulled a mask from his back pocket, the two toned mask of Deathstroke.

"Any ideas?"

"This is your city Barry."

"This is your psycho, hell bent on revenge for an eye he lost. Seriously why didn't you put one in his other eye while you were at it?"

"Was kinda busy trying not to drown. The idea has merit though."

Oliver fired, all concerns about killing out the window when it came to this man. He watched him kill his mother. He let him live twice but the man kept coming back, only this time for the two women left in his life that mattered to him.

Slade caught the arrow before it could reach the target. His grin lasted until Oliver pressed the detonator in his hand. The blast nearly took Wilson's head off. By this time police had arrived and circled the group, to Barry's relief all guns focused on the man who was trying to save his face.

"Barry, who the hell is Kara fighting? All I got is light and stuff burning. She isn't responding but she is still fighting." Cisco asked.

"Vandal Savage." Barry told him.

"By herself?!" Cait nearly screamed. "Her vitals are off the charts, Barry!"

"I'm on my way." Barry attempted to run up the building only to stop halfway up and run back down to avoid the crumbling side.

Wilson was up, his face destroyed, machete in hand. Police opened fire, striking him multiple times but he kept charging.

Oliver ran towards him, a stupid move in Barry's mind, but Barry was more focused on the blonde above. Whatever was going on up there was an epic battle and Caitlin was freaking out.

Oliver engaged in hand to hand, while the man was struck with arrow after arrow from behind. Speedy had joined the fight.

Above on the twelfth floor Kara was in the fight of her life. Not even Non had been this brutal. The staff Savage recovered was capable of strong blasts as she found out a minute ago. She had taken the blast in the back to save her chest piece and it had nearly knocked her out. Her back felt on fire and she was pretty certain her suit was burned through where she was hit.

Savage prepared to fire once again, but Kara rolled over and met the blast with her heat vision. Savage's confident face faltered as the blonde slowly stood up, her eyes locked onto the staff. She let the battle go, side stepping the blast and using his momentary off balanced stance to move in, hitting him in the face, with all her strength. She knew it would crush the head of a normal human but it was obvious he was no normal human. Kara wondered if he had taken whatever he gave to Deathstroke. Regardless he fell to the ground.

"Kara" she heard Barry's worried voice in her earpiece.. "Do not touch that staff. Try to get it away from him, far away but do not grab it. Kick it or something but do not touch it."

"Why not?" she moved for the staff, but Savage recovered quickly, striking her in the head with it.

"It can kill you. It takes special gloves to hold it."

Savage struck Kara with a blast again from the staff. She fell backwards but jumped up immediately, sending a blast of heat vision right into the man's eyes, blinding him. Moving in quickly she grabbed him by the throat and lifted him then slammed his body into the floor. Kara felt something give and the entire room collapsed, one of the support beams had been struck during one of their exchanges. She attempted to levitate, only to have four stories fall on top of her. Not having the strength or will, still in great pain from the blasts, she slid with the wreckage, looking for Savage's body, not being able to find it. Once she hit the ground, darkness took over, while she was still conscious, the debris buried her, cutting off even her superior vision from the light.

"Kara are you okay? You are expending a lot of energy." Cait asked.

"I'm good. I just need a moment of rest."

"Kara, Savage is on top of the pile. He is looking towards Wilson and Oliver." Cisco informed her.

"I need a little something here Cisco. If you can make it work now would be a good time." Kara told him, hoping it was what she needed to stop the pain and burns she knew were all over her body.

"One solar charge coming right up."

The darkness gave way slightly to a blinding light. She could feel the solar rays as if they were shot from the back of her chest plate through her body. Once the pain left, she felt the power. Lifting herself, shooting straight up into the sky, Kara saw Savage aiming his staff towards Oliver. Before she could react the man was surrounded in a whirlwind of red lightning. Kara could see Barry moving at unreal speeds in close proximity to the magician and then stop, throwing raw lighting into the man. Savage shook as if having a seizure, hit the ground unconscious and Superwoman moved towards the staff. Barry saw what she planned and took it, tossing it far from Savage quickly.

"Don't touch it! Are you hurt? How the hell did he hurt you? Caitlin what is going on with her?"

"I just gave her a power up Barry. It was a one shot deal and those blasts from that damn staff took a lot out of her. Keep Savage down."

"Where is Harkness?" Kara asked.

"Upstairs either dead or wishing he was." the Flash answered. Barry took a look at Oliver and Speedy losing badly to a blind Slade Wilson whose sight was recovering quickly. Even with this disadvantage the man fought as if he was possessed. Oliver attempted to take him out with an arrow up close while Speedy fired into his had any effect on him.

Savage rose, reached out towards the staff which flew towards him. Kara flew in front of it, catching it before it could reach the magician. It immediately burned her hands.

"No human can use that against me. Not without your friend's toy mitts." Savage told her, amused.

"Good thing I'm not human then." the heroine responded, forcing the staff towards him. She fired a blast with just a thought, barely missing him, but the force threw her back. Barry moved towards the staff again but a boomerang hit the ground before it, exploding and sending him flying towards Kara.

"This is Overwatch. Arrow, Speedy force Wilson to attack both of you in front. Barry now would be a good time to run away. About 5.3 miles away." Felicity instructed. Somehow no one was surprised she had found a computer and cut into the feed.

"Kara needs help!"

"She has help coming. Go!" Felicity yelled.

"She is right Bar. I think I see some of Slade's henchman moving towards the fray. Either that or some guys think its Halloween. I'm calling Joe to warn him. They are heading straight for the circle of police surrounding you guys."

Barry took one look at Kara, who was now sitting up, bloodied and bruised but very angry, her eyes locked onto Savage. Harkness was limping out of the building remains, his shoulders bleeding no doubt and walking with a limp. He prepared to throw another boomerang despite his shoulder, possibly to side sling it, when his hand was shot. Barry wondered what officer made the shot , then saw Spartan running into the fray, gun in hand and firing. Harkness's knee cap was hit and the man went to the ground permanently.

"Go Barry!" Kara yelled at him, her eyes still locked on an approaching Savage. Barry ran away not stopping until he was the perfect distance away then returned.

Kara for her part prepared to take another hit but would not let him know it bothered her. Trying to use the weapon sent pain through her body like none she had ever felt. Standing on shaky legs, she summoned all her powers prepared to evaporate the staff if she couldn't steal it.

"You have spirit girl. You were a worthy foe."

Savage fired the staff again, only to be met with Kara's heat vision, burning hotter than ever. Cisco and Cait watched her vitals and saw the strain she was under. Even with the burst, Cisco's solar lamp had given her she was close to burnout. She had to be. Cisco and Caitlin watching the video from Barry's camera moments before knew she was a sight, face bloodied, uniform torn and eyes so bright they had everyone watching on scene covering their eyes.

Savage appeared to be gaining ground until he was hit by twin blasts of energy from the sky. The distraction was all Kara needed to force her blast into the man's staff. She wasn't even distracted when Barry blew by, the ground shaking as he landed a supersonic punch to the back of Slade Wilson's head, cracking the man's skull, while Oliver followed up with an arrow in Deathstroke's other eyes and Speedy impaled him with a katana, much the way Wilson had impaled her own mother.

She wasn't distracted when a man whose head and arms were literally on fire was burning Savage, standing next to a man dressed in some sort of robotic suit who fired blast after blast into the magician.

Kara's eyes remained on the staff giving it as much heat as possible. Somewhere the police had turned to see Deathstroke's little army being beaten back by a woman in white and a man who resembled Captain Cold, only this couldn't be him because he was using his freeze gun to take out the legs of the foot soldiers while his female companion beat the hell out of those left standing. Barry moved towards Kara, ready to grab her and run if her vision should fail and Savage unleashed the staff again.

"Barry she is nearly depleted. She has to be! Get her out of there!" Caitlin screamed into Barry's ears from S.T.A.R. labs.

Barry however, could not get close enough, the beams from Kara's eyes growing brighter turning into one solid laser focused on the staff. Savage no longer able to stand the blasts of the ATOM and Firestorm fell back, his grip on the weapon loosening and Kara took over, destroying the staff. The explosion knocked all to the ground, even Firestorm and Ray.

Kara was the first to stand up, followed by Barry.

"How do we kill him?" Kara asked.

"He has to be killed by Kendra but she is indisposed at the moment. We have to figure out some way to contain him but I don't have a clue." the woman in white told her. She had a staff in her hands and was focused solely on Savage.

"He can't die?" Kara asked.

"Not unless Kendra kills him." Jax answered.

"Fine. If he can't die I can make sure he doesn't stay here." Kara moved behind Savage locking her arms under his shoulders and her hands behind his head, preventing him from moving.

"Kara whatever you are thinking about doing…" Barry started, but Kara just gave him a bloody grin, bent her knees and shot up into the sky.

"Man, she can move. I don't think we could keep up Grey." Jax whispered to his partner in his head.

"What is she planning?" Ray asked Barry, who was joined by a limping Oliver and Thea. All were looking up at the spot Kara had just disappeared through the clouds, heroes and police wondering what was going on. Snart ignored the proceedings after a brief glance and began spraying a downed Wilson with ice, surrounding the beaten man in a glacier. He was barely breathing after the beating Flash, Arrow and Speedy had delivered.

"I thought she was joking." Barry whispered.

"About what?" the Arrow saw nothing funny in this day. Felicity was nearly killed. Kara could still be killed, and if not for the arrival of old friends things could have gone very differently.

"She is going to throw him into space." Barry explained, not quite believing it.

Kara shot up in the sky, her entire body screaming, but dedicated to her mission, ignoring the pain, drawing on reserves she had not used since Non. Savage was becoming more alert, but unless he had some ability to fly he was completely at her mercy.

"What do you think you are doing? You can't kill me with a fall. I can't die you ignorant child!"

"Cisco, tell me how high I can go before I reach the edge of the atmosphere."

"Uh Kara are you sure…"

"Cisco tell me when I get there."

Kara ignored the squirming trapped man in her arms, continuing up until the sky became darker. This led to unpleasant memories of being lost in space, unable to breathe, thinking she would die alone. The heroine had no plans to do that again.

"I had a coworker I used to dream of doing this to. Not a very nice thought but we all have a dark side right? I know you won't die, but if you come back to Earth you are going to be ashes in the atmosphere."

"You are there Kara! Another hundred feet and you are out of atmosphere. You are barely getting enough oxygen now. Cait is freaking out!"

Kara flipped Savage in the air and grabbed his throat.

"If I see you again, I will figure out a way to kill you, I promise. Enjoy eternal life. Trust me, it is cold up there."

Kara threw the man with all her strength, watching his wide eyes retreat into the darkness at high speed until he stopped. She used her superior eyesight to make sure he had slipped the bonds of gravity. As soon as he had, his breathing stopped.

Vandal Savage may not be able to die but he would keep dying and being reborn until he could figure out a way back to Earth that didn't involve burning up in the atmosphere and having his ashes spread across the planet by the four winds.

Kara began drifting back to Earth. She was tired, and wanted to sleep for a very long time…

She closed her eyes and never noticed the high speed her body began falling out of the sky.

On the ground the heroes had lost sight of her long ago. Barry's heart was racing, his arm was shattered from the punch that caved in Slade Wilson's head, a man who was still squirming under a block of ice. The police had tried to move in only to be stopped by A.R.G.U.S. helicopters, whose agents quickly took over the scene. Harkness was strapped to a stretcher, due to his inability to walk, with an arrow wound in one leg and a shattered knee cap courtesy of Spartan, on the other. Oliver took a moment and stuck a finger in one of Harkness's shoulder wounds causing him to shriek. Felicity had opened up coms between Team Arrow, Flash, Kara and Ray's suit. She was less than thrilled to see Sara back, even though she had always liked the woman. Still a feeling of unease settled in on her that she would have given more concern to if she was not so worried about her new EA who risked her life fighting a man who destroyed cities throughout history.

"Guy's Kara is falling fast. I don't think she is flying down either. She is dropping!" Cait yelled through the coms. Barry's heart froze in his chest.

"On it." Ray told the group, taking off, Jax following.

"Ray she has probably blown out her powers. You cannot just catch her at high speed or you will break every bone in her body." Cait explained, forcing herself to remain calm.

"Copy that."

"Jax we cannot touch her if she is without this strength she possesses. We could burn her." Dr. Stein told his partner.

"You would rather she hit the ground? Ray could do more damage in that metal suit than we would."

"Let him have first shot. Then we will try."

"Cisco do you have her altitude?" Ray asked, scanning the sky for the blonde.

"Yeah she should be right there…"

Kara passed the two heroes, moving at such speed neither had a chance to catch her enough to even slow her down. Both Ray and Jax flew straight down after her, Ray not having as much speed as Firestorm.

Firestorm gained within ten feet of her, noticing that she was completely limp, passed out. He gently reached out and grabbed her boot, slowing her still rapid descent.

"Let go of her boot and try the other one. We have nearly burned through this one." the Doctor pointed out.

Jax attempted to grab her other boot but she was falling too fast.

"We are losing her." Stein unnecessarily pointed out.

"You think I don't know that?!" Jax yelled.

"This is Ray. Jax is trying to keep up and I can't. She is in a free fall. Any ideas?"

"I got her. I see her." Jax when I grab her grab me. I don't care how much you burn me, just make sure I land on the ground first." the Flash instructed.

Barry watched Kara falling. She was finally in sight. He would run up the building and catch her, taking her momentum by falling back. It would jar her but as long as he backed back down the wall quickly he should take the brunt of it.

"Barry can you grab her with your arm shattered?" Run me on your back…" Oliver offered.

"Nope. Gotta go."

Barry took off, running up the side of the apartment building Thea had been at., Once he was at the top, Kara nearly flew past him. He jumped away from the building and caught her, his body immediately falling backwards, her in his arms. If nothing else he would break her fall with his own body.

Thirty feet from the ground, he felt warm hands on his back, then hotter then burning, but he knew he would survive the fall. He may burn to death but it would be worth it.

Firestorm landed and sat them on the ground quickly, Barry's back smoking and Kara's boot nearly ash. Oliver picked Kara up from Barry's chest and lay her next to her injured boyfriend.

The Flash rolled over, ignoring his shattered arm and burned back.

"Kara! Talk to me! Open your eyes!"

"Give it a second Barry. She hasn't breathed in the last minute due to the fall." Oliver explained. Felicity had arrived on the scene and Cait was pushing through the crowd of A.R.G.U.S. agents, police and heroes, surrounding the two on the ground.

Caitlin had an oxygen tank and placed a mask on Kara's face immediately. She then began barking orders to police officers to find EMS workers. Barry's arm needed to be splinted or it wouldn't set right. Oliver and Thea were both bleeding, Thea holding onto her ribs. Dig began by setting Barry's arm, and when it cracked the speedster never noticed, still nearly lying on top of Kara.

Everyone quieted down when Kara's eyes fluttered open. She reached up to remove her oxygen mask, so Cait let her for a moment, wincing at her bloodshot eyes and bloody face. She knew the woman was most likely covered in other wounds and burns and would need days under a sun lamp. Joe had forced his way to Barry, a hand on his back and his eyes on Kara.

Kara took in the unfamiliar faces looking down on her in concern and then focused on the face that mattered, the one inches from hers.

"Did we win?" she whispered.

"Yeah, we won." Barry told her with a relieved sob. "What did you do with him?"

Kara grinned.

"I threw him into space." she laughed quietly and fell back asleep.

"Everyone give us room. I have to get her under solar lamps now." Caitlin ordered.

Barry, his arm splinted by Dig, stood up with Dig's help. Oliver gently lifted Kara and placed her in Barry's arms and the two were gone, probably half way to S.T.A.R. labs already.

Caitlin hurried off to her car, Felicity right behind her. Cait hoped Cisco had done as she instructed and had the new and improved solar bed ready for the blonde heroine.

Once the two women left, Jax and Dr. Stein separated. Jax asked the question everyone wanted to know.

"Who the hell is she and how do we get one for our team?"

"You can't." Oliver told him. "She is one of a kind and she is taken. I suppose we should all head back to the Flash cave. When she is feeling better its probably time you all met Superwoman."


	11. Chapter 11

Do not own DC, CW or CBS characters.

A/N thanks for all the reviews. I think we had more reviews last chapter than any chapter yet. I love conversing over PM with all of you. Talking Superheroes is so much fun. As far as LOT crossovers, I don't know much about the show since I am waiting till this summer to watch once the season has been complete so like the endings of Arrow and Flash seasons I am pretty much making up my own. This isn't so much a LOT crossover as me just loving these characters. I'm not really a fan of the Hawks so they won't be in this one. Nothing against them, I just love these guys more. Also while I liked Laurel, and yes Sara does know she is dead by this point, Sara Lance will always be the Black Canary in my mind. She had and has an edge to her a hardness like Oliver forged from the same fires that Laurel never could have. Not to say thats a bad thing. Laurel was a good person who had her own demons to battle but in my mind Sara will always be the better badass of the two. Okay on with the story. For future chapters we won't see anymore big battles for a while Its going to focus a lot on Kara and Barry and those around them. We will see Earth 3 soon in the next couple chapters and the return of a certain lost father along with a friend of his who happens to know a lot about quark matter. Seems like in every universe there is one and he is always brilliant. I'm trying to find the right balance of action, romance and character growth and storyline so I have to slow down sometimes. Thanks for the reviews, they keep me going. As I told a couple of you, I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Oh one more thing, Oliver mentioning the Flash Cave? I am really trying to get him back to the badass who was starting to loosen up when the season started, before Darhk came onto the scene. The way he seems to lighten up whenever Barry is around him. It seems like no matter how hard he tries, he has trouble brooding around Barry and Felicity. How about the funeral scene? Rough. Putting Black Canary on Laurel's tombstone though was awesome. So was Felicity's faith in him.

Chapter 11

Kara woke up feeling very warm and safe. She wasn't exactly sure where she was but this felt like her bed. The only difference in how her bed usually felt was the body next to hers. She cracked her eyes open and looked down at the arm, draped across her chest. From the feel of his body she knew it was Barry, holding her, spooning her from behind. Her body ached and combined with the feel of the body pressed against her she had no desire to move.

What had happened? How had she gotten here? Kara thought hard through the fuzziness in her head and remembered her first day of work.

Savage!

No, he was gone. Kara launched him into space, she watched until he left the atmosphere and began floating away into space, his eyes wide as he realized his predicament.

Then what?

She didn't remember landing, or coming to Cait's, and hers she supposed, apartment. Considering she as dressed in a long t shirt and pajama pants she assumed Barry hadn't taken her to bed in a fit of passion. Plus she knew he was dressed, his shirt was pressed against her neck, due to his taller frame.

Kara kept her eyes closed and tried not to move, not to think about what had happened during the battle, the pure evilness she had seen in Savage's eyes. Not even Non in his blatant plan for mass murder had the gleam in his eyes of a man who wasn't just prepared to but also loved to kill.

No, Superwoman would stay in this bed, enjoying Barry's sleeping breaths tickling the hair on top of her head, wrapped around her body, and not move. She could use more sleep. Yep, Kara Zor El was not going anywhere.

A minute later she realized she really, really needed to pee.

"Dang it." Kara whispered. She attempted to slip out of Barry's hold smoothly so she could slide right back in after a short trip to the bathroom. Unfortunately the moment her feet hit the floor, she realized just how badly her body ached, the surprise causing her to tumble out of the bed onto the floor in a less than graceful fashion.

The heroine lay on her back, looking at the ceiling, praying she didn't wake Barry who would see her lying on the floor where she fell. Her prayers were not answered, when his grinning head popped from the bed looking down at her.

"Are you okay?"

Despite the soreness and undignified exit from the bed, she smiled at him, his normally messy hair even more so in the morning, sleepy eyes and a face that looked like it hadn't shaved in a few days. Kara found this weird since she didn't remember him looking like this the day before.

"I was trying to sneak to the bathroom so I could come back to bed without waking you up." the blonde admitted.

"I would say you were unsuccessful. I'm just glad to see you up. You have had me worried." Barry swung off the bed and offered his right hand to Kara out of reflex. She noticed the wince on his face when he helped her up.

"What's wrong with you arm?" Kara asked as soon as she was up, running her fingers over it, ignoring the pain in her legs and back.

"Uh, when I hit Wilson with a supersonic punch, my aim was a bit off. I hit him but the bones in my arm shattered. Dig splinted it but once I got you to S.T.A.R. it kept slipping … its kind of gross. Anyway there were a lot of bone fragments in addition to the main humorous and ulna being snapped, I had a lot of smaller bones in my wrist and hands broken so Caitlin had to open me up and place pins in my arm and hand. Once I finally started to heal she had to open me up again and remove the pins. Anyway, its been healing fine but it still a bit sore."

Kara's heart fell.

"You can't do that anymore. You were knocked out after you used it on KingShark and now this? I thought you could do that without hurting yourself?"

"I can if I am concentrating. Seeing you locked in mortal combat with one of the most evil and powerful men in history, tends to throw my concentration off."

"Barry…" Kara whispered. "How fast did you heal for Cait to perform two surgeries?"

"A few days. She took the pins out yesterday. I wouldn't leave your side so we all decided to bring you here. I thought you might be more comfortable in your own bed. Once your scars and burns healed I figured you had enough sun. It took four days under the solar lamps and you scared the hell out of me, so I wanted to take you away from it all. Do you need to go back? Or I can bring the lamps here if you want."

Kara stopped his rambling with a kiss that he gladly returned and was rewarded with the smile she fell in love with the first time she saw him. Even with a mask on, that confident, cocky smile got to her.

"Wait a minute, I was out for three days?"

"Six actually. We took you out of the solar bed yesterday and I ran you here. You never woke but Caitlin swore your vitals were sound and you just needed time. I'm guessing you are still sore?"

"Extremely. Rao, I have never been out that long before."

"Yeah, something to remember for the next time you don't listen to me." he told her, pulling her by the waist closer to him.

"Excuse me? I didn't listen to you?"

"No, you didn't. I told you to dodge his blasts, not get locked into a battle of whose power was stronger. I told you not to touch the staff because … I think you are getting the idea. You basically did everything I told you not to do."

"I was excited. It was my first time fighting an immortal with a magic staff. Oh crap…"

"What? What's wrong?" Barry asked immediately, backing up to look her over.

"It was my first day at work and I destroyed the building." Kara told him, eyes widening at the realization. "I'm probably going to have to find a new job."

Barry let out a laugh at the utter seriousness of her concern. She would think of that.

"You saved her life. Felicity already has contacted her attorney's who are working with the insurance agencies to rebuild the building. She didn't like some of the features so she can have it done her way now. And yeah she is very grateful to you. You will probably get a raise."

"Oh, thats a relief. Of course I doubt I will get a raise. If the CFO was a tight wad before he is going to be doubly so now. Okay, I still need to … you know, bathroom, so stay. Don't move. I was enjoying the cuddling, even if my body feels like I was hit by a semi truck. Actually I did that once. Destroyed the truck but I was fine. Anyway, it hurts is the point."

"I will be waiting for you. I was thinking later if you start to feel better i could take you to a spot I know. It's a cliff on a small mountain not far from here. You can see the whole city. Makes for a great scene at night." Barry offered.

"You want to take me to a make out spot?" Kara asked, catching on quick.

"I just thought you would enjoy the view. Whatever happens after that is up to you. Honestly I just want to be with you. Damn Kara, since you have come into my life you have done two things. You have made me love you more than anyone I have ever loved in my life and worry for you more than anyone I have before in my life. I was so proud of you out there, but you scared the crap out of me."

"You don't think you scared me? I saw that red whirlwind of lightning circling Savage. What would have happened if he swung that staff?"

"I would have gotten out of the way. He's a dangerous guy but he's no Flash, Kara."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Then you picked up the staff after telling me not to." she reminded him.

"I was trying to keep it away from you. Your whole body lit up when you used it on him."

"I could handle it."

"You missed." he reminded her, in case she had forgotten with the numerous shots to her head.

"It hurt," she admitted.

"Exactly. So make out cliff tonight?"

"If I feel better. I need a hot bath, and oh no I can't believe you are seeing me like this!"

"You're beautiful Kara." he told her.

"My hair is a mess, I'm wearing a t shirt and … oh Rao its my puppy pajama bottoms. I have no makeup on, oh no, I probably haven't had a bath in days. Do I stink?"

"Kara, you do not stink and you look beautiful, especially like this."

"Thanks. You need to shave mister. But other than that you aren't bad yourself."

"I thought you would appreciate the manly, scruffy look. Always seems to work for Oliver."

"If Oliver Queen had your gorgeous face I would tell him not to cover it up either. But since he doesn't, he can do what he wants. I want to see you happy and rested. You look exhausted. I'll be back. You want some coffee?"

"Yeah that would be great." Barry watched her leave, beautiful, especially in the morning, breathing out a sigh of relief that she had woken. Caitlin expected her to wake yesterday, but had assured him that her vitals were good and she just needed more time. Her burns had healed, her cuts had healed but …

Damn it! He forgot to tell her that Cait was still able to give her fluids though an IV as of yesterday. She healed but her powers were most likely not back yet…

Oh no.

The visitors that were due to arrive this morning for breakfast. Nah, Caitlin would have told him if they arrived, even if he was sleeping better than he had in a long time.

He should probably mention to Kara that her powers may not be completely back yet.

"Hey…" he started then heard a scream. Moving to her quickly after first almost falling out of bed, he saw his love hopping on one foot in the middle of a room full of guests, holding her toe.

Kara for her part was a bit more surprised than Barry. She should have noticed she wasn't completely herself but the aching body and waking up in Barry's arms plus the need to pee distracted her. Once she left the bathroom she made a detour to the kitchen for the coffee she smelt, figuring Cait must be hanging out watching TV, since she heard voices she did not recognize in the living room. Making two cups she moved back to the bedroom when her toe caught the edge of the Kitchen bar.

Kara Zor El had fought many enemies in her life, some very, very strong and had suffered a lot of pain, emotional and physically. She had a broken arm the last time she had blown out her powers.

Kara had never dealt with a stubbed big toe… and it hurt. It really, really hurt. Dropping the cups to the floor, the hot liquid covered the one foot that was not being held by her hands and still on the ground she grabbed her toe to stop the burning. Between the burning liquid and the throbbing in her toe, Kara hopped towards the living room for freedom, freedom from pain, freedom from the burning coffee, simply freedom. She knew she was yelling over her toe, cursing in Kryptonese, words her mother would be shocked to hear and her father would probably be a bit proud of.

"Cait, my toe! I need ice or a painkiller or surgery! My foot… make it stop!" she yelled, eyes closed tightly, thinking if she couldn't see the pain couldn't find her.

Kara opened her eyes when she heard the voices she had thought were the television go silent.

She was not alone. Caitlin was there. So was Cisco.

Oliver and Thea Queen were also present. Her boss was in the living room. Some blonde woman was also there. She recognized a young black man slightly, only she thought his head had been on fire before. She also saw a handsome man that sort of resembled her cousin. They were all looking at her.

"So you are Superwoman?" the young black man asked.

Kara realized what she must look like, hair a mess in her puppy pajamas, standing on one burning foot while holding the other. And of course Barry just appeared at her side.

"She goes by Kara Zorel, last daughter of the House of El from Krypton. How are you this morning Kara? We have all been worried. Glad to see your nap is over." Oliver told her, with the biggest obnoxious smirk she had ever seen. Thea, Felicity and the blonde woman were holding back smiles, poorly. Even Cait was looking at the floor, her upper body shaking.

"Hi?" she offered. "Barry?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"Why didn't you tell me there were guests over?"

"I didn't know? We were asleep and when you got up off the floor we were talking about other things and I didn't think they would … all … be here. Now. At the same time. Are you okay?"

"No, I stubbed my toe. It really hurts. And I dropped the coffee and it burned my other foot and I am about to die of embarrassment but not before I kill you."

"Again I have to ask, you are Superwoman?" the young man asked once again. Kara let go of her toe and gently placed her foot back on the ground, trying to regain some of the dignity befitting the daughter of the House of El.

"Yes, thats what Cisco calls me anyway."

"I am seriously beginning to rethink that name." he told her, looking at her toe and then her pajama pants.

He would pay for that later.

"So uh… maybe you should get dressed and stuff." Barry suggested.

"My powers are gone. Why are my powers gone Cait? Barry said I healed."

"Yes you did, but considering what you told me before it is likely they may not all come back at once. They came back last time right?.

"Yes, a friend fell down an elevator shaft. But I healed instantly too." Kara admitted.

"Maybe this time is different? I mean we don't have a lot to go on. Just give it time. Didn't you say you needed a dose of adrenalin to get them back the last time?" Cait offered.

"Maybe we can toss Oliver off the roof!" Felicity suggested, causing Oliver to close his eyes and rub his forehead.

"I don't think that will be necessary. They will come back when they are ready I guess." Kara told the group.

"I hope its before you sustain anymore debilitating stubbed toe injuries. You only have one left." Cisco reminded her. Barry zipped away and back with coffee that he handed to his girlfriend.

"So why are you guys here? I mean still in Central City. Oliver and Thea I mean. Not that I'm not glad because you are always welcome but I figured you would be wanting to find out what is going on in Star City?" Barry asked his friend.

"I think the city can survive a few days without me. Or longer actually. I mean it has before when I left. Of course it always has a way of dragging you back. Especially when the woman you love had been secretly helping other vigilantes and neglecting to tell you about it. But I suppose that doesn't count as far as lying goes. Only my lies by omission count apparently." Oliver explained with a grin that went away when he saw the look on his ex fiancee's face.

"Oh, so you are… staying for a while?" the speedster asked. He loved both Oliver and Felicity but being around both of them right now had potential for disaster for anyone who might be near. Kara would be around Felicity all day, he didn't have a clue what Oliver would do during the day. He usually stayed at his lair all day and patrolled at night. Thea apparently handled the finances of there little operation because her ninja father is or was a billionaire. She apparentlygot all his money after his first faked death.

Jax tired of the games, decided to get everyone's reasons out in the open.

"Can we just cut to the chase? My name is Jax, thats Ray and Sara. Ray wants to stay and help Felicity with this nano tech from the sidelines since he still wants to play dead. Oliver is not happy that Ray is staying in Central City cause Ray and Blondie had a thing back in the day. Thea doesn't feel like going back because she wants to hang with Felicity for a while and watch the Green Arrow get green with jealousy. Sara here offered to go back with Oliver and help protect the city even though its been so messed up over the last few years I don't know why anyone even tries anymore. Sara though got this flirtation going on with Leonard… you probably heard of him as Captain Cold, anyway he don't want to stick around cause he and Barry have this sort love hate relationship, minus the love, but since Barry erased Leonard's record Barry can't exactly put him in jail. But even though there is this flirtation kinda thing thats been going on the past year with Cold, Sara and Oliver got a past, and I mean an intense, close, life or death battles, heat of the moment started doing the deed every time they see each other past, so Felicity isn't down with Oliver join back to Star with his old flame even though she is the one who broke up with him. So long story short, everybody is staying here. I got to stay here for a while because the guy whose mind invades my thoughts when I am doing my thing as Firestorm is helping Cisco out with some project, plus his wife lives here and he needs some family time. I mean we have been gone a year but since we were traveling through time we could return at any point so we showed up a week after we left on this timeline. She thinks he has been gone a week. Sorry I don't get to talk much but I figured you should have it laid out for you. Barry can tell you more about it. Hey didn't you and Felicity have something going on in the past Barry?"

"No!" Barry and Felicity both shouted. Kara looked at both suspiciously while Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"Its the radiation. Gets to his brain and mouth sometimes." he explained.

"Oliver principle." Kara reminded him.

"That is seriously a thing? I thought you were joking!"

"We don't joke about the Oliver principle, Oliver." Kara told him, eyes never leaving Barry's. For a moment he considered running but bit the bullet.

"We went out on one date long ago, and decided we were better as friends. On her way back to Star City we kissed one time, nothing more."

"You kissed Felicity?"

"You knew that Oliver." Felicity told him.

"I thought you were kidding! Why would you kiss Barry?"

"Because he's hot." Kara told him immediately, deciding Felicity could live since it was just once. Looking at Oliver staring at Barry, she may need to get her powers back sooner than later.

"Look I'll be right back." Barry whispered in her ear. Five seconds later he was back, dressed perfectly for the day in faded blue jeans and a blue pullover, knowing she loved that color on him.

"So I guess that leaves me as the only bum in the room." she muttered. Her toe still hurt.

"I'm going to put ice on my toe and get ready for the day. Excuse me." Kara limped slightly to the bedroom to grab some clothes and head to the shower. Once in the shower her body began to feel closet normal, some of the soreness leaving. To her annoyance her hair took longer than she would like so she abandoned the wavy locked for a quick ponytail. Once she had brushed her teeth and met some standard of appearance appropriate for polite company she made her way back into the living room, not realizing Cait had enough chairs in the place for all these people. Barry was in an arm chair so she walked over and sat down in his lap, knowing he would wrap his arms around her immediately.

"So its nice to meet everyone. Wait you are Sara and you, the one who talks a lot, you said you were…"

"Jax. One half of Firestorm, the guy who kept Barry from going splat while he was keeping you from going splat. Good job taking out Savage. Rip called a couple days ago while you were in your coma and told us the timeline changed. Instead of having a chance to live forever by murdering Kendra and Carter he floated in space for a few life times until his life force or something drained."

"So I killed him?" Kara asked, not knowing how to feel about that.

"He should have died long ago." Sara answered. "The only way he could have immortality was by killing Kendra and Carter every time they were reincarnated. You just stopped him from having the chance to keep living at their expense and stopped him from forming a massive army of destruction that ruins millions of lives in the future. We hunted him for a year and all it took was you going Xena on him. You got skills."

Kara knew about Firestorm from Caitlin of course and what had happened to Ronnie. Finding a replacement was life or death for Dr. Stein but it still had to be tough to be around the young man and not think about Ronnie.

"Uh thanks? I just did what I feel like I am meant to do with my life." Kara told her.

"Be a hero?"

"No, protect my boyfriend from immortal bad guys with magic staffs." she quipped.

"Okay, look it is good to see everybody but I've been a little worried for the past 6 days and need some one on one time, so Kara you want to…" Barry started.

"Go to S.T.A.R? I haven't met Dr. Stein yet. Caitlin has told me about him and I want to meet him. By the way Cisco, what project is he helping you with?"

"Oh yeah, I've been trying to play with different types of solar radiation and mimicking a Red Dwarf Supergiant star isn't as easy as it sounds. This kind of falls into his area of expertise"

Kara froze, her face, her body, everything. The smile was planted there though if she had heat vision right now, Cisco would be dead.

"Wow, that sounds fascinating."

"Didn't your home planet have a red sun, Kara? Cisco was telling me you derived your power from the Earth's yellow sun. I have to say that is fascinating. So on Krypton was it? The red sun didn't allow you to have the powers you have here on Earth?"

Kara ignored Ray Palmer. He could ask questions about Krypton later. Right now she had Cisco Ramon in her sights. Apparently he thought her loss of power made her less deadly. He was very wrong.

"What have you told Dr. Stein about this project of yours Cisco?" she asked, fake smile even wider.

"I need the man's help. As a fellow professional who I trust, I had to tell him the details of what I was trying to accomplish and the purpose of my project."

"Barry, let's go somewhere for breakfast. Please?"

"Sounds great, I'm starving. You want to meet Dr. Stein first?"

"No! I mean I'm sure there will be time later."

"Maybe after breakfast. I am kind of curious about this Red Dwarf energy…"

"No! If Cisco wanted us to know he would have told us, right Cisco?"

"Sure. You say so."

"I'm not crazy about things that can weaken Kara, Cisco. It there a good reason for making this? Because you made a cold gun to stop me once and you saw how that turned out. No offense Sara."

"None taken. I know by the way." Sara told Kara with a wink. Kara's head turned towards Sara then accusingly back to Cisco.

"I didn't say a word. I mean to her. I haven't even told Caitlin."

Oh believe me I can guess." Sara told Kara, ignoring Cisco.

"I'm sorry, what the hell is going on?" Barry asked.

"Nothing. Cisco is being weird as usual." Kara told him.

"Oliver principle, Kara."

"Shut up Oliver Queen!"

"Kara?"

"Lets go Barry. Please. Uh nice to meet everyone. I'm sure we will see each other soon. Got to go." Kara told them all in goodbye. "Get me out of here." she whispered to the Flash. In seconds she was in his arms and ten blocks away. The two moved into an alleyway so Barry could safely slow down without being recognized.

"Donuts or breakfast tacos?" he asked.

"Not really that hungry. I suppose a breakfast taco will do." Kara told him, then pushed him against the wall of the alley, standing up on her toes, injured and all, and kissing her hero.

"So you can only keep up with my appetite if you have your powers."

"Pretty much. But thats okay. We have a lot of time to make up for. You stayed with me the entire time I was out, didn't you?"

Barry nodded his head solemnly, trying to hide the worry and stress that last few days had brought him. The pain in his arm was nothing compared to the pain of seeing her there, beaten, bleeding, soaking up artificial sunlight, wondering if Savage's magic had harmed her to the point she couldn't recover.

"Kara I … I'm …"

He stopped, knowing how he felt but not how to say it.

"I know. Its okay. We can eat later. Why don't you take me to that cliff you were talking about now? Who knows how many times I will be able to have my way with you without worrying about my strength."

Many more times unless Kara gave into her urge to kill Cisco before he made her bracelet. She had never met Dr. Martin Stein and was now mortified to look the man in the eyes. Kara curled up into Barry's arms, closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the wind on her face while he raced her to wherever he planned to take her. At this moment she didn't care.

When she opened her eyes again she admitted to herself the spot was beautiful, a scenic overlook, forests below leading off for miles until they treeline broke, giving away to prairie land and then Central City beyond that.

"Wow."

"Yeah. I love this place. You are the only one I have ever brought up here. I thought about showing it to Cisco and Caitlin but I wanted to keep it for myself, my space to unwind, to think, to dream."

"Dream about what?"

Barry sat on the ground while Kara followed suit, ignoring her stiff back and leaning between Barry's knees, her head on his chest, his arms around her.

"Everything. Oliver once told me that guys like us didn't get the girl. That a hero's existence was one of loneliness. To be what you had to be, no matter who was around you, you were always the one with the responsibility that no one could understand. He told me later that he was wrong but I always wondered if he was right. Would I find that someone who knew me, understood me, and loved me for me anyway, not just the Flash, and not just Barry Allen but both? The more I thought the more I decided Oliver was right after all. Things were going great when he was living with Felicity away from it all. But it all started to go downhill when he came back. He had planned on asking her to marry him and did eventually but held off for months because he became the Arrow again. Once he got the guts to ask, she was shot, nearly killed by their enemies and if not for the miracle of the chip in her spine and Ray Palmer's genius she would still be in that chair.

Now you are here. Someone who understands pain and loss and responsibility to use your powers for good, the fear that you might go to far, having to decide sometimes between who you are, who you want to be and situations where you have to make decisions you normally wouldn't make for the good of others. I'm not a killer Kara. At least I don't see myself as one, but if Oliver and the rest of the guys, and girls hadn't show up, I would have killed Slade Wilson and Harkness to keep them from distracting you while you fought Savage. I wouldn't have had a choice because when it comes down to your life compared to theirs there is no choice to make."

"Barry," Kara whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"I know, you would have been fine, only you nearly weren't. We have fought together before but nothing like that. Even with Livewire and Shrieky, I knew that we would win, maybe take a few hits but those two were not going to take us down. We were unstoppable together, we would find a way. The past few days have scared the hell out of me. I always knew I wasn't invincible, I have taken enough beatings for that to be perfectly clear, but it was easier when it was just me. I was ready to die for someone, anyone if it meant that I could save I have someone that I am so completely in love with that hate to think about my life before you and while I feel stronger with you by my side, I also have someone who not only doesn't need my protection but who I couldn't protect. You are amazing and a warrior and times like our last battle I had to watch you fight an enemy none of us were strong enough to fight. At this point,if I could, I would run away with you from everything, the two of us could get lost in Europe and never be heard from again. But we can't do that. It's not who either of us are and that scares the hell out of me. I've never had this much to lose I come up here and think."

Kara listened in silence, tears pooling in her eyes but not falling. She knew exactly what he meant. She knew how difficult was it for her to say goodbye to those she loved, knowing she probably wouldn't make it back from the fight with Non and Indigo to see them again. She understood loss, watching the aunt who she loved as much as her mother when she was a little girl not only fight against her but then die in her arms. It would have been so much easier if Astra had been hateful to her, instead of pleading with her to join her cause. Astra had many chances to hurt, even kill Kara if she were honest but never took advantage of them. Despite everything Astra loved her.

"I thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you, obviously, I mean the outfit was hot and you had such confidence, you weren't even thinking about who I was, instead focusing on getting back into the fight. But I think you really had me the first time we arrived at CatCo and I really saw you. The woman in glasses she didn't need who everyone was so relieved to see, smiling at everyone, telling me it would be okay, taking me in despite my lunatic assertion that I was on the wrong Earth. Watching you eat that ice cream cone like it was the greatest thing in the world, you had, have such a joy and innocence to you that caught me by surprise. When you asked me for help, I hesitated, not because I didn't want to, but because I knew if I went with you, instead of getting back quickly, I would never want to leave and I had too many people counting on me not to go back."

Kara understood. If not for Non and her cousin and sister, who despite their difficulties as of late, she truly loved, she would have been tempted to go back with Barry. She was tempted to go with Barry even though she really had no way. But that wasn't true. Barry didn't need Kara to open the breach. She could have slipped in behind or beside him. They could have made it work.

"I understand. I wanted to go with you too, but I couldn't." Kara admitted. "Barry when you said we couldn't lose to Livewire and Siobhan, you do realize Livewire almost killed me, right?"

"No I realized you took a shot to save that helicopter but a bolt of lightning wasn't going to kill you. I was watching from where she zapped me. If she didn't take me out she wasn't going to take you out. I was about to make my move on both of them." he explained.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because of what you told me, about what happened to you a few weeks before. Just as I was about to move I saw the people, how they reacted. Everyone of them knew you just took a shot to save that helicopter, and I watched them come to your defense. That light that shines in you, people can't resist it for long. The fire department had arrived, I moved to the ground, so if she tried to spark anyone I could move them first, and then the water did its job. I watched the city embrace you, appreciate you and it was worth it."

"So you basically let me get fried as a favor to me?" Kara asked, smiling playfully, though Barry couldn't see her with the back of her head on his chest.

"Yeah, something like that. Besides I was kind of sore. She did pack quite a punch. So now answer a question for me, keeping in mind the Oliver Principle. Why is Dr. Stein helping Cisco replicate red solar rays for you? Is this because you are afraid you will go evil again? I thought we were past that."

Kara was glad at that moment that Barry could not see her face and the bright blush that covered her cheeks.

"Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that why?"

"Maybe. I mean its part of the reason, I guess?"

"Okay, so what is the real reason?"

Kara sighed, figuring there would be no way out of this. He would find out eventually.

"Barry when I arrived I was … no thats not a good place to start… or maybe it is but I was dealing with a lot of things and that time in my life didn't help matters. No that is …Okay, I got it.

You know I am strong. When I told you in the office we would help you, I was so excited, infatuated with you, I nearly broke your shoulder by trying to be reassuring. I am very good at controlling my strength. I have had years of experience being able to do simple things like hugging Alex and Eliza or using a smart phone without cracking the screen. But when I am excited or angry or… flustered I guess you could say, I forget my own strength sometimes. I mean I broke my phone once because I was angry at Siobhan. Not just broke it but crushed it with my hand and someone else pointed it out to me. Anyway I hugged Eliza and Alex growing up and got used to them but when it came to other things …

I never had a problem in high school. I was the weird girl in glasses, the foster kid who was quiet and kept to herself. Boys never showed an interest so it was easy to forget about them. To remind myself I wasn't human. But our physiologies are the … needs are the same as humans. When I got to college and then National City, it was no problem either. I had hid who I was for so long, eventually I stopped just trying to hide my powers but also hid myself. I would do my best to fade into the background. I was lonely though so I went out on dates, online dates, that never amounted to anything past the first one. I was too unsure of myself, to have anyone else be attracted to me. So I had pretty much resigned myself to a life of being alone.

Then I came out as Supergirl and met James Olsen. Here was a guy who knew about me, who knew my cousin, who was supportive and believed in me. I thought this could work. He would understand my challenges and there would be no need for secrets and he could love me. It was tough and there were ups and downs, especially when Lucy became involved. I tried to be the supportive friend but it hurt, he had what I could never have. He kept giving me mixed signals, like calling me on Thanksgiving when he didn't have to but at the same time he was off at some beautiful location with Lucy. I know he knew how I felt but either didn't care or… I don't know. Every time I turned around there was Lucy, confident, beautiful, everything I had spent my life trying to avoid being so people wouldn't realize I was different. Then I met you and everything made sense. I saw the one, the one who understood me in a way James never could, who would never play with my emotions because I could see how good and caring you were by the way you acted, the way you looked at me, the way you asked me if I was okay when I was feeling my lowest. No one else came out to the balcony to talk to me, especially not James. Do you know why he told me he needed time before you arrived? What hateful thing I did to him while under the Red Kryptonite influence? I said nasty things about Lucy Lane who he had already broken up with. He said he didn't know I had that darkness inside and needed time. I told him I wanted him, I wanted somebody anyway, and he was angry because I said mean things about his ex. He only wanted his idea of the perfect Superhero, not the imperfect person I really was. I told Alex she had no life without me and later came close to killing her. She forgave me. I threw Cat Grant off a balcony and she forgave me without a second thought. Him though? He abandoned me at my lowest point.

I saw you and even though I had no plan and was pretty much responsible for getting our butts kicked, you were there asking me if I was okay. I just knew you saw me the way I always wanted to be seen and it killed me when I lost you. I had pretty much sworn off men when you disappeared. You told me to take a chance with James and I tried but of course the world turned into mind controlled zombies and that was enough of a sign I guess.

What I am getting at is things never went far with James. They have never gone far with anyone. You are the only person I have been openly … I guess you could say physically at least, and we haven't done more than kissing but I want that to change one day. You are the only guy I have kissed more than once actually. But Barry, I've never had … you know … before. If I get over excited or it hurts or any one of a number of different things that could go wrong happens, I could break every bone in your body by accident and I mean that literally. So if we ever want to take things to the next level, and I think we both do one day, then I need something that can give me peace of mind. Because if not I will never be in the moment, instead just trying to concentrate on not hurting you."

Barry sat in silence digesting her words. She was relaxed despite her confession and he would bet if he looked at her now her face would be as red as his suit but she was honest with meant the world to him that she would open up about something so personal.

"Please say something." Kara whispered.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"And I think its time we get back to the lab so I can see if Dr. Stein needs any help."

Kara laughed so hard her chest hurt. She was slowly getting used to the feeling of being human and the aches that accompanied it usually.

The two arrived back at S.T.A.R. not long afterward, spending time on the soft grass before leaving of course, to find a packed lab. Oliver was in one of the larger rooms using some sticks to fight Thea. The speed the two moved was amazing. Kara noticed Felicity was at a console next to Ray and Cisco and doing her best not to look at Oliver working up quite a sweat and Sara watching Oliver. None seemed surprised by their arrival or absence during the day, but Caitlin was a surprise, walking in wearing a tight black dress and heels.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Kara.

"Uh … fine?"

"Still haven't gotten your powers back?"

"No."

"Good." was Cait's answer, surprising Kara. She knew her best friend slash doctor would normally be concerned about this.

"Thea stop stick fighting your brother and get dressed. Sara?"

"I'm good as is." Sara told her. Kara noted the woman was wearing tight black jeans and a form fitting white tank top with a light black leather jacket on top.

"Come on Kara. I need a shower and you need to get dressed. Cait brought a dress for you, its in the bathroom." Thea told her grinning, probably due to the last shot she had at her brother, striking him in his ribs.

"Dress? Are we going somewhere?"

"Yep, you are coming with us. Felicity, Sara, Caitlin and me. I'm guessing since you haven't gotten your powers back you can get drunk right?"

Barry groaned.

"I've never drank alcohol when I didn't have my powers. I mean its only happened once before and there was an earthquake… I really don't know what effect alcohol would have on me."

"Good, we are going to find out. Think of it as a science experiment. Its girl's night out. Say bye to your superhero and get dressed. Its time to show you and Caitlin how the ladies of Team Arrow party."


	12. Chapter 12

Do not own DC, CW or CBS characters.

A/N- sorry I haven't gotten back to those of you who have reviewed. My wifi is down and I am having to use my hotspot on my phone sparingly. We broke 200 reviews! You guys are the best. To answer one recurring question I have seen and keep in mind that this is only my opinion. Can Superman and by extension Supergirl be able to travel in space. I say no. Watching the Man of Steel tonight one of the main weaknesses Zod had was not being able to adapt to Earth's atmosphere and Kal El had the same problem in the ship with the Kryptonian atmosphere. Kara was nearly choked out by Red Tornado. In my mind yes they need to breathe because they are living, not vampires. Blood runs through their veins and blood needs oxygen. As far as flying in space I admit I have no clue since I have no idea what the canon details are on how they are able to fly. So I am going with the Kara SG on CBS canon that space is bad for anybody, Kryptonians included. Like I said thats just my opinion. It is probably wrong. Glad you are all sticking with me. For those wanting to see more Earth 3 you will be rewarded in the next few chapters. Things will get interesting for two of my favorite ladies. I hope I am not boring you with some of these chapters. I realize writing and reading action is fun but I also want to focus on Barry and Kara. More focus on Barry will be happening since Kara has kind of stole the spotlight recently, stubbed toe, puppy pajamas and all. Okay on with the story, enjoy drunken Kara!

Chapter 12

"Why exactly are we up here again?" the Flash asked his friend and sometime partner. The two were perched on a roof across form a karaoke bar that Team Flash had frequented recently.

"Isn't this what you do at night? Patrol?" the Arrow asked. Oliver had seemed irritated, more than usual, ever since the ladies had left the lab. Kara was gorgeous of course, wearing a red strapless dress that thankfully wasn't too short. The Flash had all the confidence in the world. Barry Allen had doubts about what others would think seeing him dating the equivalent of a blonde fitness model. He didn't think he was worthy of her, although he had dated attractive women before, just none in her league.

"Yeah I guess sometimes I patrol but I usually do it running around the city, not hiding out on rooftops. Besides we have been on this rooftop for the past hour."

"Then go patrol the way you want and I will do what I want. We aren't on a date Barry."

"Thats good to know because if we were you would be a terrible date. I think that the girls can take care of themselves. There is no reason for us to be up here. Felicity would be seriously …"

Barry stopped talking when Oliver's hooded, masked countenance fell on him.

"Hey you want to stalk, I mean patrol the rooftops near your girl thats fine with me. But if an actual emergency happens or…"

"You're a superhero, so go be a superhero. I am not stalking. Your girlfriend doesn't have her powers and this is a shady part of town. I don't like Felicity to be without protection."

"She has your sister and a former high ranking member of the League of Assassins with her. Seriously what the hell do you think will happen? Besides that, Kara isn't helpless. Her sister trained her to fight, not just with her powers. She is in shape and can take care of herself and anyone else she needs to."

"She is not strategic. She may have learned some moves from her sister, but she thinks like you. You rely on your speed and she relies on her strength. Her reflexes are probably as fast as yours, even if she can't quite match your speed on the ground. If she is a fighter, and I have no doubt that her sister most likely did train her to an extent, she would have disarmed Savage of his one powerful weapon and taken him in hand to hand combat. He would not have survived. Instead she decided to engage him in a show of power, having no idea how powerful he was. It was a dumb move and one that nearly killed her. She could have easily taken that staff away and flown with him in seconds. Come to think of it, you could have taken that staff in less than a second. There was no reason she should have drained herself like that, if she had just thought about it."

"Do you ever get tired of criticizing people with superpowers?"

"Do you ever get tired of having to watch her nearly die? What about you Barry? Zoom nearly killed you a couple times, Thawne nearly killed you. You need to learn to fight. Most of the enemies you have gone up against are bigger than you, maybe not taller but thicker, denser. You can use that as an advantage. Size has nothing to do with who wins a fight if both fighters know what they are doing. Look at Thea and Sara. I've seen both take down Digg before. Sara can take down anyone, man or woman it doesn't matter. Thea is getting there. Laurel … Barry I don't want to see you die. I've seen too many people I care about die. You need to learn to fight, to use your frame and speed to your advantage, not just rely on single punches that you need a five mile head start to throw."

"I can't exactly train with you Oliver. I can't just fight slowly. Most of your techniques rely on speed and I can't go halfway."

"Maybe not but she could learn and the two of you could spar."

"How is she going to learn to fight when she is faster and stronger than everyone?"

"Because she isn't always. She isn't right now." Oliver pointed out.

"Thats temporary. She normally isn't like this."

"But she can be when she wants to be. You need to talk to her. If Thea is going to be in Central City for a time and Sara probably will be too, she needs to take advantage of that."

"She can't just turn her powers on and off." Barry reminded him.

"Of course not, but she can use whatever it is that Stein is helping Cisco build so the two of you can have sex without breaking you in half, to turn her powers off. Then she can train, and once her powers are back on she trains you."

"I suppose… wait what did you say? How the hell did you know about that? Did Cisco say something? Because I don't know what that is all about!"

"No, Cisco didn't say anything. Stein is helping Cisco develop something with red star solar rays. Red solar rays take away Kara's powers. Kara looked like she wanted to murder Cisco when he mentioned talking to Stein. Why else would she want to get rid of her powers temporarily? It's obvious. How did you not see it?"

"I suspected." Barry lied. "I'll talk to her about it if this theory you have about her wanting the bracelet is true."

"I never said it was a bracelet."

"Oh… are we really going to sit up here all night stalking Felicity?"

"I am not stalking her! I am protecting her!"

"From listening to bad singing? Oh wait Kara is about to sing. I can't hear that great though. She has an amazing voice. I don't feel like just sitting here watching people sing, sorta. I can't even see her. Lets go get something to eat."

"Eat? Do you ever think about anything besides food?"

"Yeah, since all this talk about solar powered sex bracelets started I've been thinking about other things quite a bit. But thinking about them on a rooftop alone with you is not something I am comfortable with so lets go find some metahumans or maybe see if Snart wants to play a round or two and have a little fun or get something to eat. Its too bad Harry is still gone. It would be fun to screw with him since he hasn't actually ever met you."

"Go have fun Barry. I'm staying here."

"Dude have you considered that things may not work out?" Barry asked, not wanting to hurt Oliver but needing to know if he was just really protective after everything with Laurel or if was going off the deep end.

"What do you want me to say Barry? She is it for me. I don't love easily. You loved Iris forever but you moved on. I can't jump into another universe to find a girlfriend. No one understands me the way she does. She is the only person in my life that makes me believe I can be something more, that never looked at me as a murderer, or damaged, or heartless. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I know I hurt her and I should have trusted her. I get that but right now I am doing everything I can to make this right. But I worry. I have seen everyone I love die, including Sara who is sitting with them now, except for Thea and Felicity. I have no mission anymore Barry. I am tired. All of this, it has made me tired. If I can't touch her then the least I can do is protect her and I will always be ready to give my life for my sister and her. They are the only reasons I have left to go on."

"I understand…"

"And never, ever call me dude again."

"Sorry. Look if you don't want to go then I am going for a run. I don't want Kara thinking I am stalking her when I am actually just helping you stalk Felicity. If you need me, if you run into trouble on top of a roof across from a karaoke bar, call Cisco and he will patch me into you."

Barry took off with no destination in mind. He just wanted to run, to clear his head, to feel the wind, the vibrations of the Earth and the energy, the electricity, the rush he always felt running. He trusted Kara to be able to take care of herself but he wouldn't go to sleep until she sent him her nightly text saying goodnight. She told him she did that after she turned out the lights for the night. Once she was in bed he would go to bed. He had to be at work tomorrow, using most of his sick days the past few days staying with Kara while she slept. She was okay now though. She may not have her powers but she wasn't powerless. She was a fighter, a survivor, just like he was. Maybe neither one of them were ninjas or former assassins but they could take care of themselves.

Barry did admit to himself that learning a bit more fighting styles probably could have helped him in the past. Maybe he would start having a kung fu movie night with Kara.

At the bar, four women watched the one Central City and the world call Superwoman on stage, stumbling around a bit but her grip secure on the mic stand.

"I can't believe this. She sounds like a professional singer even when she is drunk." Cait complained.

"How many has she had?" Thea asked.

"She is halfway through her first Margarita. I think this is the first time alcohol has ever hit her non super powered system. The girl scout is going to feel it tomorrow," Sara said, with way too much humor for Felicity's liking.

"Don't call her a girl scout. You don't know anything about her except that she took out Vandal Savage and has saved a lot of peoples lives." Felicity defended Kara immediately, being on edge to begin with by Sara's sudden reappearance in her life. Things were tough enough with Oliver already. Felicity loved him and knew she had to find a way to make it work but Sara was a complication neither needed. Why couldn't the woman go back in time again or something?

"I meant no disrespect. I like her. She is cute."

"I've heard that before. Its not as flattering to hear as you seem to think it is." Felicity started before Thea cut in, heading off a fight between her very good friend and probable future sister in law and the former assassin, also her brother's ex.

"She's coming back this way. If she looks like she is going to fall someone catch her." Thea begged, not seated in a good position to do so herself.

Kara managed to sit back down with only minimal stumbling and an uncontrollable giggle.

"I love this place." she told them and began finishing off her drink then asking the waitress for another one.

"So how did you learn to sing like that? Because you are amazing." Felicity told her.

Kara snorted. "No big deal. When I first came here, I had to learn English right? Cuz alllll I spoke was my spooky alien language. You know, cause I'm an alien right? I hate that term. Makes people think of E.T. or those things that the Predators are always fighting. Or even worse the mean ones from Independence Day that sort of look like the ones the Predator fights. Oh and Predators too, I guess they are aliens. Why couldn't I be called a Predator? Oh well, being a really cute alien I had to learn English but I picked it up pretty fast on account of being really smart. I mean Kryptonians are like really super smart… hehe, I said Super. Shhhh!"

Thea and Cait took a shot apiece of Tequila, listening to the drunk alien… Kryptonian ramble.

"Anyway when I was learning Alex had this idea that singing might help me pick up the language. I loved to sing on Krypton, my mother would sing with me all the time. Aunt Astra would sing me to sleep at night when I was really little. I guess since our solar cycle was nearly identical to yours I would have been three until she disappeared when I was twelve. Oh wait she didn't disappear. My mother used me to catch her like I was bait. Yay Mommy. She got the bad guy… or girl. Her twin sister. My Mom was kinda judgmental I guess, being a judge and all. Thats why every alien on my old Earth wanted me dead. I never met any Predators but they would have probably wanted to kill me too. She was big on her prison and sending people there for longer than life. It was the phantom zone. No aging, no time, just an endless void. It was ridiculous. But unlike Iron Heights no one was escaping every ten minutes so I guess it had its advantages. But back to the point… what was the point? Oh yeah, singing helped me learn the language and it made me feel not so alone. When I first crashed Alex didn't want a whole lot to do with me so I sang quietly to myself when the noises around me became to much. It was like sensory overload when I arrived so if I focused on music it became easier to deal with."

"You and Alex are close?" Sara asked.

"Yes. I mean not at first, but yeah we became very close. She became my sister in every sense of the word that mattered. Even if she did some things that hurt me pretty badly. Not just killing my aunt either. Before that even started, she did some pretty crappy things but I loved her and her and Eliza were my only family since my Kryptonian blood relative decided he was too busy saving the world to help me grow up on a new world that I was sent to for the purpose of helping him. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not bitter about it or anything."

"You sound bitter. Trust me I have a copyright on bitterness and you are bitter." Thea pointed out.

"No I'm not! Kal was great. He would always send me letters … and saw me at least once a month. We got closer as I got older. I'm not angry that he dumped me off on another family right after I landed. He did it because it was best for me and he knew the people, Eliza and Jeremiah had helped him with his powers and … okay I was a bit angry for a long time, just a small amount of anger but I love him."

"Hey its fine. I love Ollie too but I want to kill him most of the time." Thea told her, patting her hand from across the table.

"I'll drink to that." Felicity agreed taking a shot.

"Hey I want a shot."

"No!" all four voices answered Kara. Kara pouted.

"Fine, just one." Cait told her giving in. Kara squealed and then took a shot of Tequila.

"I've had alcohol before but never really understood the draw people had to it. Its a lot of fun like this. When Cisco and Dr. Stein finish my solar powered sex bracelet we are so going to party more. This is really fun."

Sara hid the smirk on her face by taking a drink while the other three looked at Kara in shock.

"What?" the blonde heroine asked the group of gawkers, oblivious in her intoxication to the verbal flow of every thought she had being said out loud.

"What did you say Cisco is making you?" Thea asked, her smile widening.

"A bracelet with red sun rays. I think it will help me feel more human so I can, you know."

"Get your groove on?" Felicity suggested, loving seeing Kara this open. She had been so conservative and sweet that seeing her becoming quickly intoxicated and less guarded was making this whole night worth it.

"So you and Barry haven't had sex yet?" Thea asked to be clear.

"No, of course not. I mean its not because I don't want to but, he's the one, you know? I want to take it slow, make sure its right and that both of us…"

"How fast do you think Barry will be?" Thea asked Sara, who was drinking her beer constantly to stop from crying from laughter.

"I can't believe you asked that." Cailtin mumbled, taking another shot.

"I would say very fast, but since he has really quick recovery time it shouldn't be a problem. He could probably go again and again and again." Thea guessed. "I mean its going to get messy at first…"

"Whoa! TMI! Seriously forget I said anything about my solar powered sex toy!"

"Tell me about your sister Kara." Sara suggested, wanting to save the blonde from Thea's harassment. Cait and Felicity looked horrified at Thea's analysis of Barry's… potential as well.

"I love my Alex. Can I have another shot?" Sara poured her one before anyone could object. She had an idea and was personally invested in this. She hadn't seen anyone fight with as much passion as this girl had in a very long time.

"I'm not sure what you want to tell me. I mean me tell me. No you…no what I tell you. Yeah, what do you want to know?"

"Anything. If you make it good I'll tell you about the time Thea killed me."

"You are never going to let that go are you?" Thea asked, wincing. She knew Sara understood she wasn't in her right mind but the Canary loved to tease her about it now that enough time had passed.

"Wait if she killed you… nevermind. Thea you kind of look like Alex except not really. You both have short dark hair and can kick ass. Alex was a super secret agent for a long time. I didn't find out until I became Super whatever. I kind of miss the skirt sometimes. I know it doesn't sound as cool as leather pants but it was really easy to move around in."

"Wait your sister was some sort of secret agent?So she must have been pretty proud of you when you started doing the hero thing right?" Sara asked.

"Oh Rao, no. She was soooo angry. Let me tell you what happened."

The women sat in silence while they listened to a slightly, okay very drunk, Kara who had three more shots by the time the story was over. None were happy with what they heard but Felicity of course broke the silence.

"So not only did she lie to you about working for an agency whose purpose was to fight aliens, and using her knowledge of you to help, she told you she would have rather died than you save her from a plane crash? Screw the other people you saved, she was angry that you did it?"

"She was just worried that I became a target because of who my mother was I guess."

"But you were going to a fire to help people and her agency shot you out of the sky with a dart they knew would weaken you. You crashed into a car! You could have been seriously injured. Then you wake up cuffed to a table and her asshole boss, who was actually another alien, brow beats you and tells you to go back to getting coffee?"

"Yeah…"

"And she just … oh my God I don't see why you didn't kill her." Felicity mumbled.

"Sister relationships are hard. Believe me I know. Laurel and I had issues but we loved each other no matter what."

Kara had stopped talking, trying to stay awake as the alcohol was making her drowsy. Still the analysis of her relationship was interesting.

"She loved me. She was just trying to protect me."

"Protect herself is more like it." Thea told her. "She admitted she was glad you decided to not use your powers because it made her feel better about herself. Then she gave you a message from your mother, who knows how long she had that thing? I mean this Martian guy definitely had it for a long time. You would think a guy who lost his whole world would feel a little sympathy and give you a message from your mother. And his whole promise to your foster father was to protect you and Alex but he let Alex fight aliens but didn't want you, even though you had superpowers."

"Its because of who my mother was." Kara weakly defended.

"And he used your sisters knowledge of that to figure out ways to hurt Kryptonians. I could understand that right up to the point where they shot you down with a Kryptonite dart. I mean she couldn't have come up to you before that and said hey I'm a secret agent who hunts aliens and my boss wants to talk to you? Instead you find out when you wake up cuffed in a strange place and she just walks up. You are a really sweet person Kara. I'm a nice person and I would have hurt her." Felicity told her.

"You are not that nice of a person. You are a badass in your own right. I mean you did fight off a metahuman with an automatic rifle and used a lamp post to take out a robot composed of robotic killer bees." Thea reminded her.

"This world is so weird." Kara slurred. "I think I need air." she stood up and moved towards the door. The rest of the women decided it was probably best to leave before Kara died of alcohol poisoning and they all had to explain it to Barry.

Felicity walked out, looked around and her eyes stopped on the roof of a nearby building. No one could see anything in the darkness but apparently she did.

"Oliver! I don't feel like grabbing a cab. Bring the bike around."

No one heard anything.

"I'm not kidding Oliver, get down here and give me a ride back to my apartment!"

A few moments went by until the group heard a motorcycle start up and a helmeted figure in green leather pulled up. Putting on the helmet Oliver handed to her, the two were off.

"Cait you mind if I stay with you tonight? Probably best not to be in the apartment tonight. They are either going to scream at each other all night or… worse. Make up."

"Yeah thats fine. Ready Kara?" Cait asked.

"No. I don't want to go home. I feel great. The air is making me feel better. Sara! Sara lets go do something!"

"Uh Kara…"

"It's cool Caitlin. I got this." Sara told her, grabbing Kara's hand and walking off with her, as she stumbled along. Thea placed a comforting hand on Caitlin's shoulder.

"She will be okay. Sara won't let anything happen to her." she comforted Caitlin as much as possible, trying to figure out why Sara was so accepting of the offer. She had to know how drunk Kara was. Caitlin reluctantly got into a taxi and the two left, leaving the former assassin, vigilante and the most powerful woman in the world alone on the streets of Central City. She thought of calling Barry and letting him know but didn't. Kara was a grown woman.

A grown woman who had never really had alcohol before tonight. "I'm calling Barry."

"No you aren't. She will be fine, Cait. Sara will watch out for her. You don't want to be the overbearing sister do you? I think she had one of those to last a lifetime." Thea pointed out. Cailtin admitted she had a point. Although it was obvious the two loved each other, she could definitely see they had issues between them as well. Kara seemed to rely too much on Alex to the point that she would forgive her for anything and Alex seemed intent on being in control of Kara's life. The love was strong between the two and because of that every betrayal and slight was that much more painful. Caitlin found herself sad that Kara would most likely never get the chance to mend things, improve things or even pick up where she left off with her sister. Her sister was most likely a mess not knowing if Kara lived or died and Kara was convinced her sister would have a better life and be safer if she wasn't in it.

Caitlin needed another drink.

Kara and Sara walked in silence, the streets not surprisingly empty considering the neighborhood.

"Thanks for coming with me Sara. I wasn't in the mood to go back yet. I know when I get there i will probably get sick and think about Alex and I'm just not in the mood tonight."

"No problem. I never turn down the chance to hangout with another hot blonde."

"Huh?"

"What? You didn't know you were hot? You definitely are. I've been wanting to get to know you better since the first time I saw you locked in combat with Savage. I loved your outfit by the way. The blue leather one I mean."

"Its not actually leather its… I can't remember. Barry knows."

"Well it looked great on you. Very flattering."

"Thanks?"

"No thanks needed. I just appreciate an attractive woman when I see one, human or Predator. So you and Barry are serious huh?"

"What? Oh yeah, very serious. Why? You are with Captain Cold guy right?" Kara asked, not feeling quite right. Sara was acting differently now that they were away. Her eyes were sort of running up and down Kara's body.

"I suppose you could say that, but we aren't exclusive. I need variety. I'm bisexual and love women as much as men, maybe more. The longest relationship I have ever had was with a woman named Nyssa. Have you ever thought of being with a woman Kara?"

"What!? No, uh not that there is anything wrong with that, its just I've never personally you know, with anybody but I think I'll stick with Barry. No other needed, male or female. Not that its a bad thing. I think its great that you are so open minded…"

Kara stopped rambling when Sara started laughing. "You are so cute when you are uncomfortable. I'm sorry, that was mean but I couldn't help myself."

Kara let out a breath. Her panic had nearly made her sober. Not quite though.

"So you aren't…"

"Oh no I am bisexual but I would never make a move on the Flash's woman. I just wanted to have a little fun with you. So what do you want to do? Find a seedy bar and watch me beat up some guys?"

Kara admitted another drink couldn't possibly hurt her more but the idea of watching a fight and being too drunk to be involved did not appeal to her. Then she saw it.

"I want to go there."

"No you don't." Sara told her immediately.

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"C'mon Sara, just one? It will go away when the rest of my powers return. I think my skin can still be punctured. How many opportunities will I get?"

"Drunken tattoos are a huge cliche Kara,. You don't want to do this."

"I do. I can enjoy it for a while. Besides I don't need your permission."

"I could touch you on your neck and you would lose consciousness immediately. A call to Barry and you are safely tucked away in five minutes."

Kara admitted she had a point.

"Please?"

"Damn your puppy dog eyes." Sara growled. An hour later Kara walked out, definitely sober now, not ever imagining getting a tattoo could hurt that badly. She did love it though. On her left shoulder blade was a tattoo perhaps four inches tall and three wide of the symbol of the House of El with a lightning bolt through it. They were apparently becoming quite popular in Central City.

"I admit it looks good. But are you sure it will go away when your powers return?"

"Pretty sure. I mean my powers haven't completely returned and the solar lamps healed my burns and other injuries. I doubt this will stay."

"But it isn't an injury, its ink now."

Kara shrugged her shoulders and then winced. She was glad she had worn a strapless dress tonight but part of it still covered her saran wrapped tattoo that still burned despite the lotion on it.

"If it doesn't I don't care. I like it." Kara told her.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Sara asked.

"Of course."

"You left in a hurry obviously from your old Earth. You didn't get to bring anything but the suit you had on. Is there anything back there you would want here? Some things you can't live without?"

"I guess there isn't anything I can't live without. I mean my mother gave me a necklace that I always wore. I didn't have it on that day and wish to Rao I still had it. It was my only real contact with her, you know?"

Sara nodded. Her family was important to her as well. So many times she had thought she would never see them again and then losing Laurel…

"Anything else?"

"My paintings. I used to love to paint. I painted my memories of Krypton, the landscapes, the buildings. We had the most beautiful buildings and temples .Oh and the message my mother put in my pod that the DEO took. The one Alex showed me? I had this AI program that was in her image but after speaking to that thing for a little while I came to see it as a computer program playing a sick joke on me. It wasn't my mother and I let myself believe it was once too often. It began to hurt when I saw her … it. But the first message? That was my mother. I would imagine Alex has probably taken it all to keep as a remembrance. I doubt my apartment is there, or at least empty. I mean why would it be? I'm pretty sure I have been evicted by this point."

"You never know. Hey, stay behind me." Sara told her, placing a hand on the woman, pushing her behind. Kara looked over Sara's shoulder and saw a man in a mask approaching, not a superhero mask either.

He pulled a gun and aimed it at Sara.

"Sara Lance?" his muffled voice asked.

"Who wants to know?"

"You've been targeted for death. Nothing personal."

Without thinking Kara tossed Sara to the ground and her eyes lit up hitting the gun, melting it immediately. The man dropped it, grabbing his hand in pain until he was held in the air by his throat. Kara had him and she was very angry.

"Kara stop!" Sara yelled. Kara turned to look at her and saw the Canary was smiling.

"Can you put me down please?" the man asked, his voice squeaking from the pressure on his throat.

Kara let him down and the man pulled his mask off.

Sara introduced the two. "Meet Lenny, or Captain Cold as your boyfriend knows him. Lenny this is Kara Zor El. Last daughter of Krypton and the one woman you do not want to mess with."

"You didn't tell me she would melt the gun! That hurt!"

"Sorry. I honestly didn't know what she would do. The gun wasn't loaded, Kara."

Any lingering alcohol in Kara's system burned out the minute her full powers returned.

"Why the hell would you do this?!" she asked Sara, hotly. Kara was not amused.

"You needed your powers back or you were going to have a massive hangover. Short of throwing someone down an elevator shaft I couldn't think of anything else."

"I hate guns!"

"I know. Thats why I asked Lenny to do this. I knew you would save me. Its who you are. Sorry I freaked you out but I couldn't think of any safer way to do this."

"If you are angry I would like to remind you that this was her idea and I have already been burned because of it. Take your frustrations out on her." Cold remarked.

Kara glared at Sara then her eyes lightened up at the smile gracing the Canary's face.

"You are devious." she admitted.

"And you are a hero. You ready to fly back, or you want to try and catch a cab this late?"

Kara let out a breath and gave up trying to be angry. She had to admit as crude as Sara's method was it worked.

"Fine. I guess its time to go back to the real world. So you are Captain…"

Leonard was gone.

"Yeah he took off while you were considering burning me. Self preservation is one of his most admirable qualities."

"Well it was fun having a tattoo while it lasted." she admitted. Sara walked behind her and stifled a giggle.

"What?"

"Oh babe, that tattoo hasn't gone anywhere. The good news is it looks really hot. The Flash is going to love it. Just make sure you figure out a way to make him get one too."

"What if he doesn't like it?" Kara asked worried. The idea that she had a tattoo that wouldn't go away… what would her mother think? What would Eliza think? What would Alex and Kal …

"It doesn't matter." she said to herself. The people she thought about would never see her again. Who she was here was not who she was there. It was different, she was different and what she thought was the only thing that mattered. And right now she thought her tattoo was pretty awesome.

Cait was less than enthused when Kara arrived home, Sara in tow.

"You let my drunken best friend get a tattoo?!"

"I couldn't stop her."

"Yes you could have!"

"I like it." Kara admitted sheepishly.

"See? She likes it."

"It doesn't matter. The point is she wasn't thinking clearly because she was drunk! If you weren't an assassin I would so hurt you right now. How did she get her powers back?"

"She is right here Cait. As far as my powers, it was like I told you, I just needed a shot of adrenalin."

Caitlin turned back to Sara, who was leaned against a wall, arms crossed and grinning.

"What did you do Sara?"

"She had Captain Cold pull a gun on her. I melted the gun because I thought he was going to kill her. So … yeah. I was pretty mad but she was right. It was effective."

Caitlin's anger boiled over and any caution about angering the famous Canary was gone.

"She is terrified of guns! You know what happened!"

"Which is why I knew it would work and it did. You're welcome. What were you going to do? Give her a pep talk?"

"One day you may need me to save your life. Just remember that." Caitlin reminded her.

"I've been dead before. It never sticks. I had fun tonight ladies. Hope we can do it again soon, when you get your solar powered sex toy working, Kara."

Kara's face turned red. "I can't believe I said that. I am never getting drunk again." Sara walked out,shaking her head, promising herself that wouldn't be true. Drunk Kara was a lot more fun than sober Kara.

Caitlin hugged Kara as soon as the door was closed on Sara. "I'm sorry. I should have gone with you. I will figure out a way to get the tattoo off."

Kara was looking over her shoulder in the mirror. "I like it. I think Barry will like it. What do you think?"

Caitlin smiled at the already healed tattoo. She admitted it was pretty cool.

"I like it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Don't forget to text Barry goodnight. You know he won't sleep until he hears from you and the poor boy hasn't had near enough sleep recently."

"I will. Cait you think he might marry me one day? I mean ask? That would be nice. I never thought I would have that. It would be kind of cool right? You would be my maid of honor and … and that is enough. You and Barry and Cisco. You are my family. I'm never going to see Alex again am I?"

"You can if you want to." Cait told her, feeling her heart swelling at Kara's assertion of where Caitlin stood in her life. She loved her men, Barry and Cisco, and missed Ronnie every night and day but Kara had filled a void in her life she hadn't realized she was missing. A female best friend who she could bond with, who understood loneliness and loss but still managed to love.

"I do want to but I don't. I mean I do but I think maybe we both needed our own life. I will always love her but I could only bring trouble to her life and honestly it was probably time I stopped being so dependent on her for approval. I needed to be on my own to grow up I guess. I would die for her and she would die for me and that will never change. Maybe one day if Cisco can really get control over what he can do but not now. Of course growing up probably doesn't include getting drunk and being tattooed."

"Maybe it does. Maybe here you can be all the things you never got to be, or were to afraid to try. Text Barry and lets turn in."

"Please? I'm trying to sleep here!" Thea whined from the couch. "Can't you two have a Lifetime network bonding moment in the morning?"

Kara shrugged her shoulder and hugged Cait. Walking into her bedroom she pulled her phone out and texted Barry that she was home and she loved him. He answered immediately that he had been asleep for hours. She reminded him of the Oliver principle and he admitted he may have been worried about her. She let him know she had gotten her powers back and she had a surprise for him tomorrow and would see him at lunch, then a short I love you that was returned and Superwoman and the Flash retired for the night.

Cisco wasn't so lucky.

A tap on his shoulder at 4 AM, woke him, then scared the hell out of him when he saw Sara Lance standing over him. He didn't bother asking her how she got in.

"Hey … uh whats up Sara? Everything okay? You aren't here to … kill me or anything? I made your suit, the white one? It's pretty cool right?"

"Cisco I need your help. I need you to help me with something and keep it to ourselves. No one can know until after it is done."

"Okay… what do you need me to do?"

" I need you to take those special glasses you have and open a breach to National City on Earth 3."

Cisco did not like this idea.

"I can't control that very well Sara. What if we get there and I can't open one back to home?"

"You don't have to come with me. I'll give you a time and you can open the breach back up and I will I return. I'll only need a day, maybe less. Say ten, no twelve hours."

"And if you get stuck there? If I can't get you back?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders. "It wouldn't be the weirdest place I have been stuck in. But I believe in you Cisco, the same as Barry does. I know you can do this."

"Why there?"

"Because I need to find a necklace and a hologram device that has a message from Kara's mother. She deserves that, don't you think? I know what it is like to stay away from family because you think they are better off, safer without you. I would have given anything for a piece of home and she deserves hers."

"Those things could be anywhere Sara. How do you think you are going to find them in twelve hours?"

"Easy. You are going to look with your special ray bans and tell me where the one woman who would know is at. I need to find Alex Danvers. If anyone has Kara's belongings she will."

"And if she wants to come back with you?"

"Thats not my place or decision. I just want to get Kara's necklace and any other important items to her."

"This Alex may not like you trying to take her sisters things or leaving her behind Sara."

"Thats why I don't plan to ask. Now can you help me or not?"

Cisco thought for a moment. Kara would love to have her mother's necklace. Barry had told him how emotional Kara had been when she showed him the message her mother had sent with her in her pod.

"Yeah, when do you want to do this?"

"Right now."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N- This chapter got out of hand word count wise and has very little Barry and Kara in it. Next chapter somethings are going to happen for our favorite pair and we are going to see Earth 3 deal with the aftermath of this chapter. As far as the end of the Flash and Arrow seasons, it is becoming apparent to me that the Flash is going to end up with a lot of new metahumans and if history is any judge will probably end on a cliff hanger. So for the purposes of this story which is already AU, the Flash took out Zoom, details talked about later and Arrow killed Darhk but he and Felicity still have issues they are working on. The plot of LOT will have nothing to do with anything here except the characters. Okay, enjoy Sara's visit to Earth 3 and thank you for the reviews. I love discussing these shows with all of you. Pleas keep them coming because it keeps me going :)

Chapter 13

After a long morning of finally, slowly, piecing together bomb parts that would lead nowhere, Barry received the text he was looking for. Kara was on her way over with lunch. He needed to get out of the lab today and planned to convince her to go to the park, or parking lot, or anywhere he didn't feel so shut in. His lab felt comfortable mostly but sometimes he needed to run, and short of that, fresh air would have to do.

"Hey cutie." Kara greeted him walking in, two bags of burgers and fries in one hand and a cup holder of two chocolate shakes in the other. Having extremely high metabolism was awesome.

"Hey yourself, beautiful." he returned, wrapping his arms around her after she set the food on the desk.

"I was wondering if you felt like going outside to eat. I really need to get out of here for a while. Do you have time?"

"Of course. I don't have anything until 2. I have to meet with the head of the contracting firm. He is not happy about an addition Felicity wants and I have to deal with him."

"Why you?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently Felicity is needed by her babies. I'm pretty sure she meant the servers. All technical details of the reconstruction are my domain. She gave me a general list and if anyone has a problem with it, they come to me."

"And then you go to her?" Barry asked.

"Nope. I deal with it. She does her thing and I do … the rest." Kara finished.

"That seems … have you ever dealt with contractors before? I thought most of your experience was in media?"

"Thats what I told her and was told that I was Superwoman and I could handle it. I told her my powers didn't include dealing with angry contractors and she told me I broke the building so I could fix it. She was in her work mode where she doesn't take her eyes off the monitor and chews two pens at the same time. Anyway, I can handle any problems that he has. I have a way with people."

"You can't throw him into space." Barry told her.

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure I can." she retorted, giving him a wink. "Just kidding, lets go. I need to take my boyfriend for a walk so he can get his exercise for the day."

Barry laughed and took her hand but before the two could move, Captain Singh was in the lab doorway.

"Oh hey Captain. I have the bomb pieced together as much as possible. No prints, military grade hardware, with no way to track where it came from. Its going to be a dead end. Whoever did this…"

"Yeah, professional, hard to find, damn Government probably already knows who did it and is jerking our chains watching us run in circles. I just came up to check on Kara."

Kara was a bit surprised.

"I… I'm fine. Thank you for asking, but why wouldn't you think I …" Captain Singh held up his hand and put his finger to his lips, turning to close the door. Once it was closed, he turned back to the silent two.

"Because you fell out of the damn sky and Barry had to catch you then that fire guy almost burned you both up on the way down. You looked beat girl. Don't get me wrong, you were awesome out there, you both were, but that was a tough one. Then neither of you show up for days, and I figured you really got hurt. But you are good now?"

Barry and Kara both stared at the police captain.

"You know?" Barry whispered. "Did … somebody tell you?" he asked, thinking of Joe.

"Nah, I suspected you from the beginning. I mean c'mon, you wake up from a nine month coma that should have wrecked you for life and not only are you healthy, you're in better shape than ever. I didn't say anything, pretended not to notice how you were always gone when the Flash showed up, how you and Joe always seemed to know more than you let on about metahumans, how you were never late anymore… or at least not as much. Anyway I give it to you, the mask really hides your identity. Anybody that didn't know you or see you everyday like I do would never believe you were the Flash. I laughed about it myself. But then you got a sweet new girlfriend who is just a doll and suddenly the Flash has a new Superhero partner out saving men, women and children from burning buildings and armed robberies and then takes out a super powered mad man, a woman wearing a mask with bright blonde hair. C'mon Allen, I am a cop. I didn't get to be captain by being stupid."

"I'm going back to wearing glasses." Kara whispered.

"No you aren't. Look…" Barry started,

"Allen? I don't care. I've always known you were a good kid and seeing what you have been doing, I'm proud of you. Both of you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay Kara."

Kara blushed a bit but nodded her head. "Yes, I'm good Captain. Thank you for asking. I was injured and took a few days to heal but I am at 100% now."

"Glad to hear it kid. You both need a break. Don't worry about a thing, I won't say a word and no one else at the station suspects. Just don't tell Joe that I know. It's fun watching him try to cover for you, okay?"

"No problem Captain." Barry agreed.

"And don't worry about those days you were gone. I got them wrote off as paid personal leave. Just the next time, you two be a bit more careful. If it was just you I wouldn't worry so much but this girl is a doll. Treat her right. Or else."

Captain Singh walked out of the lab, leaving two stunned superheroes, open mouthed and silent.

"If it makes you feel better the whole boss knowing who you are makes getting out of work to fight bad guys a lot easier." Kara offered.

Barry looked at the floor and laughed. Soon both were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.

"How about that park? I'm starving." he suggested.

"Yeah? Me too."

"Wait! You said you had a surprise for me. What is it?"

Kara stopped walking and froze. She had almost forgotten.

"Close the door." she told him. Barry's eyes widened and he grinned. Kara even had a difficult time seeing the speed that he closed the door and was leaning back on his desk, arms folded, waiting.

Kara turned her back to him and pulled the back of her blouse up. Barry was more than a little surprised.

"How the hell did you get a tattoo?" he asked, walking closer, ignoring the fact that he could see from the back, she was wearing a light blue lace bra.

"I got drunk." she admitted.

"Yeah I got that part, I mean how did you get it? Was it because your powers were out?"

"I think so. Yeah, it was because… I thought it might go away when they returned but it didn't. I … I really like it. What do you think?"

Barry traced the tattoo lightly with his finger, the bright red symbol of the House of El and a bright gold lightning bold behind it, starting at the top right and ending at the bottom left.

"I think it's the coolest thing I've ever seen."

Kara pulled her blouse down and turned to Barry, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "Liar. You have traveled through time, been to different universes, ran through walls without breaking them, thrown lightning. I know its not the coolest thing you have ever seen."

"My definition of cool has changed since you have entered my life. You want the truth? I think it is pretty sexy. And I think it is very cool. I can't believe you put a lightning bolt through your family crest."

"Why not? Its more subtle than getting your name on me. Don't you think?"

"Yeah I guess. So no regrets? I mean you couldn't have been that drunk … could you?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "It was one of those human things I always thought would be cool but never thought I could do. I saw the opportunity. I didn't know if it would stay but I wanted to do something crazy, something fun and different, even if it wass just for a little while."

Barry rubbed her shoulders gently.

"Kara I'm glad you got it if it was something you wanted. But the whole human thing? I love you for who you are the same as I think you love me for who I am. You don't care that I'm some metahuman freak accident and I don't care that you came from another planet. I get that you want to do things like the people around you do. Believe me I get that. I want to go on vacation for two weeks somewhere I have never been and forget about the city, the world, all the bad guys that could pop up but it just isn't in the cards for me. I've made peace with that. We can't take the good without the bad. Would you trade who you are to be human if it meant all the lives you saved would be ended?"

"Of course not. I'm not saying I want to be human. I mean sometimes I wish, I don't know. I do know we do deserve some things in our life that others have. I could never give us children. Our DNA isn't compatible. At least that was what Kal told me when I was in college. We were hanging out at a park and I saw this mom with her daughter. The girl was so adorable and it made me think of my mom. I mentioned that maybe it wouldn't be impossible for me. Then he decided to ruin my moment by dropping that bomb on me. But we could have other things like taking vacations. We have to take time for ourselves right? We can't be responsible for everything that goes wrong or could go wrong all the time."

Barry hugged her, as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Of course we aren't. Just so we understand, I want you, not what you can or can't give me. I love the girl who loves ice cream and has a smile that lights up my world. So long as I have you, compatible DNA or not, I'm good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Thats good because I want the guy who makes me light up whenever he walks into the room. I want all of you, every part of you. I know I said I wanted to stay here because I wanted a new life, I didn't trust the world I left not to try and kill me, I thought Alex would be safer without me and have a better life. The truth is Barry, I wanted to stay for you. Everything else was an excuse, maybe some truth to it but you are the reason I stayed. Just so you know if we weren't superheroes I would still love you. Just me loving you. Thats enough for me. Its more than enough."

Barry kissed her feeling lighter at her declaration.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. I would have gone back with you if you wanted to, even if you weren't a hot, super powered Kryptonian."

" I do think we need a little normalcy. Maybe we should take a vacation, just the two of us. Central City can live without us for a couple weeks." the blonde suggested.

"Yeah. Probably not right now, since you know, trips cost money if we want to go overseas or whatever, but it would be cool right? We could see maybe England, France, go to Jamaica, anywhere. Until then we can always take days off. Find a spot for just the two of us away from the City. Get away for a day or so. It's not like with Ray and Firestorm here, the city will blow up without us."

"Don't forget Oliver, Sara and Thea."

"You think they are going to stay?"

"Oliver won't let Thea and Felicity out of his sight. I'm not sure about Sara and what she has with this Captain Cold guy but she didn't sound like she was leaving anytime soon."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what that is about either. Snart was always a bad guy I guess, but towards the end before he disappeared, he was really starting to change even though he wouldn't admit it. I keep waiting for him to start a crime spree but I'm beginning to think he won't. So what about it? We run up to the coast later?I can take off early, and after your meeting at 2 you can fly and I can run if you want."

"Sur, you run and I'll fly and I will see you when you get there."

"Sounds like a challenge Woman of Steel. I'll have our bags unpacked before you can find a nice soft spot to land. I think our food is getting cold so we probably should eat it here."

"Nah, the park sounds nice." Kara told him, opening the bag, light from her eyes heating the food back up. "There, you go, nice and hot."

Barry smelled the hot food.

"Yep, normal is very overrated." he agreed.

 **Earth 3**

Sara Lance walked bravely, confidently into the little weird light show Cisco had just conjured with his tiny hands. She was feeling anything but brave at the moment. She should have brought Len but didn't want to tempt him with a literal whole new world of things to steal. Plus if he were threatened, he most likely would not show the level of restraint she would. Sara wanted Kara's keepsakes for her to have, but doubted the girl wanted Sara killing or permanently injuring any of her old family and friends.

"Okay Cisco. Please tell me you sent me to the right place." the Canary hoped and checked her watch. She had twelve hours from this moment before Cisco opened up another portal. Per her instructions he was to give her one minute to make it through and then close the damn thing whether she was back or not. She couldn't take the chance if she was caught or taken somehow that she could be used by someone, maybe someone who weren't Kara's friends, to get to her. They really had no idea what had happened in the time Kara had been away. All the team knew was she had been shot twice and it was a hit sanctioned by the government. Sara was assuming Alex Danvers had nothing to do with it. She didn't want to assume this because she hated to take anything for granted. She had been betrayed enough in life by those she trusted most to learn that lesson. Still Sara could not make herself believe that the woman Kara considered a sister, the one who had hurt her quite a bit in Sara's opinion but still obviously loved her deeply would have anything to do with this.

So CIsco looked with his weird glasses, that he probably thought made him mysterious, for Alex Danvers. He saw a large space, quite a few people, a lot of computer equipment, large screens and what he thought was a space ship. One he said, was similar to the one Barry had seen and described to Cisco of Kara's ship. He opened the portal from an abandoned school in Central City and here she was.

For all Sara knew she could be on Earth 18 in Italy.

The sun had not come up on this Earth either, giving her hope that the times between the Earths were the same.

For a cynical person, Sara was relying on hope quite a bit.

"What in the hell have you gotten us into this time Sara?"

The Canary was not a woman to be snuck up on, especially when she had been alone seconds before. So to say she was surprised to see Oliver Queen walking behind her with a large duffle bag in his arms would be an understatement.

"What the hell are you doing here Ollie?" she whispered.

"Why are you whispering? There is no one around here. Of all the dumb ideas you have ever had…"

"Yeah?"

"This isn't the worst one. So this is Earth… Barry calls it 3?"

"Yep. Why are you here Oliver?"

"I figured you would probably need your suit. I brought some provisional supplies and a change of clothes also."

"Cisco was supposed to close the breach behind me." Sara griped. Not that she had a problem with Oliver being here, he actually gave her comfort, but because this was going to cause so much trouble with Felicity and despite Felicity's feelings for her, she always liked Ollie's soulmate.

"He was going to. I asked him if I really needed to remind him of all the ways I could cause pain or if he would save the time and let me in. He was agreeable."

"And Felicity? You have any…"

"I have just gotten through four hours of Felicity asking me for a ride home and then yelling at me that she had her own life and I was to stay out of it. I figure its time to take her advice. I came looking for you because I wanted to spar. Instead I see you leave Caitlin's apartment and drive to Cisco's. Since I am guessing he isn't exactly your type it wasn't hard to figure out what you were doing."

"And you followed anyway?"

"You know I love Felicity, Sara, but you are my friend. You are the only person I know who can understand… why we are the way we are. I've lost you too many times, and there is absolutely no way I was going to let you jump into a hole to another universe and not have your back. So what are we doing here exactly?"

"Recon and requisitioning Kara's personal belongings."

"Why?" the Arrow asked. "Did she ask you to do this? Because I know she wouldn't. She would probably be furious if she knew you were here. This is a bit extreme cure for boredom even for you. If she doesn't think any of this is important, then why do you?"

"She does think its important. She would never ask anyone to come back here and she is afraid of what could happen if she does." Sara countered. "So I'm doing it for her, whether she is happy or not. I've never been the one who wins popularity contests Oliie. That was you and Laurel."

"Okay, I don't see why you think she is afraid. She certainly doesn't seem afraid of danger. Yes, I understand Kara was ambushed but she wouldn't be ambushed now. She would be ready."

"She isn't afraid of being hurt or killed. She is afraid of what was left behind. She really has no idea if her sister, cousin, foster mother, friends, if any of them are still alive. She has no idea if any of them played a part in her near murder. Don't deny it Ollie. When you have been betrayed you question everyone and everything, even if you tell yourself you are not. She is afraid that if she sees her family, she will feel guilty about leaving them behind and staying with Barry. She is afraid she will once again feel responsible for people who she saved before and as far as she knows, turned their backs on her. Remember what we were like when we were 13?"

"Idiots. Hormonal idiots." Oliver admitted, looking at the rising sun.

"Yeah but we had our friends, we had each other, our families, our teenage drama that was a few years from reaching legendary status. We had no worries or cares in the world. She was put in a pod and shot into darkness, literal darkness, knowing she was going off with no guarantee if she would make it, thirteen years old, to take care of a baby on another planet, her entire world, literally exploding behind her, close enough the blast knocked her off course into limbo, waking up… Ollie how do you not see this? We were adults when what happened to us, the island, the boat, Slade, Shado…we let what happen turn us into different people, completely irrevocably different people. Hardened, jaded, violent, kill or be killed, win at all costs. Our old selves died when that boat went down. We still had family, out there somewhere. We knew they lived somewhere. We knew we were on the same planet, looking at the same stars. We knew all that and still became what we became. She lost it all in an instant and she hasn't become what we are. Don't you want to know why Oliver? I do. I know you do. Its why you love hanging around Barry as much as you deny it. Diggle may be like your brother because he understands you, but you are a different person around Barry because you want to know how he does it. How can a 13 year old boy be caught up in a whirlwind of lightning in his own home, wind up blocks away, to run home and find his mother stabbed to death and his father in cuffs and not let it turn him into what we are. You want the answer as badly as I do."

"Maybe." Oliver admitted, still looking at the rising sun, not wanting to let Sara know once again how easily she could read him.

"You still have Shado's hood. I still have Laurel's jacket, the one I gave to her once. We have pictures, you have Thea and I have Mom and Dad, we can even visit Laurel's and your mother's graves. She has nothing Oliver. I can't carry a bunch of paintings through that hole he better make in eleven and a half hours but I can find a necklace she was given by her mother before both their worlds were torn apart. If I can find some sort of hologram projector and maybe a few photos of her old friends, her sister and her, or her foster mother then I am going to do it."

"Okay. I guess we are going to go down together."

"We have a habit of that. Now I just have to find this Alex Danvers. Cisco said he saw her in a large space, maybe a warehouse…"

"She's over there. Or maybe will be later, considering Cisco sometimes sees future events."

Sara looked where Oliver was pointing. Now that the sun had risen she recognized she was looking at an airport, a smaller one that would have appeared abandoned, except for the cars and SUVs surrounding one of the main hangers.

"How do you know? We don't even know what she looks like. All I know is her hair is like Thea's."

"Cisco saw her in a large space. He opened a breach near her. There is a large space near our breach. I realize neither of us were Rhodes Scholars Sara, but I feel fairly confident in my theory."

"What do you think they are doing in there? Thats a big space and Cisco said he saw a spaceship in the place."

"How would I know? Maybe they are trying to improve their space program. Is it really relevant? We should probably start walking towards the city, figure out if Kara Danvers place is still in her name or her sister's place. Whatever this Alex has of Kara's she isn't going to carry it to work… and of course this would happen." Sara sighed.

Oliver shook his head and looked at the ground. This was a complication the two didn't need and the mission had just started. Coming fast towards the two was a black SUV, and both Sara and Oliver knew it wouldn't be the welcoming party. They were at the end of a runway and had no place to hide. The two would have to play this out.

To both their reliefs one man, got out of the car with only three guards, two men and a woman with a severe frown on her face, dressed in black, holding rifles. This was doable. Both were dressed in blue jeans and white tees, combat boots and Sara's ever present jacket on her. Oliver pulled his cap down lower over his eyes to survey the situation without alerting the guards he was sizing them up.

The man who got out of the passenger seat up front and was obviously not a guard or soldier or whatever the hell these three people were, stepped in front. He seemed rather confident but judging by his open stance and hands swinging freely as he strode towards them, he was obviously not trained to fight. The guards were wary though, not completely untrained. The woman appeared to be a poser however. She had training but was not as much of a threat as the other two. Her hands gripped the rifle too tightly and she had a beads of sweat on her forehead, despite the cool weather of the early morning. This was not Alex Danvers.

"Good morning. My name is Maxwell Lord."

"I'm Oliver Queen and this is my girlfriend Sara Lance. Is there a problem? We didn't realize the airfield was still in operation. I apologize if we have made a mistake."

"This is actually private property. Just a developmental facility for a new type of aircraft engine, but very hush hush. We like our privacy." Maw told him with a smile. Max knew something was up but was not sure what as of yet. The satellites watching the Earth for strange electrical disturbances like those caused by breaches had alerted the staff who regularly started before dawn each day that a breach had occurred briefly and in their own front yard no less. No matter what happened these two were not leaving until he knew everything. He wished Alex were here but she had decided to spend the night at Kara's apartment. She had let hers go and moved into her sisters, not being able to bear seeing the place be rented to another.

"We apologize. I suppose we should be on our way then." Oliver tried. In the event this was Alex Danvers he really didn't want to hurt her.

"What exactly are you two doing out here? I don't see a car and this isn't a typical place to see passerby's." Max asked.

"We were hiking. I like the open space." Oliver explained. The two men stayed behind this Lord character but the woman stayed by his side.

"Thats quite a large bag to be hiking with."

"I'm stronger than I look."

"I bet you are Mr…. Queen, you said?"

"Yes, Mr. Lord. And you are?" Oliver asked, looking at the woman.

"Lucy Lane."

"Green light." Sara mumbled.

"Mr. Queen have you or your lovely girlfriend noticed anything strange in the last few minutes? We picked up a strange electrical occurrence in this area. Know anything about it?"

Sara laughed. "We have done it in some out of the way places but never caused any electrical disturbances. We must be getting better Ollie."

Oliver did not laugh. The smile that had been plastered on his face slipped and Max no longer saw a young couple who may have stumbled into their business. He recognized the look. Oliver Queen was a dangerous man hiding behind a handsome face. Max was the same.

"I realize have no legal authority here but you two are trespassing and I am concerned about corporate espionage. I would hate to involve the police so would you mind if we took a look in your bag?"

"Of course not." Oliver dropped the bag in fronton Max, wrapped his arm around Sara's waist, slipping one of her sonic grenades into her palm. Lucy Lane bent down not three feet in front of Oliver, showing him that she was very untrained.

Opening the bag, Lucy couldn't hide the surprise on her face. She lifted a quiver of arrows and a bow. The arrows were not typical arrows but appeared to have modified heads. Both Lucy and Max looked at Oliver who shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm into archery. Sort of an amateur but I'm getting 't you think dear?"

"You aren't getting any better." Sara told him, her eyes never leaving the two in front of her.

Lucy next pulled out an extendable bo staff. Max raised an eyebrow.

"My hiking stick." Sara offered.

"Not much of a help is it?" Max asked, Lucy recognizing it for the weapon it truly was. "No gripped handled, no cleat at the bottom, it doesn't seem like it would be much use."

"Oh you would be surprised by what it can do in the right hands." Sara responded. Lucy pulled out kali sticks, four of them, and two sets of… clothes?

"BDSM mixer tonight. We thought we would go ahead and pack for the entire day. Make it a couples retreat sort of weekend" Sara explained with a devious grin.

"I see. I think the two of you should come with us." Max ordered, no longer smiling. The two guards stepped up, exactly where Oliver wanted them.

"You should take a look at Sara's iPod first. It is the most interesting thing she has on her."

Oliver stepped behind Sara while she lifted her hand. Max and Lucy saw a glowing ball in her palm and then their ears were splitting, sound waves piercing their heads, pain reminding them of the Myriad signal. All four hit the ground on their knees. Mercifully the sound did not last long but it was enough time for Oliver to kick both of the male guards in the head, knocking them out, while Sara grabbed the side ofLucy's neck, pinched the artery sending blood to her brain for a second, putting her to sleep immediately. She would have a horrible headache but be fine. Max shook his head, hoping he could clear the pain from his system. Instead he found himself lifted by his shirt collar in Oliver Queens grip. Their faces were only inches apart.

"I need to know two things. One, where is Alex Danvers, and two where are Kara Zor El's belongings being kept? Specifically her necklace and a Kryptonian hologram projector with a message from her mother."

"I am not telling you a thing. I don't know who you think you are but you have no idea who I am! I will end you…"

Max's brave words ended when he hit the ground. Oliver Queen grabbed an arrow from the quiver and bent down next to the man.

"I'm glad you won't tell me. You see Max, I promised myself that I would not be the man I used to be. I have done a lot of terrible things, Sara here has also. One of those things was torture. I used to believe there was nothing I wouldn't do to accomplish my mission but that all changed. I had to give up certain methods I used in the past to be someone better for someone who deserved better. But Max, I have had a really, really bad year. The last few months have been particularly difficult and I am in the mood to torture someone. I don't think my promise to myself really counts right now. What happens on Earth 3 stays on Earth 3, right?"

Oliver stuck the arrow into Maxwell Lord's thigh, and began moving it around. Max screamed loudly until Sara used her hands to clench his jaw shut.

"Let me know when you are ready to talk. You will talk, trust me. Its only a question of how many holes I put in your first."

Oliver moved to stick the man again before he threw his hands up. At a nod, Sara unlocked her hands from around Max's jaw.

"I'll talk. You won't get away with this so it won't matter. You want to know where Alex is? The same place she always is at night. She won't be here until later. She lives at Kara's old apartment. Kara's things are still there. Why do you care?!"

"The why is not important. Where is the tracker on the SUV?" Oliver asked.

"It has Onstar."

"I know. Where is the other tracker?" Max said nothing so Oliver moved his arrow towards the man's thigh.

"Stop! Its under the hood, next to the battery." Sara stood up, walked to the SUV and popped the hood. She disabled the Onstar and found the tracker.

"You are coming with us. If I see anyone that looks like they may be tailing us, I kill you." Oliver informed Max.

"Where is Kara's cousin?" Sara asked, pulling the man up, ignoring his moan as he stood on his injured leg. The wound was in the muscle and not much blood was present but the pain was great.

"He's inside the hanger." Max told them.

"No he isn't. If he is like Kara, he would have heard this by now. He either has and doesn't like you or he isn't there. Which is it?" Oliver in full Arrow mode asked.

Max let out a breath.

"He's not there. You driving or me?" Sara asked.

"You drive. I'll keep Mr. Lord company in the back." Oliver told her and half dragged Lord to the SUV.

While Max Lord was being abducted by the Black Canary and Arrow, who was not feeling very green right now but more hoodish, Alex Danvers was drinking coffee on the couch she spent many nights watching TV with her sister. She had just gotten off the phone with Hank who was on his way to the hanger after a night of searching the old DEO's minimally guarded building for any tech that might be used. Last week Kal El had raid the building, crashing in through the roof, lifting Kara's pod and leaving. Max believed a vehicle capable of withstanding light speed would be needed and since only two space ships were on Earth as far as anyone were known, Kara's was taken to the hanger. Kal El was at his fortress powering his ship and planned to fly it to the hanger today. Hank and Alex were very familiar with the crafts and believed they could use them to form one larger craft capable of crossing the dimensional barriers just as the ships had conquered wormholes on their travels to Earth. Staying up particularly late, studying the ship she had saved Kara in, Alex felt the need for at least five hours of sleep and left the hanger. She could never stand the thought of letting Kara's apartment go. She had spent more time here than her own place and a big part of her wished they had just lived together.

Deciding to dress for the day, she mentally prepared herself to watch Max Lord's poor substitutes for the DEO train. He had asked her to train them herself to which she replied her focus was on getting to Kara, not saving the world. Kal El had agreed and the conversation ended.

Knowing there may be enemies to Kara still out there who could take a shot at her mother if Supergirl's identity was ever discovered she put her light black jacket on over her white tee and placed her gun in the back holster attached to her faded blue denim jeans. She had a big day, preparing to spend it analyzing ever single alloy on Kara's pod. She had known the mechanics, at least enough to fly but still had a lot to learn about how it did what it did and how it survived the trip. Kryptonian technology was a century ahead of Earth's but she was catching up quickly. The ship had gotten her to Kara once and it would again. Preparing to walk out the door she glanced one more time at the spot, where not long ago Kara's blood pooled on the floor. It was macabre she knew, but it also focused Alex on her sunny little sister and the importance to both Kal, her mother and Alex in finding her. They all needed Kara in their lives. She suspected Kara could come back if she wanted, but was most likely afraid her presence would cause danger for Alex and Eliza.

Before Alex could open the door it was kicked open smashing her in the face, causing her to stumble backwards. A blonde woman, dressed similar to Alex, stormed in with some sort of staff in her hand. Alex flipped back to her feet, and pulled her gun in one swift motion. The staff moved like a snake, knocking it to the side with one end and striking the former agent in the face with the other.

"Alex Danvers? I'm Sara Lance. We need to talk. Sorry for the intrusion but I didn't figure you to be a hospitable host and I am on somewhat of a time table." A man in a baseball cap walked inside behind her holding onto a limping Max Lord. Lord was then cuffed by thenew comer and thrown to the floor.

Alex grabbed the staff in the blonde's hands and twisted, flipping Sara to the hardware floor. Deciding the man next to Lord wasn't going to become involved, she moved to drop onto the blonde, only to find her gone. A tap on her shoulder had Alex spinning, to be struck by a fist. She backed up and attacked again, landing two shots on the blonde who seemed to be smiling even as she took the blows.

Her third strike was caught and Alex's world went upside down, eventually falling onto the hardwood floor. Sara landed on her with a knee on Alex's chest, pinning the former agent, despite the blonde's small stature.

"You aren't bad. A little more training and you could be League of Assassin's material. I know you definitely have a killer instinct. It would have been easy to wound Astra and disable her while she was focused on the Martian, but you went for the kill strike. The ability to lie to a girl you love, make her feel less so you can feel like more, help your hypocritical alien boss shoot her out of the sky to prove how much better you are than her. Honestly Alex I can't tell if you love her or hate her or both."

"Don't you talk about my sister! You know nothing about her or me! Where is she? What have you done to her?!"

"They are from the universe Kara is in, Alex." Max told her, his voice laced with pain.

"How did you get here?" Alex asked. "Is Kara okay? Please just tell me. Do what you want to me but first tell me she is okay. Have you … you haven't hurt her have you?"

Sara was struck by the sincerity in Alex's voice. The two definitely had a complex relationship but the love was there. At that moment she felt the loss of Laurel as deeply as the day she found out about her death.

"No I haven't hurt her. We are her friends."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"A couple reasons. One I don't know who to trust, who was behind the attempt on her life, or if you were involved."

"I saved her life! If I wanted her dead why would I have saved her? How dare you!"

"I have trust issues. Second, I'm going to take a couple things you probably won't want to part with. I don't have a lot of time and am not really a patient person unless I am behind a rifle waiting for a target to appear. Who ordered the hit on her?"

"The President and General Samuel Lane. Kal … her cousin killed Lane. The President is in federal lock up waiting on trial for a variety of charges, murder and attempted murder being the two biggest. Thats it! No one else!"

"What is going on at the hanger?" Oliver asked, speaking for the first time.

"We are finding a way to get to your universe. My sister … I am going to find her. How did you get here?"

"While you guys are trying your hardest to catch up on decades of research, we have a guy who can open breaches with his hands." Sara explained.

"Does Kara know about this?"

"Yep. He's not great at portals yet so nobody really asks him to do it often."

"Except idiots like her." Oliver pointed out.

"And the idiot who follows me." Sara reminded him.

"Does Kara know you are here?" Alex asked, trying to think of someway to take this woman out and then worry about the man over Max, who was probably just as dangerous.

"Nope, she has no idea, and she is never coming back here. In our universe there is no Kryptonite, no government out to get her. She doesn't have to rely on the military for back up. She has friends who support her, take care of her, fight beside her. She is in love. She is very much in love with a guy who deserves her. If you truly love her, why would you want her to come back here?"

"I don't. My mother and I want to go to her. Her cousin and his wife…"

"And who else? Any aunts and uncles? Forget I said anything about the aunt. Thats not my call. She wants you to live your life, not be a target because of her. You following us through a hole in the fabric of the universe isn't my call to make. I want the necklace her mother gave her, and the space movie projector thing that you showed her when she first started wearing the cape and skirt. I want pictures of all of you for her. You are going to hand them to us and then we will be on our way. You can get your boyfriend's leg patched up, although you should know easily he broke. Took about ten seconds before he led us right to you."

"Ill give you what you want if you take me to her. Just me if you don't want anyone else going."

"No."

"Ask her to come see me. No one here will harm her. I'll kill anyone who tries."

"Why would I try to talk her into coming to the one universe that has weapons capable of killing her? The agency she worked for had Kryptonite bullets designed to kill her."

"Not her!"

"But it happened anyway didn't it? In our universe we have geniuses, metahumans, assassins, vigilantes and one Kryptonian and though we have a somewhat dysfunctional family, we take care of each other no matter what. If she wants to come to you one day she will, but it will be her decision. I just came to pick up her things and me and my ex will be gone before you know it. Now stand up, don't try anything because we both know you can't take me and tell my friend Ollie where the necklace and her mother's message is. You can help me pick out a couple pictures for her too. She deserves that doesn't she?"

"Yes. The necklace is in the bedroom down the hall. There is only one bedroom. The hologram device is in her closet in a safe. The combination it 54621. Just leave me some pictures, please."

"I will." Sara stood up and Alex followed suit.

"Max are you alright?" Alex asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." he told her, not sounding in pain any longer but definitely angry.

"I'm never going to stop trying to get to her." Alex told the Canary.

"Maybe one day you will. I promise you this though, If we ever find a breach and we will know before it ever opens, if one of you has any Kryptonite I will personally kill you all, whether you knew about it or not."

"I got the items, lets go." Oliver told her, walking in carrying a bag he must have found in the closet. Sara took the pictures Alex handed to her and turned the brunette around by her shoulders.

"If it makes you feel any better she is happy and very much in love.

"I'll find her. Tell her I love her and I'm coming. Please."

"Good luck." Sara pinched the artery in Alex's neck, catching her and gently lowering her to the floor. They left Max lying on the ground, with an angry look on his face. The two walked away, leaving the SUV, Sara carrying the bag with Kara's belongings, while Oliver carried the larger bag, including the weapons. Neither talked much throughout the day, finding an abandoned factory in the middle of an old industrial park.

"I wish we had a phone to call Cisco." Sara mentioned. "He is going to open up a portal in one hour at the end of that runway. The will probably be waiting for us."

"Nope, no way they will be stupid enough to think we would return to the same place we entered. I am still having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that we are stupid enough. So in the event they are waiting, lets suit up and steal a car. If nothing else we can distract them before we drun through the portal."

An hour later, still during daylight hours, Sara had not thought that one out very well, the two arrived at the airport and sped to the runway's end. Before they could get there, the two noticed a group of people who did assume they were stupid enough to return. Alex Danvers, a leg bandaged Max Lord, Hank Henshaw, Lucy Lane and a multitude of Lord's unit, numbering at least 20, all holding rifles pointed at the two, except for Henshaw. He stepped forward and transformed as the two vigilantes watched the man grow a foot and turn green, not looking friendly.

"Will this is going to be fun." Sara whispered.

"Not the worst we have faced. How long till Cisco opens the portal?" the Arrow asked.

"30 seconds."

"Then I guess we should get moving. I've never fought a martian before. It will be an interesting experience."

"Be interesting you mean…"

"We are probably about to be destroyed. One way or another, we don't surrender Sara. They will learn nothing from us."

"Maybe they won't learn anything from you but I am getting the to that portal. Lets do this. Time to show the martian, how we fight on Earth 1."

 **Earth 1**

Barry and Kara lay next to each other on a blanket under the sun on a beach in Coast City. Kara was busy pretending she wasn't looking at Barry's abs and Barry doing his best not to stare the entire time while she wore the blue bikini highlighting her amazing figure.

"This is so nice." Kara whispered, reclining her upper body and lying completely flat on the blanket, not helping Barry's libido. "I hope we can do this more often."

"Me too." he agreed, now that she was looking at the sky Barry could stare at her body as much as he wanted.

"Think we are missing anything in Central City?" Kara wondered.

"Doubt it. I haven't heard from Cisco or Cait all day. Must be quiet. You want to go back?"

"No, we have an hour left of sunlight and I plan to enjoy it. Is Joe still cooking that chicken and shrimp pasta tonight?" Kara asked.

"Unless something comes up, yep."

"Rao I love normal days."


	14. Chapter 14

Do not own CW, CBS or DC characters.

A/N thanks for the reviews I am having a lot of fun. Last chapter was rough for you Alex Danvers fans but I think you will like this one better. Once again the word count got away fro me. Sorry about that.

Chapter 14

 **Earth 3**

The Arrow and Canary looked at the green Martian standing in front of the small army behind him. Both knew they ere being targeted by the operatives, judging by the number of laser dots covering both their chests, their forward steps not going unnoticed.

"I haven't seen that many dots on you since Laurel set you up at the police station. Unfortunately I'm not in much better position this time to save you." Sara told him. "Maybe you should put the bow down, before they fire."

"Nope." was Oliver's answer. He was dialed in on the Martian.

J'onn for his part was doing his best to read both of their minds but having surprising difficulty. He studied the two closely, taking in their dress, weapons, and confidence written all over their faces. Both seemed to even have a slight grin. Alex stood by his side, not amused. Max had crawled over to her after these two had left, used his cuffed hands to use her phone and speed dial Hank and alerted him to the problem. Alex woke after ten minutes with an extreme headache. The search for more electrical disturbances indicative of a breach had yielded no results, giving hope that the two were still here. Having no other ideas, Hank and Alex agreed to wait where the two appeared this morning. Lucy and Max also insisted on bringing their brigade. Luck had been on their side. The two stepped out of the no doubt stolen car looking quite different and much more menacing. Hank wondered if they had any powers he was not aware of. Alex reported the man stayed out of the fight but the woman was playing with her. He had trained Alex himself. If she was playing with his surrogate daughter she had to be very skilled. He very much wished Kal El was here, but the Kryptonian was flying his pod back from his fortress and in Earth's atmosphere he was traveling considerably slower than he could actually fly himself. Still he was only ten minutes away. Soon Hank had no doubt a portal was opening and if he, Alex or Kal could get through and force whoever was doing this to keep it open, this would be the break they all needed.

"Please lower your weapon. There is no need for violence. We simply want to talk to the two of you."

"Send your army way and we can talk then." Oliver suggested. J'onn motioned to the others to lower their weapons. Much to Max's annoyance they all followed his directions.

"I'm going to need you to move. We have an appointment and you are standing in the way of our destination." the Arrow told him.

"You two are going nowhere. You're not surprising me this time Blondie." Alex told the two, looking straight at Sara Lance.

"I never had to surprise you Alex. If you really want round two, I am more than willing but I won't be as nice this time." Sara told her. "We really need to move." she whispered to the Arrow.

"Yeah. I know." Oliver fired two arrows in a row one towards both sides of the Martian and Alex. The arrows hit the ground and the operatives, including Max and Lucy were blinded by the bright lights emitted on contact with the ground. Sara took out her bo staff and moved, Oliver moving behind her, firing arrow after arrow at J'onn.

J'onn felt the first two arrows hit him in the upper legs. He knew the man could have aimed higher, probably for his eyes and would have if he was a killer. He was not and that was all J'onn need to know. Pulling out the arrows he ran towards the hooded figure and swung, surprised when the man ducked and struck him in the back of the knee with his bow, causing J'onn to slightly bend back. By staying low, this Oliver Queen as Max called him was turning J'onn's height advantage into a disadvantage. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted a bo staff moving like lighting colliding with Alex.

J'onn continued to attempt to grab the man. Queen was able to land one punch into J'onn's midsection with no effect.

"Damn it." Oliver whispered, seeing his strike had done little more than anger the green foe.

He jumped back before J'onn could grab him. J'onn simply wanted to look inside the man's head. If he couldn't read his mind, perhaps direct contact would help.

Alex, to Sara's surprise, was holding her own much better this time. Prepared, ready for battle and desperate to reach her sister, Alex was a woman possessed. She had left her mother in the hanger not knowing what to expect, but determined that she would kill these two before she let them leave without her.

Unfortunately Alex had never fought anyone of Sara Lance's caliber. The Canary had thrown her staff down and was locked in hand to hand combat with the short haired brunette and thinking of a way to subdue the woman, before the soldiers began regaining their sight and the Martian tore Oliver to pieces, that did not involve snapping Alex's neck.

Unfortunately Sara was distracted when the Martian seemed to teleport through Oliver and strike him from behind. Alex took the opportunity to strike her in the mouth and follow up with a side kick to her head, knocking the Canary back. Sara reached for her staff but all parties stopped when a bright light burst behind the line of fallen operatives.

The breach was open.

The men and women operatives crawled back onto their feet, as did Lord. Guns were aimed at the portal, no one knowing what to expect.

The last thing anyone did expect was a single arrow flying slowly out of the hole. It struck the ground after only twenty feet. The shaft glowed and every gun, ammo clip and blade flew towards the suddenly very powerful magnet planted in the ground. Canary's bo staff went as well, not that it mattered. Alex and Sara were both distracted by the breach appearing and the flying guns to carry on their battle. J'onn was holding Oliver off the ground by his neck but turned to see breach as well. Oliver, taking advantage of the distraction, used a small knife and stabbed the side of his opponent, hoping to injure but not kill. This thought process was causing him to lose the battle but he wouldn't kill a friend of Kara's.

The stab wound did little to harm J'onn. He turned around, threw Oliver to the ground and began walking towards the portal. Before he could make much progress a woman in red, dressed like Mr. Queen jumped through, firing an arrow directly at his feet. The arrow split at the last second into a steel rope of some sort, binding his knees and causing him to fall forward. Alex ran for the portal and at an unspoken glance towards the Canary Thea knew she couldn't let Alex through. She ran towards her, trying a leg swipe, but the short haired woman in black jumped over her kick, diving and rolling to continue to the portal. A shot from Oliver wrapped Alex's arms around her body, followed by a cord to her ankles from Speedy knocking her to the ground. Lucy Lane had recovered a weapon and aimed it atSpeedy, only to be hit in the back of the head by a kali stick Sara had thrown.

"We need to move Oliver!" Thea yelled.

"No one is going anywhere until I see my cousin or Barry Allen!" a voice from the sky yelled. Looking up everyone saw a very angry, dark haired man in blue, with the crest of the House of El and a long billowing red cape floating in the breeze behind him.

"Well this isn't good." Thea whispered to her brother, as he and Sara had made there way to her.

"What are you doing here Speedy?" Oliver asked, not happy she had placed herself in danger.

"Saving your ass apparently."

"Or getting caught with us. Any idea how to defeat the male Kara? Because I don't have any solar powered sex bracelets on me." Sara asked the siblings.

"Yeah, I brought the big guns with me. Now guys!" Thea yelled. Through the portal, A.T.O.M. and Firestorm flew out, followed by Captain Cold walking out, gun in hand, firing all around him. Ice hit the operatives, surprisingly for Snart only enough to knock out from the temperature change and not enough to kill. The operatives not struck began to scramble away, while Firestorm and Ray fired blast after blast into Kal El. Surprised to see the men, Kal El was struck back, then struck in the face by a flaming fist belonging to Firestorm. Despite his invincibility he admitted the fire burned a bit. A simple breath of ice cold air, blew the fiery man back to the ground. He searched for the man in the robotic suit but he seemed to have disappeared. At least until Kal turned around because of the tap on his back. He still didn't see him, until Ray Palmer regained his normal size, surprising Kal and opening him up for the atomic blast at close range fired into his head. He spun in the air only to be rammed by Firestorm. J'onn attempted to stand and help, until he felt a cold blast strike him from behind. Another arrow wrapped more steel cords round his legs. He reached those and began pulling them apart.

Kal was on the ground, as was everyone else. The woman in black along with the one in red had swept through those operatives who remained standing, striking them down quickly.

"Get to the breach now!" Oliver yelled. Everyone moved, Sara grabbing the back pack full of Kara's keepsakes. Ray and Jax kept watch on the enemies, especially the two super powered ones who were standing.

"Kal!" Alex screamed. She was lying tied up near the breach closer than Firestorm or A.T.O.M. and behind the two women and the hooded man who had already walked through. Kal immediately knew what to do. Sending his heat vision towards Alex, the metal rope around her legs snapped. The man with the strange gun dove into the breach and Alex stood, arms still wrapped to her sides and ran, diving headfirst behind him into the circle of light. Ray and Jax continued backing up and then turned, flying through.

Kal attempted to fly in, only to be caught by J'onn.

"Wait! Let Alex talk to Kara. You leave now you are leaving Lois and Eliza. Alex can talk to her, maybe get her to come back. Just give her a chance."

"You saw those people J'onn! They are …"

"Heroes in their own world."

"Heroes? Look around you! Everyone is injured!"

"Everyone could have been killed. They had the firepower to do it. Yes they had extreme methods but they risked coming to another universe and battling men and women aiming rifles at them and fighting me in an effort to bring Kara her memories of her home and mother. Do those sound like bad people to you? Dangerous, yes, but not bad. Neither the man or woman were surprised when I transformed into my true form. That meant they knew about me, probably you, and without Kara's knowledge or permission according to Alex, came anyway for her sake. We succeeded. We got Alex there. Now if Alex doesn't come back for some reason, we keep working on a solution to interdimensional travel. Relax. Let's regroup and let Eliza know about this development. She may be happy or cry or both. I need you with me."

Kal El nodded, sickened by how close he had come to being with his cousin but understanding Hank's had succeeded, provided another breach wasn't opened and Alex would be thrown back out. He had gotten one of them through, probably the one who could talk to Kara the best, make her understand there was nothing more to be afraid of, make her understand how much her family needed her… how much he needed her.

For now all he could do was wait.

 **Earth 1**

After Caitlin's phone call, Barry Allen ran like a man possessed. Kara was not happy, her already damaged suit had been torn a bit more by wind shear on the two's race back to Central City from the coast. Considering she was only wearing a bikini underneath, Barry suggested his girlfriend head to her apartment where Cait was freaking out. Apparently Caitlin had not seen nor heard from Cisco all day and asked Felicity to track his cell phone. Felicity found his phone at the exact spot he had let Zoom in from Earth 2 once on Barry's instructions and she panicked. Felicity picked her up and the two arrived to find Cisco pacing, his special visor over his eyes.

It did not take long for Felicity to break him, the man admitting to everything that had happened, including, to Felicity's great fury, Oliver following Sara once again. The man had an addiction to looking out for Lance girls. She called Thea, too angry to think straight. Once Thea arrived, Cisco admitted he was trying to monitor the situation and getting conflicting visions but one thing was clear, Oliver and Sara being taken down at the site of the breach Cisco was supposed to open. Thea then suited up and called a few numbers. Soon the hallway was crowded with Ray Palmer, Jax and Dr, Stein and Captain Cold of all people. Caitlin went home, having no desire to be near a breach that neither Barry, Cisco or Kara was going to come out of and called Barry. She hated to ruin the romantic afternoon the two had or to cut it short but both needed to know about this.

Kara was close to freaking out, not understanding what would possess Sara and Oliver to enter her universe and wondering if they were going to bring back anyone or if they could even make it back. Cisco was just learning to master his powers and this seemed like a lot for him. She arrived to a very relieved Caitlin Snow who ran into Kara's arms the moment she crawled through the window, not wanting to walk into the front door in a bikini.

Barry arrived to see most of his friends on the ground, yelling at Cisco to close the breach, while Jax and Ray watched the opening, arms raised ready to fire if needed. The breach closed up and Oliver, Speedy, Snart and Sara slowly stood.

"Somebody want to tell me what is going on? Because what Caitlin told me can't be true. There is absolutely no way you guys were stupid enough to visit another universe."

"Oh they are stupid enough. At least Sara and Oliver are. The rest went in to rescue them." Felicity told Barry calmly moving from a dark corner that he hadn't noticed her standing in.

"And you brought back a hostage?!" the Flash asked, noticing the brunette on the floor, arms bound to her sides by one of Oliver or Speedy's trick arrows.

"Oh crap, how did she get here?" Thea asked the group. Alex rolled over from her front to her back and sat up.

"Can somebody get this damn cable off of me!"

"I can't believe you kidnapped a girl." Barry whispered. "I mean I can, but wow, seriously Oliver you and Felicity need to work things out because you are losing it man. Cisco why did you open a breach to begin with? Who knows where they could have wound up?"

"Man, you try not having super speed and being woke up by a ninja lady who tells you to do something. See if you can turn her down. Then Oliver … man I am getting really tired of being threatened by your guys, especially you Oliver. The next time your suit needs repairing I may put a few surprises in it for you."

"Can somebody get this damn cable off of me!" Alex yelled again.

"Who are you?" Barry asked.

"I'm Alex Danvers and I want to see my sister now. You in the red outfit, you're Barry Allen right? Where is she?!"

"Your Kara's sister? Wow, it's so good to meet you…"

"Get this damn cable off of me!" Alex screamed again.

Oliver took a solid steel razor sharp knife and snapped the cable at its weakest point. She stood up and rushed Allen, who was so surprised he didn't even move. Grabbing his sleeves she tried to shake him.

"Please call her. Tell her Alex is here. She is alive right? She has to be we found the bullets, I know she is alive. Just call her."

Barry stood there speechless, eyes looking for Oliver and then Cisco trying to make sense of this.

"Right now probably isn't the best time." Sara tried.

"You shut the hell up." Alex told her, not even bothering to turn around to look at the blonde she had fought twice in the last twelve hours.

"We could always open up another breach l and throw her back to her own Earth." Cold offered with a smile. Alex froze, realizing he was right. There was no way she could stop them all.

Instead she met Barry's eyes hoping he could see the desperation in hers. Even though he had a mask on she could tell he understood. He had too. Finally he sighed, pulled his mask off and Alex saw a shock of messy dark hair and the kindest face, so young looking for someone who had been through so much, at least according to what Kara had told her. She could see why Kara had fallen for him so quickly. Even with his youthful appearance, there was a pain behind his eyes she recognized in Kara's at times. He gave her a lopsided grin and shrugged his shoulders.

"No one is opening up anymore breaches or throwing her anywhere. Who the hell knows where she would wind up. Besides, this is Kara's sister. I guess we have never been properly introduced. As you have obviously figured out I am Barry Allen and you are Alex Danvers." Barry offered his hand to the woman's whose face had lightened up. Alex was beginning to believe that Barry would not let her be thrown back into a portal. She took his hand firmly.

"You saved my sister's life."

"My team saved her life. I'm just a part of the team. This is Cisco Ramon, the guy who opens breaches every time an assassin threatens him and Dr. Caitlin Snow is at her and Kara's apartment."

"Kara has a roommate?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, they have kinda hit it off since Cailin saved her life. Listen dropping you off right now isn't the best idea. I need to explain to Kara what has happened. Why did you go there anyway Sara?"

Sara held out a bag that Barry took and opened. He recognized the contents immediately.

"You… you have any idea how much this will mean to her?" Barry asked.

Sara shrugged her shoulders and looked at Alex. As annoyed as she was right now, Sara had to appreciate a woman who would jump headfirst into an interdimensional breach bound by her arms, knowing she would be overmatched when she got there. "She wasn't part of the package but we had a bit of a tussle at the breach coming back. Thanks by the way, everybody. Male Kara was about two seconds from tearing us to pieces."

"Barry I need you to focus. I need to get to my sister." Alex begged.

"Fine. Go to S.T.A. , uh… who is Alex not angry with, or the least angry with?"

"I don't think I did anything to her personally. No fist fights or atomic blasts that I know of. I would be glad to give her a lift." Ray offered.

"Thanks. Alex if you will let Ray take you to our… base of operations, I will go talk to Kara and bring her to S.T.A.R. if she wants."

"Of course she will want to!"

"She never expected to see you or any of her family from that Earth again. She had mentally accepted this and may need a bit of time to come to grips with the new reality. I promise no one will harm you and she will talk to you but I am not going to try and convince her to do something that she doesn't want to do. Go to the Lab and wait."

Barry walked towards Sara who still had the bag in her hand. "I guess since you are the one whose idea this was, you can explain it to her. Give you a lift?"

"Careful Flash." Snart said, not liking the man getting handsy with not really his woman but as close as he has come to one. Then he remembered the blonde cutie who can melt guns with her eyes and realized he had nothing to worry Sara would ever be interested in a boy scout like Allen. It was Queen he had to worry about.

Allen smirked and grabbed the smaller Canary in his arms, the bag in her hand and was gone. Ray Palmer walked up to Alex and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

"It took a lot of guts jumping into that tunnel with this crowd. Let me give you a lift to the Lab and we can wait for your sister."

"Can't you just give me an address and call me a cab?" Alex tried.

"Yeah… no." Ray swooped Alex into his arms and walked outside. Alex didn't even try to fight, exhaustion from the days events taking over. She barely noticed when the two lifted off except for a brief light show on the ground she wasn't sure she understood and barely opened her eyes until they landed in front of S.T.A. .

"What is this place?" she asked, looking at the huge but obviously damaged structure. The top looked worse for wear but the building was still beautiful.

"This is S.T.A.R. Labs, AKA the SuperFlash cave. Barry, Kara, Caitlin and CIsco operate out of here and since none of the rest of us have a nice giant lab, we crash here as well when we are in town. I plan to be here of for a while as does Jax and Professor Stein but there is plenty of space. A lot of toys you wouldn't expect to find are in here. I can show you my workshop! I am working on this nano tech for the blood stream that could possibly fight blood borne infections and certain types of cancer. My friend Felicity is actually CEO of the company I used to own, she owns it now, long story, and Kara is her executive assistant and head of PR. I also have some really cool enhancements i'm working on for my suit. Want to see me shrink? Forget I said that. No woman wants to hear a guy say that. C'mon, lets go!"

Alex shrugged her shoulders and began walking behind the man in the iron or some sort of metal suit. This was definitely a new world. Ray exited his exoskeleton suit inside, gave her a tour which she barely paid attention to until they entered what he called the ops room. In glass cases she saw mannequins holding two suits, a red suit like Barry had on and a beautiful blue suit, a bit darker blue than Kara's old one, the material resembling Barry's more, even down to the pants. The mask on the mannequins head surprised her.

"What is this?"

"Thats Barry's back up suit. The other is the one Cisco has been working on for Kara. Its almost the same as her last one, well, the one she tore up in the fight with Savage."

"She wears a mask now? Wait, what is a Savage?"

"An extremely powerful immortal magician. One of the most evil men to ever walk the Earth."

"And she fought him?"

"We all did but wouldn't have stood a chance if not for her. He's no longer walking the Earth now, more like orbiting. Anyway Kara doesn't know Cisco has finished it. He was going to surprise her in the morning so if she comes over tonight mum's the word, right? Caitlin also has a surprise for her. Of course you are going to be the biggest. Let me show you to a cot. You must be exhausted."

"No! I will stay awake until Kara gets here. She won't make me wait till morning. I know her. She just wouldn't."

Ray nodded hjs head in agreement whether to pacify her or actually agree he had no idea. The man could not get over this woman's bravery and desperation to see Superwoman.

"By the way, you should know we call her Superwoman or Kara here. Never call her that other name, unless you want to see her eyes glow." he told her seriously but with a smile. Yeah, Alex Danvers was a woman who Ray Palmer definitely wanted to get to know better. Too bad she would most likely be leaving this universe soon, empty handed.

Barry arrived at Cait and Kara's apartment in record time. Kara opened the door and threw her arms around Barry, who dropped Sara to her feet just in time. He noticed Kara was dressed in black jeans, a black turtleneck and had what looked like some sort of make shift black bandana with eye holes cut out.

"Are you going to rob a bank?" he asked.

"No jerk, I was coming after you. My suit was developing some rips in embarrassing places that not even the kevlar could hide. What the heck was Cisco thinking, opening a breach to my old Earth? Oliver and … Sara!" Kara shouted, just noting the blonde who had arrived with Barry. The blonde who was dressed in full Canary black as opposed to her normal white standing beside a fully suited Flash in the open hallway where anyone could see. Kara pulled Barry inside and Sara followed where both saw a very angry Caitlin Snow behind Kara, arms crossed and glaring daggers at Sara Lance.

"Sara made him, Kara. It was her idea to go through to breach." Cait informed her best friend. Kara looked at Sara who shrugged and handed her a bag.

"I got some things you might want."

Kara took the bag carefully and unzipped it. Her eyes filled with tears immediately when she lifted the Kryptonian device with her mother's message and her necklace. She also pulled out numerous pictures of her with Alex, Eliza, Winn, James and one rare pic of Clark Kent posing with Kara Danvers at a zoo, when Kara was 16. Alex had taken that picture.

"How … how did you do this Sara? Why? You could have been trapped."

"Yeah, but it was worth the risk. I know what it is like to feel like you will never see your family again. There were times in my life I wished someone would have taken a chance for me, to get something I could remember them by. It was worth the risk."

"Kara there is something else…" Barry started, but Kara ignored him.

"How did you find these Sara?"

"I took them from your old apartment. Your sister is living there now."

Kara froze.

"You didn't … you didn't hurt her did you?"

"No, not as much as I could have. She was helpful when she realized we knew you. But towards the end when we were trying to come back, we ran into a bit of trouble. Your sister, the Martian guy and a small army were waiting for us. Your cousin showed up also. Firestorm, A.T.O.M, Lenny and Speedy helped us out and we managed to escape. No one was injured badly but …"

"But what?!"

"Kara, Alex jumped through the breach with them." Barry told her softly.

"What? What … how? She… no she can't be here! She was supposed to be happy! She was supposed to do all the things she couldn't with me in her life! Why is she here?!"

"Because she loves you." Sara told her. "I admit she isn't going to win any best sister of the year awards for some of the crap she has pulled on you, but neither did I when Laurel was alive. Compared to me Alex is a saint. If there is one thing I am certain of, it is that she loves you and would not have been happy without you. They were trying to figure out a way to open a breach to get to you. They have a whole giant hanger filled with God knows what, including your spaceship according to Cisco, a small security force and quite a few scientists I would imagine. They won't stop trying to get to you Kara, not to hurt you but because they love you. Alex was tied by her arms and jumped head first into the breach."

"I should go to her. Where is she?"

"You don't have to this minute if you don't want to. You can take all the time you need to come to grips with this. She isn't going anywhere." Barry reminded her.

"I know but I need to get to her. I do love her. I just wanted her to have a life that didn't revolve around me. She needs to understand that. They all do. Maybe if I can talk to her, she can go back and tell the others to stop. They are going to get themselves killed trying to reach me. Cait I don't feel like wearing this. Could you drive us?"

"Of course Kara. Barry your change of clothes is in Kara's room. Sara… good luck." Caitlin finished, impressed with the former assassins bravery but doubtful if she will ever really like the woman.

"No worries. I can just leave the mask off and no one really recognizes me as anyone special. The real Black Canary is dead. They will probably just think I am some latex and leather freak."

The four were driving to S.T.A.R. five minutes later, Kara and Barry in the back and Sara in the front while Caitlin drove. Kara hated driving so Barry rubbed small circles on the back of her neck. He knew she loved this, it kept her calm and her mind off the unwelcome dizziness car riding sometimes gave her.

"Hey I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with my Dad this week? He called me the other day asking to meet you. I wasn't sure if you are up for it?"

"Do you want me too? Kara asked.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you are angry at him over the fact that you fought your whole life from the age of ten to free him and when he finally was free he moved away from you. I understand that. It is still hard at times for me not to feel anger at Kal for abandoning me to others. I know why he did it but it still hurt. I never could admit that to myself until Thea pointed it out to me. Its okay to be angry Barry. He took himself away from you so if you want to keep me away from him its fine. I figured he would have wanted to meet me sooner, actually."

Barry cringed at how well she read him. He honestly didn't see how Oliver could keep any secrets from Felicity.

"He has. I have some up with excuses why we couldn't. You are right though, mostly I didn't want you to meet him because what we have is ours and he lost any right to it when he decided to take off and find himself. But I love him, so yeah I want you to meet him now."

"Then I will." Kara agreed, grinning at Barry but her stomach still in knots. She had prepared herself and excepted the fact that she would never see Alex again. Kara should have known better. With the car parked. All four got out, Kara reaching one hand towards Caitlin and the other for Barry, walking slowly between the two. Dr. Stein who Kara had yet the pleasure of meeting opened the door with a huge, friendly smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Kara. I would like to get to know you better but I can imagine you have other more important things on your mind. She is in Ray's workshop waiting." Dr. Stein stepped aside and the three entered followed by Sara. Before Kara could turn into the room, Dr. Stein stepped in front of her.

"I actually haven't had a chance yet to check her for radiation she may have brought through the breach. I'm not sure how it could effect a normal human unprotected. Would you give me one second? I just want to make sure there is no residual radiation that could harm her."

Kara silently agreed and gripped Barry and Caitlin's hands tighter than either were used to but neither complained.

Alex's head shot up as Dr. Stein who had just arrive and was only briefly introduced to her walked in.

"She is here. I just want to check you over for any residual radiation you may have picked up during your jump through the breach. We really don't know what effect the movement of a regular human body through a breach would have. I will just run this spectrometer over you and…"

"Where are the others? I know that Ray is just a regular guy in an incredibly advanced suit. The duo archers and the woman in black, Sara Lance, they aren't special in your sense. I noticed you and the other man separate as soon as Ray lifted me off the ground. It was hard to miss. Are you checking them then out? You and Barry Allen are the only metahumans who have gone through a breach. Have you checked the non metahumans?"

Dr. Stein simply smiled, and lifted the device. "Do you want to see your sister or not?" he asked.

"You are checking to see if I have any Kryptonite on me." Alex realized. "You think I would jump through a hole into another galaxy to harm my sister?"

"I don't know what to think. I hope not but I won't take chances. I do not know Kara well, we have never been officially introduced but Barry Allen is one of the greatest and bravest young men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and you come from a universe that nearly killed the woman he loves. A woman who I have personally witnessed fight like a Goddess for the people of this city and the future of this world. Now for my piece of mind would you care if I ran this scanner over your body, then your sister can come in, relieved to know that you are completely healthy?"

Alex stood up and raised her arms. The Doctor ran the rad detector over Alex and satisfied with the results walked out. Alex remained standing, looking towards the door. A few moments went by until it slowly opened and Alex saw Kara for the first time in months.

"Alex? Its really you? I mean I knew but I didn't believe…"

"Kara." Alex whispered. Her sister was dressed casually in blue jeans and a white tee with a lightning bolt symbol inside a circle. She was not used to seeing Kara outside of her apartment in normal clothes without glasses.

Alex ran to the blonde who opened her arms and held her, tears streaming at the feel of Alex in her arms. Despite the differences between them, the past hurts, there was still the love, the bond between the two women, who would kill and die for each other.

"Alex why did you come here? I wanted you to live a normal life, find happiness, do all the things you…"

"I know what you wanted. This is what I wanted. Kara, Eliza is going out of her mind with worry, Kal has gone off the deep end. Neither he or J'onn have helped anyone since you were shot. Kal killed General Lane, Cat exposed the President and helped sway the opinion of the nation. The President is about to be on trial. Lois is working with Cat of all people, exposing every secret the woman ever had and highlighting every disaster that Superman didn't help at because of what happened to you. He has refused to help anyone until he has you in his arms."

Kara snorted, despite her tears. "A shame he wasn't that possessive when I was growing up."

Alex said nothing, she knew of Kara's bitterness even if her sister would never admit it.

"Why haven't you tried to come home?"

"That place is not my home anymore! Don't try to talk em into going back Alex. I won't."

"The entire world didn't betray you Kara. It was the President and Lane who carried out her orders."

"That was not Lane who shot me. DEO agents Alex. Lucy tried to warn me but she was cut off. They were taken over from the inside. There were agents there who wanted me dead even after everything I had done for them! The Earth I left can burn for all I care!"

"And Mom? What about her Kara? Does she deserve to burn?"

"She won't be a target as long as I stay away. Let them think they succeeded in killing me."

"You won't even go back just to say bye? To let everyone know you are okay?"

"If I do, will you go back and live your life? Find love, happiness, some sort of life that doesn't revolve around protecting me? I don't need protection anymore. I have friends and we look out for each other. If you go back I will…"

"I am not going back! I get that you are angry with me okay? I get it! I have done a lot of things that hurt you and justified them by telling myself they were for your protection. This Sara Lance ninja lady certainly reminded me of them. I killed Astra and I am sorry. Maybe I could have just injured her but I reacted and I killed her without thinking. Did some part of me want her dead? Probably. She had done nothing but hurt you. If I could change things I would but I can't. You know I love you. I won't try to control you any longer. I won't be overbearing, your life is your life but you cannot make me love you like we share blood, become your sister in every way that matters and then just cut me out! You can't do that Kara! You say I have no life? You are right, so I can start one here as well as you have. I will stop acting like I know what is best for you, I swear! But please give me a chance to be better. You know I love you and I can't lose you." Alex finished, the tears stopping her from talking, her body shaking, begging for Kara to take hold of her, just as she had done when she confessed to killing Astra. She closed her eyes and waited.

Thankfully it only took a few seconds for her to feel those familiar arms pulling her into the strong grip. At some point the door had opened and Barry, Caitlin and Cisco had walked in, watching the two.

"Hey stop crying." Kara whispered in Alex's ear. "You don't have to leave. You can stay. We will figure out the rest but you can stay."

Alex nodded her head into Kara's shoulder.

"There are some people I want to introduce you too." Alex raised her head and turned to face the newcomers.

"This is our technical director and the man who can see into other universes and open breaches, Cisco Ramon. I suppose you have met Barry, the man I am completely in love with and this is my best friend, roommate and the woman who performed the surgery that saved my life. Considering I have Barry and Cisco's blood running through my veins and Cait has had my blood all over her, these are my blood bonds. The same as you are Alex. Everyone this is my sister Alex."

"Its good to meet everyone. I will never be able to repay you all…"

"You don't have to." Cait told her quickly. "Why don't you come to our apartment? I'm sure we all have a lot to catch up on and plan but tonight we are all exhausted."

Alex agreed and the four minus the Canary who was now gone, got into Caitlin's car and drove to her apartment. Alex hit Kara's bed and passed out minutes later, holding her sister's hand. Barry had kissed Kara good night, telling her if she needed anything, especially a shoulder to cry on to call him and he would be back in a matter of seconds. She thanked him for everything, held onto him for minutes in the hallway and once the two broke away from each other and Barry was gone down the stairs, Kara walked back into the living room. Cait was on the couch.

"Can I sleep with you tonight? Alex has a tendency to move all over the bed and when she hits me it wakes her up."

"Of course…" Caitlin looked a little unsure of herself and Kara knew why.

"She isn't going to replace you Caitlin. She is my sister but you are my best friend and that will never change." Cait smiled and pulled the woman in a hug.

"I was looking at your mother's necklace. It is beautiful. Would you show me the pictures of your old friends?"

"Yeah but first … would you watch the message from my mother with me? I cry every time and I really don't feel like crying alone tonight."

"Of course."

The two watched the message, both breaking down in tears, not knowing that Alex had gotten up at some point and stood in the hall watching them. Kara must not have heard her, wrapped up in her mother's form and voice. Alex was slightly jealous of the relationship that was obvious between her sister and the brilliant woman who saved her life but also grateful that Kara had so many people that cared about her, even going so far as to scan her for the presence of Kryptonite. She smiled and walked back to Kara's bed, not knowing what tomorrow would bring but optimistic about it for the first time since Kara had disappeared from her life. She would change, be whatever Kara needed her to be, but she had the sunshine back in her life. That was all that mattered tonight.

The next morning Alex stood in front of the apartment building while Kara waited for her ride. Before Alex could begin to ask how Kara planned to get to the massive lab, a streak of lightning flew by and Kara was gone.

"She likes for him to carry her. Its kind their thing. Ready?" Caitlin asked, dangling her keys. The two women rode in silence but it was comfortable, no animosity that either picked up. Alex still appeared tired, trying to come to grips with this new reality and Caitlin wondering how this new development would disrupt their team chemistry. Kara had fit in smoothly, Cait believed the blonde had always belonged with the team. Alex was a wild card.

On arrival Cisco, Barry and Caitlin gave Alex the whole tour and she admitted this place put the DEO base to shame in size and workspace. Of course this was not a military organization but a group of scientists, taking advantage of Allen's speed and now Kara's gifts to make the world a better place. While Cisco showed Alex videos of Barry and Kara's rescues and the fight with Savage during which Alex nearly had a heart attack watching Kara exert so much power and take so many hits, Barry and Caitlin slipped Kara away. Walking towards the Gideon Room, the duo stopped Kara short of the speedster's domain.

"Place your hand right here." Cait instructed. Kara did as she was told, touching the wall and was surprised to see the wall open up just as the Gideon Room did. The space inside was much larger though. She walked inside and saw a frame on the wall. Somehow, someone had stitched her old costume together, minus the cape and framed it on the wall. No blood stains were present. Unlike the Gideon Room the walls were not white but a soft blue tone that Kara had told Cait once that she loved. Next to her Supergirl costume, also hanging in a large full size frame was her Superwoman costume, still ripped from her fight with Savage. In the middle stood a four foot tall marble column that had her Kryptonian projector on it. In the corner was a canvas and paints next to an artist chair. The only other furniture in the large room was a white couch on the wall opposite the costumes. The floors were hardwood as opposed to the glaring white in the Gideon Room.

"What is this?" she whispered.

"This was Caitlin's idea." Barry told her. "I came by early this morning and picked up the items. I figured you would want to frame your pictures yourself."

"I realize it isn't your cousin's fortress but I thought you should have your own fortress. A place only you have access too. No one can get in unless you bring them inside. Your costumes and the blank canvases are so you can remember where you came from. We are here to remind you of where you are going. This is your place of solitude Kara. Do you like it?" Caitlin asked.

"I love it. Thank you so much." she told her best friend hugging her tightly. "But if my suit is in this frame what am I going to wear?"

"Lets go see if Cisco has anything ready for you." Barry told her, taking her hand and leading her back to the control room where the suits were kept and saw Cisco, Alex and now the mannequins. Kara gasped when she saw it.

There in the case was a suit like her last one, still a dark blue but this one had footwear that went past her knees. There were no heels but the bright red of her old boots was present. No it was her old boots definitely. Cisco had modified her old boots somehow taking off the heels on the bottom, replacing them with a sole resembling Barry's. The symbol of the house of El was smaller and set a bit higher than the former one on her chest. She was still covered from neck to toe in the mixed polymer fabric. The mask was the same but along with the smaller symbol, and red boots there was one other amazing addition.

"I thought you said capes weren't happening Cisco?" she asked, not realizing how much she had missed having Kal's blanket close to her.

"Barry convinced me you pulled it off and somehow made a cape look badass. I think you can do it. Besides if you take anymore shots to the back it should provide you additional protection. The suit has better bio sensors that will scan your cells. Caitlin believes we can monitor how your cells store solar energy and monitor your power levels, find a link between your other vitals and the use of energy, how long it takes you to recover and the effect any hits you take have on you. I took out the kevlar, making it lighter and you faster even if by just a fraction. You are bulletproof and its time we started acting like it. What do you think?"

Kara walked over and hugged the shorter man.

"I love it. You are amazing."

"Cisco knows how to design a suit. Caitlin you said you monitor their vital signs while they are out in the field?" Alex asked, incredibly impressed and touched at the thought they obviously gave her sister's protection and health.

"Yes."

"Amazing. Why didn't I think of this?" Alex whispered. "You've come a long way in a short time Superwoman."

"And you are going to go even further." a new voice told the startled room. Even Kara had not heard her walking in.

"Uh.. who are you?" Barry asked, wary of the woman dressed in garbs that reminded him of his brief run in with League of Assassins members.

"My name is Nyssa. This morning, Oliver and Thea Queen along with Sara and some ape she deems worthy enough to spend time with in a thick coat despite the warm temperatures, have gone back to Star City to join John Diggle and begin protecting the city once more. Sara has asked me for a favor. I am to train the three of you in hand to hand combat. You Barry Allen will learn to us the incredible force your strikes can generate from a close combat situation without shattering every bone in your hand or foot. You Kara Zor El have much to learn and I am assuming you are Alex Danvers? Sara tells me you are talented but need to be taken to the next level. You will be faster and deadlier than you ever imagined when I am done with you. We start tomorrow at dawn."

"Uh we are actually going to run some practice tests to measure Barry and Kara's output during strenuous situations." Cisco told her.

"Yes you are. After I am done training the three of them. Everyday we meet at dawn. Kara I believe Dr. Stein has some questions he would like to ask you. Please go to him. Have a good day."

Nyssa turned and walked out of the room.

"Anybody know who the hell she was?" Cisco asked.

"I've heard of her. She is Sara's ex lover and Oliver's wife." Barry told the team.

Caitlin pondered this for a moment and then nodded her head.

"That makes a lot of sense."


	15. Chapter 15

Do not own CW or DC characters. I can leave CBS out of it since Supergirl is now going to be where she belongs. Can't wait to see what happens. A lot of people on tumblr are upset about it but I think it is a great move. Callista is going to be there and I am sure Alex will stick around so it should be good. Plus while there are budget cuts I really feel that with the cheaper costs of filming in Vancouver more of the budget will go towards special effects, like on the Flash. Anyway I am excited. But they have to figure out a way to get her crew on the same earth as the Arrow and Flash crews. I'm sure the writers will come up with something. Thank you for the love and support the story is receiving. Oh and one reviewer who is very cool to correspond with T.T. Belice pointed out that Kara did not seem upset about the beating Alex had taken since she was obviously injured from the fights her sister had to get through to reach her. As far as Kara not being upset about Alex's appearance, there is a simple reason so please don't blame Kara. I forgot Alex was supposed to look like that. I mean come on, Alex has been through some hellacious fights on the show and still comes out looking great. It was an easy mistake to make, so blame me not Sunshine Danvers. Okay on with the story. Alex and Nyssa lovers may love this chapter.

Chapter 15

"Where is Mr. Allen?"

Kara and Caitlin looked at each other then shrugged their shoulders towards Nyssa.

"How can he have super speed and be late?" Nyssa asked, remembering what Oliver had told her but not really believing it. "Miss Snow, perhaps it would be best if you go stand by Mr. Ramon and help set up your tests. I do not want there to be any collateral damage. Please ask Miss Danvers to stop playing with Mr. Ramon's toys and report for training."

Cait rolled her eyes and walked off, passed on the request to Alex who nodded and walked away from the drones Cisco had been playing with. Caitlin was not sure what Nyssa had planned for Kara but the worry about collateral damage had her on edge.

Before Alex had reached the group a streak of lightning lit up the dim dawn light and Barry Allen had arrived.

"Thank you all for joining me." Nyssa greeted the trio.

"We had a choice?" Kara asked then yawned.

"You are the most powerful woman in this galaxy, correct? Of course you have a choice. Mr. Allen…"

"Call me Barry…"

"Mr. Allen go to that pile of rocks to my left. I will be with you in a moment."

"Yes sir." Barry told her with a salute. Nyssa turned her attention to Kara.

"Kara Zor El. I understand the bracelet Mr. Ramon is working on for you has not been completed yet. Did you talk to Dr, Stein yesterday?"

"A little…" Kara hedged. She had spoken to Dr. Stein, mumbling and blushing through a simple introduction before faking a trip to the bathroom to escape.

"Until you have a bracelet that can negate your enhanced speed and strength, sparring is pointless. We can work on other issues until your device is prepared."

"Wait, what device? What is she talking about Kara?" Alex asked, wondering where the hell anyone got Kryptonite after the care they all took to make sure she had none on her.

"Its a red solar bracelet so I can feel … normal. Cisco said Kryptonite radiation exposure could be bad for me in the long term like regular radiation exposure can be bad for humans. So instead of using Kryptonite from the bullets he and Dr. Stein are trying to replicate exposure to red sun rays which should be natural for me and allow me to… hit heavy bags and stuff."

"I thought Sara said it was so you could have sex without breaking your boyfriend in half?" Nyssa asked.

Kara and Alex dropped their heads, Kara from embarrassment and Alex in disgust at herself. How had she never thought of using red sun technology instead of Kryptonite? Kara discussed this before Cisco returned the bullets. Within less than six days he had already figured out what could hurt her and how to circumvent it to help her. Alex felt sick at the idea of how much exposure Kara had been subjected to in the DEO training room.

"One of the first things we will work on is your reflexes." Nyssa told Superwoman.

"Uh … my reflexes are like super quick with my I probably should wait for the bracelet and go back to bed, right?" Kara hoped.

The hope was dashed when Nyssa reached out and slapped her. Kara was so surprised she couldn't speak at first.

"That… that didn't hurt." she tried. Nyssa was less impressed.

"I should hope not. If it did you would be a walking target. How can you have reflexes as quick as Mr. Allen's and allow me to slap your face?"

"I uh … I guess I was surprised. I mean I saw your hand coming at me, I just didn't… react?"

"Exactly. You should always react. Never let someone take advantage of you. This is why you were shot. You had ample time to recognize those bullets were different and dodge out of the way. Instead you stood and watched them enter you, nearly kill you! You let someone surprise you. This should never happen, ever! Now are you or are you not afraid of guns?"

"I think you should back off…" Alex started.

"Im sorry, I thought you were her sister from another universe. I didn't realize you were her mother. I am speaking to my will discuss your training in a moment."

"Don't talk to her like that." Kara told the woman, her tone very threatening.

"Please back away Miss Danvers." Nyssa told Alex and then put her hand under her robe. "Answer the question Kara Zor El, last daughter of the Great House of El on Krypton. Are you afraid of guns?"

"No … yes… not really. I mean I don't scream but I have nightmares sometimes. Its nothing new. I have had nightmares about one thing or another since I was a kid."

"What would happen if someone fired a gun at you? Would your first instinct now be to move away?"

"Yes."

"And if your sister or Miss Snow or your tiny friend with the shiny hair was behind you? Would you still move?"

"No!"

"Listen lady…"

"Miss Danvers, this needs to happen. I need to know what I am working with. I know you are strong and fast Kara Zor El, but you must always train and prepare as if the opponent you face is stronger and faster. You should know I consider guns to be crude weapons more suited for cavemen but in this instance I will make an exception."

Nyssa's hand was removed from her robe to reveal a handgun in her grip.

"Stand back Miss Danvers."

"No! Put that away!" Alex commanded as best she could.

Kara began shaking, her eyes not leaving the gun. Her mind flashed back, her door being kicked open, the bullets flying, the feel when they struck her, the panic she felt when she realized she could not run away, not fly, the look in the man's eyes who placed a barrel against her forehead as she was on her knees.

"Say the word and I will put this ugly piece of metal away for good." Nyssa offered. Kara opened her mouth but before she could Nyssa stopped her.

"Before you tell me to do so, understand no matter how strong or fast you are, this fear will always be stronger. You are a great warrior but I still see much of the child in you. The victim, the one who was coddled and treated with kid gloves. Do you want to learn to be stronger Kara Zor El or do you wish to remain the same? Do you wish to hide from your fears rather than conquer them?"

"Kara…" Alex started, looking from the gun to her sister. It then occurred to Kara that she was not the only one who had been having this nightmare.

"Stand behind Nyssa, Alex. She can't hurt me."

Alex was about to protest but remembered her promise to Kara and herself. She would not be over protective nor overbearing. She stepped behind Nyssa, hoping Kara did not have a panic attack of epic proportions.

Nyssa raised the gun and Kara braced for the sound, the impact she knew she would feel.

Nyssa stepped back a few feet and fired three times. Once in her stomach, once in her chest and the last shot hitting her directly between they eyes. Kara saw them all crush against her and fall to the ground.

She took a deep breath, bent down and picked up the spent rounds, They were not green, but they were crushed and a coldness swept through her body.

"Do it again."

Nyssa smiled and fired. Kara watched the bullet this time, in slow motion to her superior eyesight, She watched the bullet crush against her chest and fly over Nyssa's head.

"Again."

"Whoa! Stop!" Cisco yelled, running from the covered area where his equipment was set up. Caitlin stayed behind watching worriedly as Barry did the same from his pile of rocks.

"Cisco, I need this." Kara told him.

"I did not spend five hours on that chest piece to see it destroyed by some errant shot! The suit, isn't bullet proof like the last one. The thread should hold and the weave should protect the special enhancements from anything including bullets but there is no reason to test it yet! That comes later. Can we please chill out on the gun? Please?"

Nyssa lowered her arm while Alex let out a breath. Kara chuckled at Cisco's distress, but stopped finding humor in the situation when he began feeling the impact points of the bullets on her suit. He let out a relieved sigh, discovering the chest piece, smaller and a bit higher up was fine. None of his other enhancements appeared to be damaged either and the material held.

"You do realize you are feeling my sister up, right?" Alex asked, no humor in her voice. Cisco froze and looked up seeing Kara glaring down at him with a raised eyebrow.

"My bad. I just wanted to make sure… yeah. I'll just remove my hands now. I didn't want them there anyway, just the tech is… not that there is anything wrong with what is there. If you weren't with my best bud I would totally be feeling you up… with your permission! Not saying you would give… oh God this is how Felicity feels everyday."

Cisco walked back at a brisk pace as Barry stood nearby and watched, his head in his hands, feeling bad for his awkward friend, even if he did have his hands on his girlfriend's breasts. Cisco really needed to meet a girl.

"Come with me Kara." Nyssa instructed. Kara followed her to the runway and Nyssa motioned for her to sit on the ground.

"Look at the clouds for an hour."

"What?" Kara asked, thinking somehow she must have misheard.

"Look at the clouds until it is time for you to play. Truly look at them. Use your special vision if you want or not but watch them. Look at everything they do, how the wind changes their shape, how they move, use this special vision you have to see how much moisture is in the cloud. Decide which one is most likely to dissipate first and see if you have guessed correctly."

"Why?"

"Because you lack patience. Learn patience. Sit here for an hour and do not move. Relax, feel at one with nature, the earth…"

"I feel like that when I am flying." Kara pointed out.

"And now you will feel like that sitting on the ground."

Nyssa walked away leaving Kara sitting on the ground, confused but looking up to the sky regardless. It was as good a plan as any she supposed.

Nyssa next walked to Barry who stood by a pile of boulders, one large one on bottom leading to a slightly smaller one on top, flatter than an average rock and a third, nearly flat sandstone slab on top of that one, the total height reaching Barry's waist.

"Let me guess, you want me to break the rock on top. I've seen this on TV."

"Barry Allen. The Flash. I understand for a so called superhero you lose quite a few fights, quite often in public in front of television cameras."

Barry's face turned red from embarrassment.

"I wouldn't say I lose a lot of fights. Some have been wins and some have been close…"

"Oliver Queen told me you have been beaten like a drum on more than one occasion, even having your spine snapped once. There is no shame in this. We all have lost battles. The key is learning from them, becoming stronger, smarter, deadlier. You have the ability to generate tremendous force with little effort. When you fought Oliver you hit him many times. How many would you guess?"

"Probably a hundred." Barry admitted, not liking to remember that particular incident.

"And yet you couldn't knock him to the ground or do any considerable damage. He defeated you."

"You aren't going to shoot any arrows in my back, are you?" the Flash asked. He still could feel pain in the spots Oliver pulled the bolts out on rainy days.

"No. I understand you are able to run through walls. You can feel the vibrations in the air, this speed force you call it?"

"Yeah…"

"You are going to learn to channel that energy, direct it where you wish it to go and destroy the boulder on the bottom."

"You expect me to punch through three rocks?"

"No, I expect you to break the boulder on bottom and leave the two on top whole. Feel the force your body can generate, grasp it and envision it going through the top layers of the rocks towards the bottom and let it explode. It is no different than throwing lightning bolts. Feel the force you are able to generate and use it as an extension of your fist. I would recommend open palm strike at first."

"I don't think I am going to be able to do that." Barry explained. "The speed force doesn't exactly work that way…"

Barry stopped talking when Nyssa struck the top boulder and the bottom boulder exploded, chunks of rock hitting Barry's feet and the top two rocks falling to the ground whole.

"I didn't even need superpowers. I don't really care about what you believe this speed force can do. What I do care about is the next time you face a giant telepathic ape or a walking shark, you can hit them with enough power guided by your mind, for the blast to penetrate the thick muscle and destroy the organs underneath. If a smaller opponent tries to defeat a larger opponent relying on strength, the smaller one will lose, every time. You must rely on speed which you have in abundance, precision and the force you are able to generate in a short distance. You will not always have the time to run five miles away and try to win with a single strike. Do we understand each other?"

"Yeah." Barry answered, unsure of what else there was to say. He couldn't exactly tell her no. He could but wouldn't. Still how was he supposed to…

"I will be back soon. Practice feeling the vibrations around you, every single atom you can touch, touch the stone, focus on the vibrations under your hand. I will be back after I speak to Alex and make sure your girlfriend is still looking at clouds."

"Why are you having her do that?"

"Until she has her solar powered sex bracelet, I have no desire to break my hand on her jaw. So I will wait until it is complete. The same as you will have to wait I would imagine." Nyssa finished with a devious wink.

She walked away leaving a confused Flash vibrating his hand and running it over the last two rocks. Alex Danvers was waiting for her, and Miss Danvers was not happy.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Some tough love ninja? You thought shooting her was a good idea?"

"It worked, didn't it?" Nyssa reminded the furious brunette. Alex said nothing instead looking at the ground and taking a breath.

"What do you want me to do? Stare at the clouds? Perform karate tricks on cement blocks?"

"I want you to fight me."

Alex swung, not need further encouragement. Her fist was brushed to the side, so she stepped back and took in Nyssa's stance and style. She looked comfortable as if out for a stroll, hands at her hips, fingers stretched and not bunched into fists, a slight grin on her face. Alex tried a kick, missing badly and expecting a counterstrike. When none came she advanced again. Each of her strikes missed or were blocked with ease. She tried a take down, only to find where Nyssa was, she was now gone, then appeared behind her. She doubted the woman had superpowers and wondered how in the hell she was doing this. Fighting Sara Lance was different. She felt she had a chance against the blonde. Perhaps she didn't but fighting this woman was like fighting water. After a final missed blow, Alex stopped trying.

"Why aren't you hitting back?"

"Why would I? I want to evaluate you. I am here to train you, not embarrass you. As soon as I could walk I was taught to fight. By the age of ten I was involved in battles to the death with those who wished to kill me because of who my father was. I know you cannot defeat me in battle. There is no reason for me to beat you besides some foolish notion of pride one might feel. I do have that notion or a need to prove myself to anyone. You have spirit, fire. You are disciplined and constantly changing strategies, trying to figure out a way to defeat me. You are fast and strong. I want to teach you to be better. I will make your sister smarter, I will make your future brother in law deadlier, and as for you Alex Danvers, warrior from another universe, I will take the steel that is already there and sharpen it into a blade. You are much like Oliver. You do not have superpowers to use as a weapon so you turned yourself into a weapon."

"Oh… Uh, thanks? So can you train me to beat Sara Lance?" Alex asked, only half joking.

"Sara Lance was my love for a very long time. I loved her deeply with all my soul." Nyssa told her.

"Oh…"

"And as soon as I released her from her oath to the League of Assassins she began sleeping with Oliver Queen. I will train you to destroy Sara Lance." Nyssa told her with a grin. "Today I want you to think of something for me. We will meet tonight at the giant lab and you will tell me. I want to know what you are fighting for."

"My sister." Alex answered immediately.

"No, you love your sister, would do anything for her, die for her even but you do not fight because your sole purpose is protecting her. You are fighting for something else. When Oliver first fought Malcolm Merlyn he lost, badly. The second time they met Oliver lost again. Merlyn told him that he lost because he did not know what he was fighting for. Oliver learned what he was fighting for and in the years since never again lost a duel with Malcolm Merlyn. I realize these names mean nothing to you, but they will. These are the stories of the warriors of our Earth. Soon your name will be spoken of in these stories, not only as Kara Zor El's sister but as Alex Danvers. Before any of this can happen, you must decide what it is you are fighting for. I will see you tonight. Have fun playing with Cisco's toys."

Nyssa walked off, leaving Alex speechless. Unlike Sara Lance who Alex would really like to beat to a pulp, she found herself admiring Nyssa greatly. She carried herself with such calmness and dignity with a fierce calculating gaze but a soft smile ready to appear at a moment's notice as well.

Alex watched her talk to Barry and work with him on techniques for striking, trying not to giggle every time Barry yelped and grabbed his wrist after striking the stone particularly hard.

"I don't think she likes me." Kara told her, walking up from behind.

"Why? Its impossible to know you and not love you." Alex told her honestly. Her sister had that glow about her, a light that drew others in.

"Thats because you haven't met Iris West yet. I mean seriously, you got to fight, Barry is breaking his arm on a rock and I had to watch the clouds? Remind me to fly to Star City later and thank Sara."

"And that is what Nyssa is talking about. You have given this an hour and are already frustrated. You need to learn patience."

"Please, if you had to watch the clouds for an hour you would be irritated too." Kara fairly pointed out.

"True. Looks like Barry is done. Time to see what you superheroes can do. Is he really faster than you?"

"Yeah," Kara admitted, "On the ground and he can even cover more ground than I can flying a straight line. But our reflexes are nearly the same, or at least Cisco says so."

"Hey if you two are done bonding can we get to work?" Cisco asked, walking up and definitely ready for some fun.

"Are you going to feel up my sister again?" Alex asked, eyebrow raised and trying to hold in a smile, enjoying the look of horror on his face.

"No… no… no."

"Good answer. Whose up first?" Barry asked, running up and surprising the hell out of Alex.

"You are." Cisco informed him. "Barrier wall in place. Lets see you phase, no tachyon device unless you plan to jump into another universe and bring me back a hot blonde girlfriend. Alex you are going to love this."

Alex walked over and stood by Caitlin, looking over her shoulders at the monitors in front of the doctor. Barry's heart rate was one that would be expected in an athlete sprinting. His breathing was no different and he had no problem talking into the com.

"How far away is he?" Alex asked, Kara standing behind her in uniform and grinning.

"About 560 miles… 540… 500…" Cisco answered, watching the GPS tracker.

"He can't be moving that fast. It's impossible. He should be burning up, disintegrating!"

"Yep but he doesn't." Kara replied proudly. "Watch him run through the barrier wall at the end of the runway."

"He can run through walls?" Alex asked, trying to wrap her mind around the speed Allen was moving at. She had been disbelieving when Kara broke the sound barrier while flying.

"Here he comes! Watch the wall!"

Cait ignored Kara's excitement. "I hate when he does this. If he has even one misstep…"

"He won't… and he didn't!" Cisco whooped, Alex trying to believe her eyes, that a lightning bolt had just went through a concrete barrier wall. Before she could track him, Barry was skidding to a complete stop in front of them.

"Time?"

"New record brother." Cisco told him, the two high fiving. "Lets see what you got Kara."

Kara smirked and took off, stopping a hundred feet above them all and taking off at a straight line. Forty miles away she stopped and began flying back. While Caitlin had worried about Barry she was fascinated by what she saw on the screen. The new bio sensors were working, giving her a perfect reading down to the molecular level of Kara's cells.

"Look at how her cells are storing the energy. They are putting out an amazing amount of power. Of course, the gravity of Krypton was much greater than Earth, correct?" She asked Alex.

"I suppose. I've never been able to figure out how exactly she is able to fly so fast or stay up indefinitely." Alex admitted, that point always bugging her.

"She is manipulating gravity. Not only escaping it but using it for thrust, support, floating, its almost like she has her own … of course! Cisco look at these readings coming off her body. Do you see it?"

"Dr. Stein should be out here. He is going to flip when he sees this. She is emitting her own gravitational field! Alex has she ever talked about this?" Cisco asked. Barry just stood behind everyone and watched as Kara passed over with a sonic boom and the two winked at each other as she flew by.

"Kara has never really thought about how her or other Kryptonians fly. She just loves to do it. I have tried to study other Kryptonians but they weren't very accommodating. How are you looking at her cells?"

"The bio sensors in her suit have 3 D ultraviolet spectrometers. Its pretty simple. She has a tremendous amount of energy stored. Fighting Savage must have taken a lot out of her. She is lucky she survived." Cait noted.

"This also explains why she gets knocked out by bombs. It isn't the force of the blast but the shock to the system. Her cells emit a lot of power quickly in response to the explosion, leaving her momentarily dazed as her cells restore themselves. She is at her weakest after taking direct hits, not so much because of the blast but how her cells respond to it. Think we can get her to hold a bomb?"

"Cisco!" Cait and Barry both shouted. Cisco threw his hands up.

"You're right, the risk to the suit isn't worth it but one day we really need to get a baseline on this." Cisco turned on his com. "Kara you think you can give us a little heat vision? Hit the runway with as much power as you can for as long as you can."

"Copy." Kara flew to a stop, floating over the runway two hundred feet away and the twin lasers exploded from her eyes. She could not give it as much as she had before. With Red Tornado and Non her emotions had been high, the common trigger being anger. Out here with her family and Barry she simply couldn't reach that level. Still the power she put out was impressive. After fifteen minutes the runway had two small holes through it along with the rock layer below and the surrounding area was melted asphalt and tar because of the heat.

"The beams are at 5000 degrees Cisco." Cait told him, noting Kara's breathing, heart rate and the core temperature of her body were only slightly rising. Her oxygen saturation remained the same.

"I can do this all day guys!" Kara yelled.

"We will see about that,Kara Zor El." Cisco whispered, while Caitlin and Barry both covered their eyes. While looking at the reactions of the two, Alex did not see Cisco's drone fly silently behind Kara and fire a small missile into her back. The explosion knocked her forward but she did not fall, instead twisting in the air and using her heat vision on the drone, incinerating it in a second.

"The temperature of her beams just dropped from 3500 to 1523 degrees in five seconds. The energy output from her cells was massive after the initial hit but haven't recovered their full potential yet. Kara come down. I want to see how long it takes your cells to recover." Caitlin ordered or requested, Alex wasn't sure. She was impressed. When J'onn had first agreed to let Supergirl help the DEO he put her through a series of tests, to measure her speed and strength but never anything to this detail. Perhaps she should have. Kara rested on the ground for a moment until Cait gave her a thumbs up, then began floating above the ground once more.

"Okay, time to play. I took out the solar ray shot on her breast plate because honestly the thing only gave her a short burst. When the building fell down on her and she needed it, it helped out but most of her powers still nearly blew out on the way down. Plus it rendered the defibrillator useless…" Cisco started while Barry and Caitlin cringed.

"A defib won't work on her." Alex told them, believing Kara to be immune to such small shocks. She had survived Livewire's best so it was unlikely that a small machine would be do much good.

"It did when her heart stopped while Caitlin was performing sur… what? You guys didn't tell her about when Barry brought her here?" he asked, seeing Alex's face go pale while Barry and Caitlin glared at him.

"Fine, look it all worked out and here she is. Nothing to be upset about now, Alex. Just because she looked dead when Barry brought her over and was covered in blood and her chest had to be opened up… I'll shut up now."

"Thank you Cisco. Lets see if the bioluminescent fabric works." Barry suggested.

"Bio what?" Alex asked weakly, trying not to think of her sunny little sister and how she must have appeared, seeing her heart stop, for even the briefest moment, lying dead on a table in S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Well, since she didn't want the chest piece as large and higher up, plus with the defib we won't talk about, I had to cut back if she wanted the flexibility. So being the genius that I am, I was able to design a fabric that has nanite tech developed by Ray. Once our satellite, yeah we have our own satellite, sends a signal to anywhere in the world she might be, Small parts of the material of her suit can fade and in effect become solar panels. Watch. Kara, time to go sunbathing."

Kara floated in the air and lay on her back as if a lounge char was under her and not air. Cisco sent the signal and small diamond shape panels appeared on her legs, arms and her abdomen, transformed by nanites into mini solar panels. Kara laughed at the warm feel of the sun rays on her body in a hundred different small places. Even though she was still covered and nothing improper could be seen, she was open to the sun like never before, the reflectors taking the light and maximizing the beams to their fullest potential.

"This feels amazing!" she told the team, the joy obvious in her voice.

"My God, she is sparkling." Alex whispered in awe of the technology on this earth. Perhaps not the technology but the genius of these two in front of her and apparently this Ray Palmer and Martin Stein. Caitlin was smiling in pride at Cisco and adoration at Kara who was doing flips in the air now, her cape billowing around her. Barry stepped out in front, moving under Kara.

"Her cells are back at one hundred percent, same energy output that we began with." Caitlin informed the group.

"Kara lets give it a two mile run and see how fast you can go now." Cisco requested. Barry took off with her on the ground while she flew above, smiling down at him.

"Ready?" he asked her when they reached the two mile mark.

"No way you beat me in two miles, Flash. Ready to be humbled in front of my sister?"

"On your word, Babe."

"Babe? Oh you are so going to pay for that. Go!"

Kara took off at sonic speed, speed she had only used perhaps twice in her life, once catching up to a nuclear missile. Barry gained ground and took off passing Mach 3 while Kara cracked the barrier at Mach 2 just behind him. The sonic boom the two created cracked the glass on Cisco's monitors and blew both Caitlin and Cisco's chairs back. Alex caught Cait. Cisco was caught by the ground.

"Oh my God," Cisco whispered, standing up to look at his cracked laptop. "she is actually faster with the cape."

In a blink of an eye the two heroes were back, looking at Cisco on the ground, an arm around each others waist.

"If you guys are done having fun, lets eat. We are starved." Barry suggested.

"Yes, you both need at least ten thousand calories after that output. Barry, grab your special energy bars and give Kara a couple."

"But they taste like…" Kara started then stopped at the look on Cait's face. "heaven. They taste so good I don't know if I can stop with just two." she finished, causing Cait to smile.

"I knew you would like them. Barry loves them. I make them myself. I'm thinking of adding cinnamon to the next batch. Have as many as you like!"

Alex fought back a laugh knowing what Kara's fake smile looked like and her little sister was definitely wearing it now. The five loaded up the van with Cisco's drone, storing the explosives gently into cushioned cases, and the monitoring equipment then drove back to S.T.A.R. Kara, Barry and Cisco headed to some place called Big Belly Burger which sounded disgusting to Alex so she begged off, leaving her with Caitlin who was pouring over information gathered on both Barry and Kara.

"You are amazing, you realize this right?" Alex asked her. Cait smiled but continued with her work after shrugging her shoulders.

"I mean it. What you are doing, what you do for Barry, what you are doing for Kara, it is so amazing. A lot of people, some of whom I used to work with, saw her as this ultimate weapon, She was strong, invincible, fast and had all these extra powers, they forgot she was part of a team and made her the team. If something got to tough, call in Supergirl. It never occurred to us how to make her stronger, healthier. She would get knocked out or hurt and I would freak and the most we ever thought to do was put her under solar lamps and wait till she healed. I would hold her hand and wonder if this was the time she wouldn't. Had she finally pushed herself to far? But you have known her such a short time and already have developed methods for monitoring her health, her power, techniques to improve her performance and safety. When Cisco showed me the video of her fighting Savage I heard you on the coms, screaming at her to get out, to back off. You really love her. You don't know how grateful I will always be for that. Then to see you rushing past all those EMS workers and police after she was on the ground, barking orders, rushing off to take care of her. No one questioned you. You, Dr. Snow, are an amazing person."

"It's really no big deal." Caitlin told her, secretly feeling a burst of pride but trying to brush it off. "When Barry first started he got hurt so much. Stupid things like not being able to stop and running into things, Trying to fight a man who could literally turn into poison gas and inhaling it, having a bomb strapped to his wrist… anyway we have felt our way through this in the dark and now we are smarter than we used to be. We didn't have this set up at first. It was a trial and error process. Plus our mentor and the man we looked up to turned out to be completely evil. But in the beginning he was a help, even if he did have his own motives. Cisco was always more daring than I was. He was the one who convinced Barry to try a supersonic punch. I knew that if Barry mistimed it, he could literally shatter his arm. Of course Barry did it. He always finds a way. Regardless, the point is we have had time before Kara arrived here to improve our performance and are able to help her better because we went through and are still going through the same process with Barry. Barry has not come close to reaching his potential yet. Every time we think he can't get faster he proves us wrong. With the tachyon device he could be faster than the speed of light, giving Dr. Stein serious consideration as to whether this could be a good thing or bad. My guess is bad, so I not only have to keep track of the vibrations he puts out but also his speed, making sure he doesn't go to fast, or accidentally travel back in time or into another universe."

"Wow. Caitlin I have to ask, when Barry brought Kara in for the first time…"

"Don't. You don't want to know and I don't ever want to think about it again. I know that you love her probably more than anyone in the world, even your parents. I know you two have had issues and that none of it matters because when she looks at you, its different than when she looks at me. She looks at me like a friend, a friend like I have never really had. But when she looks at you its easy to see the hero worship in her eyes. You are her hero. I woke up at times when she first moved in with me because I heard her talking in her sleep. She cried out for you. You are staying right? She is my best friend but she needs you so badly I don't think she even realizes the extent of it. She wanted you to be free of her so you could live your own life but anyone can see the two of you are connected. Neither of you would ever be truly happy without the other."

"Yes, I'm staying with her. I won't abandon her. She thinks I would have a better life without her but she is wrong. I need her in my life. She is … I just need her. She's my hero too and I don't think she has ever understood that." Alex explained.

"Why? I don't imagine you were thrilled about a thirteen year old alien girl showing up on your doorstep. Kara told me how your mom always berated you for not taking care of her, how Eliza would always tell you it was your job to protect her even though she didn't need protecting. She told me she embarrassed you in front of your friends. What changed?"

"What changed? Kara has a superpower that is much more subtle than her others. She makes people smile and want to protect her without even realizing she is doing it. For the first months she didn't speak English but caught on astonishingly fast. Kryptonians are very smart and she is probably on the intellectual level of you and Cisco. She just doesn't show an interest in science. But learning English and speaking English are two very different things. So when we first went to school, yeah she was kind of embarrassing. I did my best to fit in, to pretend to be what everyone else was, try to hide as much as Kara did her whole life. But she didn't make it easy of course. She saved this woman and child when she was thirteen and I was … anyway after a couple months of sharing a room and having to deal with her, doing my best not to like her because thats what 14 year old girls do right, a thunderstorm hit. Not unusual but this one was practically on top of the house. The thunder was pretty extreme. Kara woke up screaming, covering her ears. She had just gotten to the point where she could tune out all the sounds around her but still had sensory overload at times.

Despite my determinedness to not have anything to do with her, I still played along when she tried to teach me her language. That night she woke up screaming in Kryptonese for her mother and father. I wasn't sure what to do, her hands over her ears, her eyes closed and literally screaming for her mother, begging her not to send her away, begging her mother to come with her. I walked over to try and comfort her somehow. When I came close her eyes opened, full of tears and she reached out for me. I got into bed with her and she wrapped her arms around me and buried her head into my chest. She just kept repeating my name while the storm raged and I didn't let her go. I thought she was going to break my ribs, but I wouldn't let her go. Eventually the storm passed and she apologized, she told me the thunder reminded her of the sound of Krypton blowing up as she escaped in her pod, before sleep took her. She asked me to stay with her and then right before I got her to sleep she told me she loved me. That was it. I was hers and there was no going back. The next day at school, a boy I had convinced myself I had to be around so I could be cool, called her a name, I'm not even sure what it was, but I beat him. I didn't just hit him, I beat him, got suspended for a week and it was worth it. Kara stayed home from school for that week too because she couldn't be there on her own. Since then she has been mine. Mine to protect, to love. I've made mistakes, God have I made mistakes and I don't for one second believe we have this perfect relationship. There are a lot of issues, mistakes we have both made that we need to work on. I do know when I thought she was dead, I felt like I was dead as well. No matter what we will always have each other. But now I need to step back. I don't have to be big sister and best friend. I can be the big sister and you are the best friend now. I don't have to protect her alone."

"You really think she needs protection?" Cait asked. "I mean I know she can lose, be hurt, I've seen it, but she is certainly safer than most of us. Look at Oliver Queen shirtless sometimes if you don't believe me. HIs torso is like a map of the pain in his life."

"Yes she does but not physically so much. Kara has severe abandonment issues, She still has PTSD from her entire world ending when she was 13. Despite this she sees the good in everyone. I never want that to change but I also have to protect her from this. She can be hurt easily and is full of self doubt and has very low self esteem. Thats what we are going to have to help her with. She can handle the super villains, we handle the rest. You realize this is the first real relationship she has ever had, right?"

"Yeah, her and Barry are in love. I don't know about Kara but I've never seen him happier."

"You will see Kara's self doubts, her insecurities and fears, the first time they have an argument. She gets hurt easily. For someone so powerful, she is very sensitive. In the past I would be the one who pulled her out of it. I will still be what she needs me to be but now that job is yours. She has heard everything I have to say, now she can hear it from you."

"I can handle that." Cait told her.

"I know you can. Nyssa is supposed to be here soon. She wants to have a talk with me."

Caitlin smiled and went ahead with the question on her mind.

"Does Kara know you are gay?"

Alex froze, then relaxed. Dr. Snow was not just observant when it came to Barry and Kara apparently. "No. She thinks I just don't have a social life, which technically is true."

"Why haven't you told her?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't told anyone because there has never been a point to it. Like I said, my life revolves around work and Kara, or at least it did. But if its all the same to you, if it ever does become relevant I would tell her, but I would prefer to be the one to do it."

"I won't say a word. Just do me a favor, be careful around Nyssa. She isn't like … normal people. She had a very different upbringing. I don't know much about her, but be careful."

Alex rolled her eyes. "We are just going to talk about training."

Cait threw her hands up. "Whatever you want to call it."

Alex playfully punched her in the shoulder.

"By the way, I found a house I want to rent. It's a three bedroom, two bath, two story with a privacy face in the backyard and tall trees, perfect for Kara to take off from. With what I make and her job, we could handle it but its a lot of space for two people. It would be perfect for three." Caitlin hinted.

"I think I have to have a job before I find a place to live. I will probably just keep crashing here, until Kara decides to go back and say goodbye to everyone, maybe pick some things up then to bring back."

"Yeah about a job, I sent Felicity your photo. She gave you a background including a work history with the FBI. If it is followed up on it will lead to A.R.G.U.S. and everyone knows not to ask questions about them."

"Kara's boss can do that?"

"She is the best hacker in any universe. But as far as a job, since you don't strike me as the office type, Barry's foster father Joe? He handles the metahuman cases for the Central City Police. His last partner quit and she wasn't very good at much besides getting herself in trouble. I think Joe could really use some help from a partner who has actually fought people with superhuman powers and won. He asked me about you, and I told him I would run the idea by you. Just something to think about."

Alex nodded and did think about it. It wasn't something she would jump head first into without giving it some serious consideration but it would allow her to do what she does best. Alex also knew Barry worked closely with Joe meaning Kara did, meaning Alex could still look after her little sister without having to be her senior agent and have her own battles, the work that had aways given her a rush.

"I'll give him a call. Thanks."

"No problem. And Alex? I was serious. Be careful with Nyssa. She is a good person, all things considered. But she is or was an assassin. She isn't a hero. She has been heroic in the past but she was raised by one of the most evil men in the world to be a killer. Just be careful."

Alex winked at Caitlin. "Duly noted. Be careful around the hot assassin."

"I never called her hot."

"No you didn't." Alex responded and walked out of the room, leaving Caitlin shaking her head.

 **A/N- Next chapter we catch up with Earth 3, and Kara and Barry have their first fight! Can't want for that one. I should get it out by the end of this weekend. Sorry for the delay on this one. Work has been difficult and cutting into my writing time. I love the reviews, thank you all so much for supporting this story.**


	16. Chapter 16

Don't own DC or CW characters.

A/N Okay I apologize, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. The word count got way out of hand but I couldn't find a good cutoff point so please forgive me. Thank you for all the reviews last chapter. Once again FFNet won't let me see them but I get to read them on my email alerts. Because I can't see them I can't respond to them on ffnet but I will when the situation is rectified. Please keep the reviews coming. I love hearing your ideas.

Okay the big one. DoctorWhoHehe PM'd me and offered to make cover art for the story, even using Kara's new suit. The art is now posted. She is on tumblr by the name theartofdoctorwho. I went by and checked out her art and she is amazing. I recommend everyone check it out. She does quite a bit of fan art and it is so fun to see. So a big thank you DoctorWhoHehe, you made my weekend. Okay on with the story. A bit of an emotional one but it all works out in the end.

Oh and one more thing. No room for Nyssa and Alex's conversation. I will put that in a one shot later, promise.

Chapter 16

 **Earth 3**

Cat Grant stood in front of the makeshift board room table set in the largest office space, meaning blocked off from the general floor by sheet iron, and looked a those assembled. Eliza of course was present next to her. She would usually sit with Cat during the briefings from the scientists and give Cat the English version after the meeting. Kal El was also here, looking as brooding as ever, next to a very stern looking Hank Henshaw, donning his human guise he loved so much. Max Lord with his crutches, sat next to the lesser Lane, as Lucy had come to be in Cat's mind. The fact that she was closer to Lois and even working with her was all the Media Mogul needed as proof that alternate dimensions could exist. Lois stood behind Kal rubbing his shoulders as the dark former hero looked a bit darker than usual. She could understand why. Winn sat to Eliza's right, where Alex normally sat at briefings, laptop open and appearing more hopeful than he had been since Alex disappeared through the breach. He was expecting another breach to open any minute with Alex carrying Kara in her arms back to them.

"So apparently there have been some developments since our gathering last week?" Cat began.

No one seemed inclined to speak so she continued.

"Okay, from what I understand a breach was detected near our base of operations. A breach we assume was not caused by Mr. Allen since we did not see a thin man in a red spandex bursting through. Two individuals, a woman who identified herself as Sara Lance and an Oliver Queen, who according the description given is quite a bit different in appearance than the balding pot bellied billionaire Oliver Queen of our Starling City, were present. These two were found near the airfield in the exact location of this suspected breach and you Max, thought it would be a good idea to bring your sidekick and pack of weekend warriors to detain and question these individuals without alerting Alex, Hank, Eliza, Winn, Lois, Kal…"

"They weren't here yet and we were, Cat. Leave it alone." Max grumbled.

"Of course Kal was away, but honestly I am fairly certain Lois and myself could have put up a better fight then your team did. How quickly did you say you and your bodyguards were taken down Max?"

"She had some sonic device in her hand. It nearly shattered our ear drums. I doubt very seriously you would have done much more than criticized their wardrobe and they didn't seem like the type who gave a damn about your opinion, Cat."

"So after taking you down in a violent fashion he commenced to torture you for information on Alex, which you gave after ten seconds? Or did you last twenty? Were you not able to give up her location before he stuck the pointy stick into your thigh the first time ?"

"Alex had a better chance of helping me stop them. With her it would have been …"

"Alex versus those two instead of you, Lane, and a couple of goons versus those two. Very heroic of you Max. I am very glad I pay for the scientific research in this venture because if I was paying for some planetary defense force I would want a refund. Luckily Eliza's part in this operation is going very well. So once you led them right to Alex's apartment and lay on the floor while she fought for her life, could you pick up from there? I would love to know exactly what happened from you Max, since Alex is not here, off somewhere, God knows where, trying to find her sister."

"Kara doesn't need rescuing. At least I don't think she does." Max told her. Kal El huffed.

"Explain."

"The woman, Lance, she told Alex that Kara would not be coming back to the place that tried to kill her. She said Kara didn't know they were here but she deserved her mother's necklace and some Kryptonian movie home movie projector …"

"Watch how you speak of Kryptonian technology, Lord. Kryptonians perfected space travel when this planet was still forming." Kal El warned.

"And it worked out so well the whole damn planet exploded. Good job Krypton." Max retorted dryly. Kal El stood up quickly, his eyes glowing until Lois raced around and placed her hands on his chest. She whispered something in his ear and the Man of Steel sat back down.

"Max tell us what happens before Lois can't calm him down enough to prevent you from becoming an amazing likeness of General Lane."

Cat knew Lois's hatred towards her father and was not surprised to see no reaction from her. The two had drank together often in her office at CatCo and Lois had said much worse about her father. Lucy was still torn although she would not admit it and a mean spirited part of Cat, the part that missed Kara, was glad to see the flash of pain that graced the younger Lane's face for a second.

"Lance asked Alex who tried to kill Kara. She wanted to know who was involved, told Alex that she did not trust anyone and pointed out that even though Kara's death was ordered by the President the bullets that shot her were from weapons the DEO developed. The man never spoke, he just stood guard over me."

"Stood guard? He could have put you to sleep as easily as she did to Alex. He just didn't want to waste the time because you weren't a threat." Hank told him, causing Winn to snicker.

"Back on point." Cat ordered. "These two came from the universe Kara is in. How did they get here? Did they say what kind of device they had? Any hints?"

"Alex said the woman told her while we were trying to play catch up they had a guy who could open breaches with his hands. I am assuming they are talking about some gifted metahuman like Barry Allen. Isn't that what Kara called Barry? A metahuman?" Hank asked. Lucy nodded.

"Regardless they asked Alex to hand over the necklace, the hologram crystal and pictures of Kara's friends and family. They took the items and left. Max called me and I found them in Alex's apartment. We had no way of knowing where they might have gone so Winn began monitoring the city and surrounding areas for electrical disturbances resembling the one that alerted Max to their presence. Having no indication they had left, Alex and I proceeded to the entry point the two must have arrived that morning."

"Oh good, this is my favorite part of the story." Cat chirped. "This is the part where the hooded, masked, green leather clad Robin Hood and his masked Dominatrix with a big stick stepped out of a stolen care and proceeded to destroy Max's defenders of the planet?"

"The man had arrows that exploded. The light caused us to go temporarily blind from the flash. Hank and Alex…"

"Were the only ones who had the ability to battle. I understand Max. Please stay quiet so I can hear about the rest of the fight from one of the few we have who know how to fight."

Hank went on to explain the rest of the battle, including Kal's arrival and Alex's lunge into the breach.

"So the girl in red was called Speedy? This is why I handle the naming of Superheroes Winn. A man on fire and a man in a metal outfit that shrunk battled Hank and Kal and Alex while two girls and a ninja impersonating Robin Hood took out twenty of your mini DEO soldiers Max?"

Cat took Max's silence as affirmation. Eliza decided to step in and give her thoughts on the direction they should all take.

"Alex hasn't been thrown back so this means she has probably reached Kara. Kara hadn't come back because she was afraid of who might have set her up and thought Alex and me would have a better life without her. Now Alex is there and probably looking for or has found Kara and is talking to her. This is good. I expect to see them back anytime now. In the mean time I believe we should continue the work we have set before us for a few reasons. One, we should not assume that Alex would come back if Kara refused. If it comes down to returning here without Kara or staying she will choose Kara every time, as she should. Two, we cannot assume that this man can perform whatever superpower he has anytime he wants. They may not be able to open breaches whenever they wish to wherever they wish. Three, I do not like the idea of another universe having better technology than us. If they know how, we should know how as well."

"I agree." Cat told the group. "If this man can do spacey stuff with his hands and the Blur, or Flash as he insists on being called, can run fast enough to break the barriers, we should have a way to do the same. Kal knows the vibrations Allen was running at, Winn now has the exact electrical signature of the breach to this alternate Earth, and our physicists and engineers are excited about the possibility of using the alloys from Kara and Kal's pods to be able to…"

"That's actually my idea. Every benchmark that has been reached has been mine." Max interrupted.

"Including developing a stellar planetary defense force, Max." Cat reminded him.

"We also have to look at the possibility that Kara is being kept captive." Kal brought up. Hank placed his head on his hands and groaned.

"You didn't hear her Hank. I did!"

"Hear what?" Eliza asked.

"When I arrived, the woman in black recognized me. She knew about me and she knew about Hank. They could have forced it out of woman in black called me the male Kara. She asked her friends if they had any idea on how to take me down because she didn't have any solar powered sex bracelets. It is possible that they have somehow subdued her… what?" Kal asked, noticing the women, even Lucy Lane, hiding smiles and the men avoiding looking at him.

"Am I allowed to speak without fear of becoming a charcoal brique?" Max asked. Kal nodded begrudgingly.

"They threw back the Kryptonite bullets meaning there is no Kryptonite on their planet. The only way they could subdue her is by withholding sunlight, or more precisely yellow sunlight. They couldn't hold her down long enough to do that and if they wanted to subdue her they wouldn't have thrown the Kryptonite back in the first place. If they figured out a way to make a bracelet for her that could dose her body with red solar energy then she would obviously feel … human."

"So they are keeping her captive with this bracelet!" Kal exclaimed.

"They wouldn't have even known the source of her power unless she told them. She most likely asked them to make the bracelet for her to wear when she wanted to. I'm sure she just wanted it to feel normal sometimes. I actually heard the woman as well as you did Kal and she sounded as if she were being sarcastic." Hank told him, hoping to ease his fears without having to bring up what Kal really didn't want to hear.

"Why would Kara want something to weaken her? That makes no sense!"

Hank looked at Cat and Eliza. "Would one of you ladies please explain why?"

"She wants to have sex with Mr. Allen without breaking him in half, Boy scout." Cat told him bluntly. Hank had seen Kara blush too many times to count but this was the first time he had ever seen her cousin do the same.

"Kal, she is not in danger." Hank told him, again. "Yes they were unorthodox and some had some very amazing powers. The others were deadly, no doubt but not evil. The man with the hood on could have picked off every one of Max's squad with an arrow before they could pull the trigger of their shaking guns. He could have shot for my eye or heart but instead shot me in the thigh. They both had arrows that turned into metal bands designed to capture and not kill. Even the man who hit me with the freeze ray device didn't do as much damage as he could have. I have an idea that gun could have been much, much deadlier. Alex is fine, Kara is fine and I agree with Eliza, I expect to hear from one or both in the coming days. We have no idea if time works the same. Alex could be talking to Kara for a few minutes and weeks could pass here. We have to remain patient. They did not send a strike team to recover personal items of sentimental value for someone being kept hostage."

"Now that we have what I consider definitive proof of Kara's wellbeing, even more so than the Kryptonite bullets Max found, we have to keep this a secret. Her proof of life does not leave this room … or barn… whatever the hell we are in. Eliza, is there no room in our budget for a housecleaning crew? I can send over some of CatCo's janitorial staff."

"Why are we keeping this a secret? I mean its good news, right?" Winn asked.

"Its great news," Lois answered, "which is why it needs to be kept quiet. There was enough blood at the scene of Kara's attempted murder that a medical examiner formerly with the DEO and contracted by the Congressional Investigation Committee, verified that because of the similarities between Kryptonian and human physiologies there was no chance she could have survived the attack. This is why the former President is charged not only with attempted murder on Kal but with a murder charge for Kara's presumed death. We don't want the world to know she is alive anywhere. We know and that is enough. Former President Carter can go down for murder. She basically did destroy the life Kara had built here. If we release any of this to the world, questions will arise about where she is, how we know and the work we are doing on inter dimensional breaches. All the government knows right now is Kara was carried off by a man known as the Flash in an attempt to save her life and neither were seen again. Kal will be testifying on a closed circuit camera from CatCo about the attempt on his life and the state he found Kara in, along with Mr. Allen arriving to offer help. He will testify that he saw Kara die before the Flash ran off with her. Lucy will testify in Washington about her father taking over the DEO on the Presidents orders and preventing her from warning Kara. She will testify to everything he had planned including confiscating DEO weapons, personnel and ammunition along with details of her private life including her home address. Cat and I have been working hard to destroy any positive sentiment this woman may still have before she goes to trial and if we release news that Kara is alive and in another universe now, that will become the story of the year. It has to be timed right."

"One of you was bad enough. The two of you together is evil itself. I like it." Max told Lois and Cat. Both ignored the compliment.

"So we keep working, Max, make sure none of your security guards shoot any of our scientists by accident while conducting what you consider training. I have a gala to be at tonight and need time to prepare. I am still deciding who to support in the next presidential election. The next time there is an elected president I want him or her to understand that I can make them or destroy them if they cross me. Have a good day everyone."

Cat walked out, the only sounds in the room, the tapping of her heels as she left. The CEO felt better than she had in weeks. She was now 100 % certain that Kara was alive and happy, Eliza was not as distraught Cat had feared she might be considering Alex was gone now as well, even seeming lighter knowing her two daughters had each other until she could be reunited with them. The trial of the century was a month away and everything was going according to plan. Most importantly she could go home and tell Carter his hero was alive and she had some pretty neat friends now as well. He would see Kara one day soon. They all would.

 **Earth 1**

Alex woke alone in Kara's bed once again feeling guilty. She knew she had tossed into her sister around 2 AM and woke herself, thereby waking Kara who most likely moved to the couch or Caitlin's room so Alex could toss and turn on the large bed herself. The brunette and her sister had been told not to meet Nyssa at dawn this morning as the woman had other tasks to accomplish in Opal City for the next two days. Alex did not want to know what those tasks were, especially after learning Nyssa's history the night before. She didn't hold her history against her, rather impressed the woman maintained honor and morality despite the life she had been subjected to and was more fascinated by her. Still Alex could understand Caitlin's warning. Nyssa was like no other she had met before. While Kara hated the idea of kllling and Alex understood the need for it at times, death and murder were an everyday occurrence to Nyssa and she tended not to be bothered by it unless it personally affected her. It did not turn her off the woman but was an eye opener for Alex to speak to a woman from a different world with her own code in regards to what was right and wrong, good and evil.

Alex being nearly the same size as Caitlin dressed in simple denim jeans and a red blouse, borrowed socks and to her embarrassment borrowed underwear along with black boots she had arrived in and prepared for the day. Not having her workout clothes she had to forgo her morning run and planned to ask Caitlin for this Joe West's number. She would at least like to meet the man, get a feel for what sort of work he did and if she would fit in. She also wanted to talk to Cisco about his ability to open breaches. Kara and her needed to go back to at least say goodbye to everyone and give her mother a chance to come back with her two daughters if she wanted. The things Eliza could do at S.T.A.R. labs were numerous but it would be her decision. Alex's dad may still be out there. Hank and her thought for sure when Project Cadmus had been shut down that he would be among those released but no one could find any sign or mention of him anywhere. She felt obligated to find him but also wondered if what Hank saw in Harper's head was a memory from long ago. Hank though Jeremiah had died in front of him. What if he had just died shortly after reaching Cadmus? Regardless, Alex needed to understand the complexities and dangers of these breaches to judge the risk of going back to speak to everyone. Kara could not be stuck there. She deserved the friends and family she had made for herself now. Walking into the kitchen the electronic clock showed the time, 6 AM, and the date…

Damn it! How could Alex have forgotten? She rushed into the living room and not finding Kara on the couch, rushed to Caitlin's bedroom. Caitlin sat up sleepily in bed.

"Have you seen Kara?!"

"Yeah she got up around 5 and left I guess. She said something about going to work early, preparing from some meeting with the PR team."

"No, Kara doesn't go to work on this day. She stays in bed or in her apartment or worse all day and doesn't come out. If she is going out … this is bad. I'll handle it. I'll go to her job. You said they were at temporary offices while the building was being reconstructed right? Do you know the address?"

"Yes… whats the big deal? What's wrong?"

"Today is the day. The worst day of the year for her. Today is the day her planet was destroyed and her parents died. Today is the day her whole world ended literally, for the first time at least. She really shouldn't be alone."

Caitlin told Alex the address and moved into the kitchen to hand Alex her keys. "Just plug the address in the GPS."

Alex grabbed the keys and practically sprinted out, using the stairs instead of the elevator. She managed to follow the GPS instructions and arrived at Kara's temporary office across from the rebuilding site of Palmer Tech, Walking in she was greeted by a lone security guard who informed her Miss Zorel nor anyone else had arrived at the building today. She believed the man and headed to S.T.A.R to find a harried looking Ray Palmer present, working on his suit, appearing as if he had not slept and was running on caffeine alone. Ray informed her that he had not seen Kara and would have been notified of any entries by the staff alert alarm used whenever the key card was used. Palmer allowed Alex to use his phone gladly, pointing out Kara's number listed in contacts as Supes, along with names like Flash, Vibe, Cait, Dick Wells, Pointy, Speedy, Overwatch, Dig, Birdie, Snowflake, HotHead and Dr. Hothead.

Kara did not answer. Ray asked if Alex wanted him to pinpoint her location by phone signal but then asked if Alex had some reason to believe Superwoman was in trouble.

Not physically, Alex told herself.

If Kara needed her, she would call Barry or Cait and ask for her. Perhaps it was best to give her time. Alex would not be overbearing.

Instead she would stay in this lab all day and try not to worry, knowing she would fail. Last year, Alex had to drag Kara out of the Kryptonite training room with the levels set uncomfortably high and drive her home. She stayed with her sister who would not speak much, instead just rubbing her mother's necklace, until Kara fell asleep that night. Perhaps this year with a new life Kara would be better. She hoped.

Kara was actually sitting on a bench by the docks watching the seagulls flying around, looking for breakfast. After all these years she was still fascinated by birds. To her they were the most beautiful creatures on any planet. Of course this reminded her of the one planet they had not been present on, the planet she was trying to take her mind off of today. Kara had considered going into work but when she had walked up to the door, she turned and took in the destruction of the building she had been working in not long ago. It was being rebuilt, the contractors exceeding expectations after she had charmed the owner of the construction crew, but still Kara could not take the sight of destruction of any kind today. She texted Felicity that she would not be in today and headed for the docks, the serenity of the water and the birds she knew would be there would relax her.

It hadn't worked but she had no place else to go. The woman of steel did not have it in her to be around others today, even Alex or Caitlin. Alex would drag her home and she didn't want that. She also didn't want Catilin or Barry to see her like this. So she sat and lost track of time, looking between her mother's necklace and the distant shore line.

Her phone had buzzed all morning but she did not have it in her to answer. At least until 11 when she saw Barry's name on her screen. She knew Alex would understand she needed to be alone and probably told Cait if Alex told her but it wasn't fair to worry Barry.

"Hey."

"Hi. I've been wondering about you today. You haven't returned my calls. Everything alright?"

"Yeah of course. How is your day going?"

"Busy. I've been at a crime scene all morning. Another murder, another day, I guess. This one was really strange though. I haven't quite got it figured out."

"Metahuman?"

"Maybe. I saw a bunch of missed calls from Caitlin, but figured if there was an emergency she would have called Joe. I hadn't seen any from you so I was kind of wondering if everything was okay?"

"You wouldn't call Caitlin back from a crime scene but you called me?" Kara asked, feeling special.

"Yeah. Like I said Cait knows to call Joe if there is an emergency. I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine. Just dealing with contractors today. I need to meet with the PR team later. Apparently this editor at the Picture News is planing on writing an op ed piece blaming metahumans for the destruction of Palmer Tech, pointing me out specifically. Apparently my enemies are the reason the building was attacked. He has nothing to go on…"

"The guy is an ass and the people of this city saw what you did to save them. He has some grudge against superheroes and it is about to get him fired according to Iris. The owners of the paper are very pro Flash and Superwoman because the city is and having a guy who comes off as bitter will negatively reflect on sales. The company has already been receiving complaints on his biased and negative view for a while. Iris told me if he actually published this piece he is going to lose his job. Don't worry about him."

"Iris gives you a lot of information doesn't she?" Kara asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Yeah, I mean she is my best friend I guess. Her and Cisco and of course Cait. It used to be just Iris and I growing up but things change. Are you really okay, because Felicity told me you weren't at work when I called there."

"You called my boss looking for me? Are you stalking me Barry Allen?"

"No! I just found it kind of unusual and when you wouldn't answer…"

"I'm fine Barry."

"Okay. Want to have lunch? I'm thinking of going to Spencer's at noon with Joe. You could join us or it could be just the two of us. Joe wouldn't mind."

"No, I'm not very hungry and I suppose I should stop slacking off. I just needed a little me time. I'll see you tonight maybe, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

Kara ended the call and went back to looking at the water. As much as she wanted to see Barry, he didn't need to see her like this. He would look in her eyes and know. Not today. Today she just wanted to be alone.

Barry ended the call confused. Kara was doing her best to sound normal but there was a tremor in her voice he hadn't recognized before. He felt she wasn't okay, he just knew it. Kara always answered, she loved her job and never missed work. They had lunch together nearly every day unless Barry was at a crime scene. He called Caitlin back, hoping she might have an idea of what was going on.

"Hey Barry, have you seen Kara ?" Cait asked as soon as she answered the phone.

"No, but I just talked to her."

"Thats good." Caitlin said with a relieved sigh.

"Is there something I need to know about? She seemed off. She didn't want to have lunch today, claiming she wanted to be alone. I know something is up with her and you know what it is, right?"

"Barry, she is going to be okay. She just needs a day."

"Why?" he pressed.

"Because … she will tell you when she's ready. I probably shouldn't have known but Alex… its … she is going to be okay. Just give her the day and I am sure she will talk about it with you tomorrow. Its her's to tell, not mine."

"But…"

"Barry? Just give her some space. You did nothing wrong and it has nothing to do with the two of you. Let it go. She will probably tell you tomorrow. If not don't push her, okay?"

"Okay." Barry told her and ended the call. He knew if Caitlin thought this was something Kara would want to share then Caitlin wouldn't betray that. Having nothing else to do and not in a great mood he decided to head to the restaurant. Grabbing a patio table he waited for Joe. Ten minutes after he arrived Joe texted him and said he had a witness in the homicide earlier and had to beg off. Barry prepared to place a massive order for two since he had not eaten that day when Iris walked out onto the patio.

"Hey stranger."

"Iris! How are you?" Barry asked, hugging his friend. He gestured for her to join him and the two sat.

"Lonely. I miss my friend. We don't talk as much as we used to. I'm beginning to think you are avoiding me."

Barry grimaced. He had told himself that he hadn't been avoiding Iris but it would be a lie. While true, he had been very busy that was always the case. He had just chosen to spend all his free time with Kara, and they were usually at the lab with Cisco, Cait and whoever else wandered in that day, be it Dr Stein, Ray or even Jax occasionally looking to hangout. Felicity made random appearances at times needing access to the S.T.A.R. mainframe, still secretly helping Curtis Holt who was helping Team Arrow. Despite her anger that Oliver had given up and told her he finally had enough and perhaps he was best alone, Felicity could not get the man out of her head. Barry secretly agreed with Oliver. Felicity could not keep pushing him away, especially considering she dragged him back into this life and then expect him to keep chasing after her. When she yelled at him for following Sara he reminded her that she was the one who said they were over and he would do whatever the hell he wanted. Barry had felt the same way about Iris for a long time. She told him she wanted Eddie and seemed upset when he tried to move on.

"I know. I haven't really meant to, It's just…" Barry started the litany of excuses he thought of very quickly before Iris interrupted.

"your girlfriend doesn't like me." she finished for him.

Barry looked away but couldn't avoid her gaze for long.

"It's not that she doesn't like you, it's probably more of the way you acted when you first met her. I know Joe said something to you so don't act like you don't know what I am talking about."

"I do know and you are right. I was totally out of line. Things were going a certain way I thought and then Zoom and Caitlin almost… I also know killing him was difficult for you. I figured if I could give you time, you may come to grips with some things and maybe we could move forward. I was just surprised hen she arrived. I understand you love her and I know she loves you. I've never seen you this happy. I really don't want to be shut out of your life. I've tried to be her friend but I don't think its working very well."

"She told me you two had a nice talk the other day at S.T.A.R." Barry pointed out.

"Yes, she asked me a lot of questions about what I did and how I got my job. I told her about the blog and when you first started out, talking to you and … she told me I reminded her of a guy named Jimmy Olsen. She didn't make it sound flattering. Something like another Jimmy Olsen riding someone's cape? You have any idea what that means or who he is?"

Barry blanked. He knew exactly what Kara meant and could see some similarities between Iris and the man Kara felt was only famous because her cousin had liked him.

"Yeah I met him when I was over there. He was a good guy. I'm sure she meant it as a compliment."

"Barry, I get it. She understands you in a way I never could and as much as I wish we had our chance I blew it. I should have spoken sooner and that is on me. I realize I am too late but we have been friends forever. You are the best friend I have and I don't want to lose that."

"I don't want to lose that either." Barry told her, remembering how Iris constantly calling him her best friend while living with Eddie killed him inside. Now he found himself wanting her to find that perfect person and he was fine knowing it wasn't him. He had found his perfect person and things had worked out the way he supposed they were meant to. He didn't believe in preordained futures but he still believed in some concepts of fate.

"I'm glad to hear it. Maybe the three of us could go out together sometimes? Perhaps see a movie or have dinner?"

"Why don't you ask Kara to go with just you? Maybe the two of you can find some common ground?"

"Why? So she can make up a dog emergency to fly off too? I know she won't leave me alone with you. At least your presence will guarantee we can have more than five minutes together."

"I'll talk to her. She is just trying to come to grips with a lot right now, new Earth, new friends, her old life, she has a lot on her mind. Every time she swoops in to save the day she is afraid people will fear what she can do and hunt her, no matter how much good she does. Its happened to her before and she is worried about it happening again. Your editor isn't helping things." Barry reminded her.

"I know. It seems like since we broke off our dating I guess, I wouldn't call it a relationship, he has become even more bitter. The paper has been getting complaints about his op ed piece. So the three of us? Maybe one day she may let you off the leash and the two of us could do things together every now and then."

Barry sighed.

"Kara is not possessive. She is just … she isn't possessive. If you understood what she has lost before…"

"And she sees me as a threat to taking someone else away from her right?"

"Not a threat so much, she probably is still cautious. She will come around. No one can resist your charm when you turn it on." Barry told her. "at least when it comes to being your friend." he finished with a grin.

Iris threw a napkin at him. "Jerk. So you are saying I am destined to be friend zoned by every man I meet for the rest of my life?"

"I think we both know destinies change Iris. We make our own." he reminded her. She nodded in agreement and the waiter arrived, took both their orders and left.

"How is the Lab doing? Cisco seems busy. I understand Palmer Tech has given a grant that allows Ray to work in anonymity?

"Yep. Cait has jumped on board with him. Apparently metahumans are finally figuring out that Central City isn't an easy target and have been branching out. Opal City and Star City police departments are signing contracts with us for metahuman prison cells and the tech Cisco is coming up with to combat the criminal metas. Ironically S.T.A.R. is actually making a positive name for itself again."

"Sounds like it has a great owner." Iris complimented him.

"Owners you mean. Cisco and Caitlin are equal owners and take the majority of profit after everything is paid for that we need. I don't take much since I have a regular job and they do all the work. I mostly just by food. Caitlin handles the contracts, expenses and bills herself. I swear there isn't anything she can't do. None of us will be millionaires anytime soon but we are operating and able to keep the place open. A part of me wanted to tear it down but it has so much tech and space that we need I just couldn't."

The two continued to talk about nothing in particular while they ate. Neither had done much in the way of entertainment, except Iris did listen to Barry go on and on about what a great singer Kara was and smiled through it all. When the lunch had finished, Barry and Iris both stood.

"It was really good hanging out with you Barry. I miss you."

"Yeah, I miss you too." he admitted. The two hugged warmly and at that moment Kara Zor El walked by the patio on her way inside to see if Barry and Joe were still here.

Deciding she would not wallow, Kara had left the docks hoping to catch Barry and perhaps he could bring some light to her day. Instead she found him in the arms of Iris West. Iris caught her eyes and froze. Barry must have noticed her stiffen and turned to see Kara standing on the other side of the small patio fence, only yards away, staring at the two.

"Hey Kara! I thought you said you didn't want to come to lunch. We were just finishing up but we could stay around if you are…"

Barry stopped speaking when Kara gave him an ice cold glare and walked away, faster than any normal person should be able to walk.

"Oh God, she is really going to hate me now." Iris whispered, not wanting to admit to anyone that she was very frightened of what an invincible super powered alien with jealousy issues could do to her.

"No she won't. Its not like we were making out. She is just having a bad day for some reason. I'll talk to her."

Barry laid cash on the table and took off, walking slowly until he rounded a corner, then changed quickly into his suit and began looking for the woman. He ran around but could not find her anywhere until a sonic boom in the sky caught his attention and he saw a blue blur flying off into the distance. The people around him were all looking at the sky and pointing out Superwoman, some clapping, figuring she was off no doubt to save someone. A few people noted the Flash was standing among them and before they could distract him, Barry ran.

Keeping track of Kara in the sky was a bit difficult as she had flown very high up with no direction in mind, just randomly zooming through the sky.

"Hey Barry, are you and Kara chasing someone or something? Because both your chips are all over the place?" Cisco asked.

"Not now Cisco. No danger. Turning off coms."

Kara finally landed on a mountain top, of course the top peaks covered in ice. Maybe she thought the ice would prevent him from running to the top. Maybe it would on some days but not today. He reached the summit to find her standing, her back to her and her arms crossed, cape billowing behind her.

"Is there some reason we just ran to the Rockies? I mean you flew but you get what I am saying. Because my lunch break ended like five minutes ago and if we could do this back at the police station that would be great."

"I think thats a good idea. Why don't you go back to the police station? I don't remember asking you to follow me."

"And yet you landed."

"To tell you to leave me the hell alone Barry Allen!" Kara yelled, turning on him. He was taken back by the hurt on her face and wondered what she could be blaming him about. He had barely spoken to her today. This couldn't be about hugging Iris, could it?

"What is your problem Kara? I asked you to lunch and you said you weren't hungry and wanted to be alone."

"So you called her? What about Joe? Isn't that who you told me you were having lunch with?"

"Joe couldn't make it and I didn't call her, she just happened to be there! What does it matter? She is my friend, the same as Cisco and Caitlin!"

"Cisco and Cailtin are not like her. She has a thing for you and I am sick of her! I am sick of losing. Everywhere I go I lose! I left Krypton and lost my parents, I l was nearly killed on my old Earth and lost my family and friends and now I am here and it is a matter of time before I lose you! I lose everything! Its all I have ever done! Even when I win it just a set up for another loss. So forgive me if I'm not thrilled about seeing you in her arms when I needed to…"

"When you need to what?"

"Nothing. Just go. Run Barry. Its what you do best." Kara said quietly and turned herself away from him.

"Thats funny because it seems like you are the one who is running away. I'm the one running after you. Iris is my friend and has been…"

"Yeah, I get it. You two have history, congratulations. She has memories I'll never have with you. She has been your best friend forever, blah, blah. I'm sick of hearing about it. I'm sick of you and everyone else thinking the two of us should be friends and I am just …arrrghhh!"

"Kara are you seriously telling me your are angry at that I had lunch and hugged a friend? You know I love you. You know there is nothing going on with Iris and me. There never really was in the past. Do you not trust me?"

"I don't trust life Barry. Just go. I want to be alone and I promise I won't walk up and surprise you and Iris again."

"You are serious? I don't expect you to like her but I wouldn't dictate your friends anymore than I would want you to dictate who I can be friends with."

"Because my friends are your friends! I have nothing else. I've never had a choice, not since my damn mother… I have had to rely on the Danvers then you and … I …I… just go! Run! I don't want to see you right now!"

"Because I hugged Iris goodbye you are that angry at me? Unbelievable."

"You wouldn't understand Barry. I don't feel like flying to the South Pole so please just leave me alone."

"God you can be so immature. I'm beginning to see where the girl part of your name came from."

Barry turned to leave and found Kara standing in front of him.

"What did you say?"

"That your immature or that I am beginning to understand why they called you Supergirl?"

Kara's hands turned into fists and her muscles tensed. She could feel her blood boiling.

"Go back to your groupie reporter and leave me alone, before I do something we will both regret."

"Get out of my way and I will be glad to. You can sit up on this mountaintop and pout all you want by yourself. You do not own me Kara."

"I don't own anything. Believe me I know." The wind nearly blew Barry back as Kara shot up into the sky, off to who knows where.

Barry stood for a moment then began pacing. What the hell had just happened? He knew she didn't like Iris from the first conversation the two had. Iris most likely didn't like Kara and the way she monopolized Barry's time but Cisco and Caitlin didn't care. The four of them were together all the time. Iris used to be with them often before Kara came. Barry didn't tell Iris to stay away, she made that decision. Maybe he let Kara believe that Iris was gone completely from his life and that was a mistake. It didn't matter. Kara could have talked to him. She was being emotional and moody and pouting damn it, and he didn't have a clue why she had this extreme of a reaction. Having nothing better to do, he decided to go back the 600 miles the two had just covered and return to work. Thirty three minutes later he had changed and walked back into his lab to find Joe waiting for him.

"Hey Joe. How did it go with the witness?"

"Not great. A neighbor just saw a dark Mercedes parked a block away on the street she had never seen before. Middle class neighborhood, not a lot of Mercedes around. No tags, heard nothing unusual until the screams the whole neighborhood heard. Police bust in and find Anthony Thomas dead on the floor, of an apparent heart attack. Would have been cut and dry if he hadn't been screaming before having a heart attack for ten minutes. Toxicology hasn't finished with his blood work but I am thinking something weird occurred. Some drug, especially since you are telling me the backdoor was kicked in. Weird way to kill someone though. Why not just shoot him or stab him or inject him with something that killed him silently? No reason, to give him whatever drug that made him scream for ten minutes before dying."

"Did the autopsy show any puncture marks?" Barry asked, trying to focus on work and the strange case he had been given this morning.

"Going on right now. I guess we can't rule anything out until we know exactly what we are dealing with."

"If toxicology finds any traces of a poison get me a sample of the blood. I can isolate it and see what type it is. Might give us an idea on where to start. Whatever did this isn't normal, so we have that going for us."

"So you think its a drug, some kind of poison?" Joe asked.

"I can't think of anything else that would cause someone of fright. If that is what we are looking for. Also tell the Pathologist to check the lungs for any type of unusual particulates. Could have been airborne as well and may not have lasted long enough for the drug to last in the blood stream."

"Will do. So did you have a nice run after lunch?"

Barry let out a sight. "Iris called you?"

"She said Kara may have seen you two hugging and didn't look happy. Then Cisco may have called and asked if I knew of ay metahumans you two may be chasing into the Rocky Mountains."

"Yeah, she was upset. Most couples go somewhere private to have arguments. I guess we are no different."

"She really not like you being around Iris that much?"

"No, she really doesn't. I don't even think its about Iris. When I was over on her Earth one night she made me have this game night with her, Winn and Lucy and afterward Kara told me Lucy wasn't as much competition without her perfect partner. I asked what she meant. Kara told me Lucy had been dating this James Olsen guy Kara had some sort of crush on before and he invited Lucy to this game night. Apparently they knew everything about each other and it got her pretty down. She wondered a lot if she would ever have anyone who she had that connection with. Kara didn't have many friends, really this Olsen guy, her sister and Winn. I think hearing about Iris and I growing up together, Iris probably brings back those concerns maybe. Anyway something is off about her today. Usually she just changes the subject when Iris comes up but today seeing me with her set her off. She was weird when I called her before and I know something is wrong. Caitlin knows but wouldn't tell me. I just don't know. Apparently Kara didn't even tell Caitlin, Alex did. I wish she would have come to me with whatever it is. Now she is determined that she is going to lose me and lose everything … Joe I don't know what to do. She isn't normally like this."

"Barry you are a nice guy. Everyone around you knows you are a nice guy. You have a smile for everyone, are always wanting to help out, always polite, but I know you and I know there is a lot of rage inside you that you keep bottled up. We all have that and for some of us, we let it out, act moody, snap at people, drink too much, all sorts of methods. Its called having a bad day. But with you and I imagine Kara you both try to be strong and supportive of others all the time I don't think you really let yourselves vent. I mean I have seen you depressed and angry a lot growing up but you have stamped it down. Maybe its unhealthy and its unhealthy for her. Before all this Flash stuff started up after you graduated college the only day I ever saw you really brooding and upset was the day your…"

Joe stopped and his eyes widened as if he had a thought.

"The day my mother was murdered. I know. Its hard to … what?"

"Barry, did Kara ever tell you what day her parents died?"

"No. She said the Earth rotated around the sun at nearly identical speed to Krypton and the dates were broken up by solar cycles, 24 hour days and so forth. She figured out her Earth birthday and things like that. Why?"

"So you don't know when her planet exploded, killing everything and everyone she loved from her childhood?"

"No I never asked… oh man. You think?"

Joe shrugged his shoulders. "It could be one reason why the sunniest person I have ever encountered is feeling angry and depressed and overreacting to things that shouldn't be that big of a deal. Maybe you should go talk to her?"

"If I knew where she was. But she wanted time alone. If I find her and go to her she will probably just be angry."

"Or maybe she would be glad that you are with her. She may not think she wants you there but I would imagine if today is that day, she needs everyone who loves her to remind her that she isn't alone."

Joe walked out while Barry dialed Cisco.

"Hey man you need to get over here."

"I will but first tell me where Kara is. She has her suit on so the GPS should be…"

"She is here dude. She walked in carrying a mini freezer with five gallons of ice-cream on top and went straight to her private room about thirty minutes ago. No one can get her out. Alex tried then she sent Caitlin. Caitlin even used her mean voice to try to get her to open up. Nothing happening."

"I'm on my way."

Ninety seconds later Barry appeared in front of the door to Kara's private room where Alex and Cait sat on the floor, backs to the wall, looking drained.

"She won't come out. We are just going to have to wait her out. She will be better in the morning. This happens every year." Alex whispered.

"So today is the day Krypton was destroyed?" he asked. Both women nodded their heads.

"I should have just told you Barry but I thought she may not want you to see her like this. I didn't expect… Iris called and then Cisco said you two were all over the place and … I'm sorry." Caitlin told him. "I tried ordering her out like Alex told me to do but it didn't work. I think I made the room too secure."

"Its fine Caitlin. Why don't you two go home. I will stay with her tonight."

"She is just going to want to be alone." Alex told him.

"On the day my mother was murdered, I always anted to be alone too. Joe would usually sit with me in my room and tell me we could be alone next to each other. She might think she wants to be alone but she doesn't."

"I'll wait in the control room."" Cait told him and stood up. Alex followed and said the same. Barry pulled his mask on and began vibrating. Soon he was walking through the wall. Once he was safely inside he saw a sight that made his heart shatter. Kara was sitting on the floor back to the wall, mask off and crying silently with her head resting on her knees. A half eaten carton of ice cream was sitting next to her with a spoon still stuck inside it.

Kara knew he was there, no one else could get in. It was too late to regain any dignity from her appearance so she sat hiding her face in her knees and tried to stop the tears. Barry sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry." Kara mumbled. "I had no right to react like that. Its not my place to decide who your friends are. I was just … I just…"

"Today was the day right?"

Kara nodded her head. "Did Alex tell you?"

"No. Joe was concerned about you and when I told him a little about what was going on and how you acted on the phone and later, he reminded me that I have bad days, one in particular the same time every year."

"I'm sorry." Kara told him again.

"I am too."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who acted like a jealous idiot."

"Yeah, but I probably shouldn't have called you an immature girl. I guess I didn't handle the situation in the best way. I wasn't trying to make you jealous. I love you but I won't abandon friends who are like family."

"I know and I shouldn't have asked you too. I guess I'm just scared. For the first time in my life I am feeling like I belong. I have great friends, a great job, I don't feel like I am being forced on Alex or ruining her life. I'm just waiting for it all to drop. I guess things are going to well. Alex wants me to say goodbye to everyone from my old Earth but what if something happens and I get stuck there? What if I can't get back? What if Cisco tries to reopen a breach and he has an aneurism?" What if you can't get to me and you skip to some other world where people want to kill you? I'm scared Barry. Why am I always so scared?"

"You are the bravest person I know. I mean that too. As much as the fight with Savage took out of you, you would be back in his face in a second if he was here. Life has knocked you down a lot and you still smile. Its going to be okay. You won't lose me if I have anything to say about it. You can fly to the Rockies and I will still be there. Just promise me one thing. The next time you are scared and want to be alone, be alone with me."

Kara raised her head with teary eyes and smiled at him. He pulled her closer and kissed her on her forehead.

"Now what do you say we leave the room, take this ice cream, give a carton to Cisco, Cait and Alex to share and we eat the rest?"

"Okay." Kara stood up with Barry and kissed him gently.

"And don't worry about being stuck on another Earth without us. We have talked about it and all of us are going with you and Alex. Cisco, Catilin and me. We all go together. If something happens you know we are smart enough to figure a way back."

"You mean it? Aren't you scared of something happening? What about Joe and…"

"And I will follow you anywhere. You ready to wipe those tears away and wipe out some ice cream?"

"I love you." Kara whispered bringing him into a hug.

He kissed the top of the her head. "I love you Kara. I love you."


	17. Chapter 17

AN- Sorry I couldn't get back to you all last chapter on reviews. FFnet was being a butt. Thank you all for the feedback. I hope you are enjoying the story still. When I started I planned on 20-25 , thats not going to happen. I don't even know how many chapters it is going to end up. We got a lot of ground to cover and I realized tonight this is Chapter 17 and we aren't half way there. Oh well, hope I can keep you interested. Keep reviewing, I love your feedback. Also I won't be updating till probably next Monday or Tuesday which is why I am in a hurry to get this out tonight, so if you see more than my usual mistakes in here that is why. Please forgive me. I have tried to work with betas before but I unfortunately lack patience or have not had good experiences with some. So mistakes will be made, others will be blamed, you know the story. Oh my daughter is graduating High School this weekend so that is why I won't be updating this weekend. Also I have had some questions about other stories I have written. I have about 21 stories on here under the name BetterinTexas, if any are interested. I made this account because I kinda got wore out and wanted to start fresh with a new fandom and I have to say superheroes are so fun to write. On with the story!

Chapter 17

Kara sat at her desk, trying to decide the nicest way to inform the PR team to scrap everything they had because it was utter crap and try again. Unfortunately she was failing. It was late, darkness had already fallen but this was nothing new to the blonde. She had often stayed late into the night with Cat, but unless there was someone who needed saving she really had nothing better to do. Unless it was game night, which towards the end of her time there had stopped being fun, it was either watch TV with Alex or go to the DEO and hang out, waiting for something to happen.

Now she did have better things to do. Alex had really loosened up since she had arrived here. She acted as if she was much lighter, and even smiled more. The last two days since Nyssa had been back, she was particularly happy, probably because she was training. Despite the lightness in her step, Alex loved to fight. Even Barry was beginning to enjoy it now that he had stopped breaking his knuckles every time he hit something. Nyssa worked with Kara in the afternoon. Despite not figuring out a way to infuse her body with enough red solar energy through a small bracelet to counter the yellow sunlight yet, Cisco and Dr. Stein had converted one of the unused rooms at the lab into a red sun room. The red of the room was weird at first but she felt completely human every single time Nyssa hit her. She felt human a lot. Her chin felt human when Nyssa's fist hit it, her stomach felt human when Nyssa's knee made contact and her butt felt human every time she landed on it.

Nyssa was turning into a surprise. She was actually really funny and helpful, surprisingly patient and not nearly as rough as she could be. The two would begin working with some type of sticks tomorrow. That would probably be bad for Kara and she mentally prepared herself for quite a few blows to the head with sticks instead of Nyssa's foot but that was alright. She knew this was good for her, she needed these skills. What Alex had taught her was a great help but even Alex admitted Nyssa was another level of badass.

Barry and her had suffered no ill repercussions of her momentary lapse of judgement and basic petulant fit she had thrown. He acted as if it had never happened, only to remind her every now and then that he was there if she ever needed to talk or just be by herself with someone near.

She really wanted to see him now, but she also felt an obligation to do the job she was being paid for. Although she had managed the construction crews, lawyers, insurance executives and concerned board members, Kara had ignored the PR department, other than briefings on how the attack was being perceived by the public. Now that she had a chance to look at the proposed marketing plans for the spinal chip there was concern. Instead of focusing on the miracle of treating many types of spinal injuries, the PR team wanted to focus on the technical aspects. To read the proposed press releases, one would think Palmer Tech were turning injured people into cyborgs. The FDA and medical boards would be suspicious from the start. In Kara's mind using these chips to walk was no different than using a pacemaker to live. The nanites were a bit of an issue and the concerns of what would happen if thousands of tiny microbots got into the blood stream and organs were a legitimate concern that the medical and technical experts would have to explain to the governing bodies of medicine but that was not her job. Her job was to showcase the work Felicity, Curtis and Ray had done in a positive light so they weren't fighting an uphill battle before the war had even begun.

Kara was pretty certain she had taken this job to manage a calendar and fetch coffee because Felicity felt sorry for her. Apparently the woman was actually putting a lot of faith in her and Kara would not let her down.

Speaking of the powerful CEO who was an IT nerd at heart, here she was, emerging from the makeshift R&D lab in their temporary offices.

"Hey Kara, how's it going?"

"According to the PR team you are a cyborg."

"I could have told them that long ago. Listen I really need a favor."

Kara looked up and noticed that Felicity had sort of a manic look in her eye.

"You are my boss. It;s technically not a favor. Whatever you need let me know."

"I need you to fly, quickly."

"Okay…"

"Oliver, Dig and Thea were chasing some gun smugglers in Star City to the airport. They reached the plane and like an idiot Oliver jumped on board, so like loyal idiots, Thea and John jumped in as well. There was a fight of course and the plane sustained some major damage and they are probably going to crash and die."

Kara was in her suit in less than five seconds.

"Which direction and how far away?"

"Wow… that was…" Felicity shook her head. " About 200 miles North, coming this way. Cisco will patch you in to Curtis."

Kara took off heading north and was fifty miles away when she heard the unfamiliar voice of her future boss whenever Felicity decided to stop avoiding her feelings.

"Uh, hello?"

"Hi."

"Is this Kara… uh I mean Super…"

"Kara is fine. Is this Curtis?"

"Oh my God, I can't believe I am talking to you. I am a huge fan. I bought your new action figure today, the one with the cape which is totally awesome by the way. I understand we are going to be working together at some point. It is going to be so amazing. I know the Cisco guy isn't big on letting anyone touch you and the Flash's suits but I have so many ideas girl… I mean woman. I know you don't like to be called girl, it was just a figure of speech…"

"Uh, its nice to meet you and all but don't I have a plane to catch? Like literally catch?"

"Oh right. I have you on radar, turn left… no your other left. Sorry my left, your right…"

While Kara took direction from the world's worst air traffic controller, Oliver Queen was having a bad night. After jumping on board during take off after telling Thea and Diggle to stay back, he landed in a cargo hold with six gun toting men. Dispatching them was easy enough, until he was momentarily distracted by his sister taking one out and Dig shooting another in the shoulder, causing the man's automatic rifle to go wild. Oliver jumped on Thea, saving her from a spray of bullets that unfortunately went through the hull and into engine number 1. Another brave soul tried to stand, forcing Oliver to fire a knock out bolt, and that man's automatic rifle fired through the hull on the other side, striking engine number 2. Down half the engines, the plane was also having difficulty keeping level. At some point one engine exploded and damaged the stabilizers on the aircraft. Thea and Oliver ran to the cockpit only to discover the pilot had been shot by a stray bullet. After Dig had secured the smugglers in the cargo hold he walked into the cockpit to find a very worried Oliver Queen.

"Uh, Oliver, whats going on?"

"Whats going on is while I asked my little sister to stay on the runway with you, the two of you hopped onto a plane that is severely damaged and probably going to crash."

"Have you told Curtis? My com fell out back on the ground." Dig told him.

"No, Curtis is the polar opposite of cool under pressure and unless he can hack into a thirty year old plane and repair a couple engines and a stabilizer plus probably a rear flap, he isn't going to be much help. Look for parachutes for you and Thea. I'm going to try and crash land."

"Crash you mean… whoa." Thea yelled as the plane tipped.

"Relax. I have been in worse situations in the air before. This isn't that big of a deal." Oliver lied.

"Then why do you want me and Dig to find parachutes?"

"Because there is a good chance this plane will be a burning pile of scrap metal in the next five minutes. Now move!"

"Don't tell me what to do! Maybe you are forgetting who pays our bills? If you are staying I'm staying."

"Speedy, damn it! Can't you… Dig, could you please?"

"Please what? Try to force your samurai sister into a parachute and throw her out a plane? Yeah we are staying so land this thing in one piece."

Oliver gritted his teeth.

"I can't. I'm doing the best I can to maintain altitude but we are falling and there is a small mountain range ahead. I think. The radar is ancient and I can't see worth a damn but…"

"Thats a mountain ahead." Thea pointed out. "Maybe you can't see but I can. It's a damn mountain. Pull the plane up Ollie, Pul it up now."

"Thea what do you want me to do? Get out and push it up? Find a parachute!"

"We don't have time for that. Drop it Oliver. Maybe we can survive a rough landing on the ground." Dig suggested. "We definitely aren't surviving flying into the side of a mountain."

Oliver saw the wisdom in his words and while it was a long shot it was also the only shot they had. He tried to slow the speed and descend only to find he had lost all controls.

"This isn't good."

"No kidding Ollie! Plane down, plane up, plane anywhere but the side of that mountain!" Thea ordered.

The mountain came into view and Oliver pulled his sister tight. They were seconds away from slamming into the rock when the plane rose dramatically in the air. Dig opened his eyes, followed by Oliver and Thea.

"Ollie? Did you do that?" she asked.

"Nope." All three looked out the window but saw nothing. Clear of the mountain, the plane began a slow descent reaching bottom and touching nearly down then dropping the final six feet as Kara stepped from under the plane. Considering what could have happened, the woman felt they could survive a six foot drop, so she didn't have to roll out from under the plane.

Oliver, Thea and Dig opened up the cargo hold and walked out, to see a caped woman hovering in the air above them.

"Oliver Queen, you have failed this plane!"

Dig snickered, followed by Thea's laughing. Oliver was not.

Kara landed in front of the trio and hugged Thea who launched herself into the blonde's arms.

"Thank you so much. How did you know?"

"Curtis called Felicity and I was in the office. Curtis gave me directions. Sort of. How are you doing Oliver?"

"Fine Kara. Thank you for the assist."

"Assist? Like I assisted you into not crashing into the mountain? I think you mean to say thank you Kara for saving me." Superwoman pointed out. Oliver let out a breath and pulled up his mask, giving the bubbly blonde a smile.

"Thank you Kara for saving us."

"Now was that so hard?" Kara opened her arms for a hug but Oliver stepped back.

"I'm not much of a hugger."

"You hug everybody. I could make you. I could point out that you are eighty miles from Central City and unless you just want Thea and your friend to have a ride home on that pile of metal while you are left behind you will hug me. Now."

Oliver, not feeling like walking eighty miles to Central City and having to spend the night, or day or tomorrow night by the time he actually arrived, on Barry's couch, walked up and hugged the blonde.

"So the cape is new. It's a good look for you." he commented.

"It was my cousin's baby blanket. Really good for protecting people from explosions."

Diggle approached her and offered his hand.

"I've seen you before but we have never been properly introduced. I was there when Wilson and Savage attacked Felicity and you turned Savage into a satellite. John Diggle. My friends call me Dig. I hope you will too."

Kara recognized the name instantly and had heard much about the man, all of it good. Felicity raved about how great of a guy he was and like a big brother to her. Still she was leery. She shook his hand and mumbled a nice to meet you then turned back to Thea. Before she could say a word, Dig had his hand on her shoulder.

"Could you do me a favor? I would really like to talk to you, alone? Just for a minute."

Before Kara could say no, Oliver and Thea had moved back into the plane, to secure the prisoners and see who was injured and how many were shot by their own comrades.

"Wow, look at that. All alone. I suppose I will have to thank Thea… for giving us time alone."

"Sorry, but I just wanted a moment of your time. Oliver and Thea, Felicity, even Sara filled me in on what happened back over … where you came from. I understand you know who my wife is and what she does for a living."

"Yeah, I may have heard something." Kara said, trying to sound casual and probably failing miserably.

"You saved our lives tonight. I get to see my daughter again because you saved us. I realize when something like what happened to you occurs it can give you trust issues. The three of us have been lied to and betrayed by others, even by each other so many times we have had to work through a lot of trust issues. The thing that holds us together is we are family. Oliver and I have had our rough patches but he is more of a brother to me than my actual brother was. I won't try to make you believe me, I couldn't, but I hope Lyla and I can prove to you one day that A.R.G.U.S. isn't like the DEO. Before she took over, I would have told you they were corrupt as hell and to stay far away from them. But that was because of the woman at the top. She is dead now. Lyla has never gone after nor will ever go after someone like Barry who is doing so much good in the world and that includes you too. I'm not a part of her organization but Oliver and I help out occasionally when asked. Oliver has many reasons not to trust A.R.G.U.S. but he put those to rest with Amanda Waller. I just want you to know you are safe. Nobody is going to come after you. You have all of us in their way if anyone tries. I hope you can come to consider me a friend. I realize trust takes time to build but I hope you are willing to try."

Kara recognized the sincerity in his voice. She had never actually spoken to the man but every one who had talked about what a great guy he was. She didn't think he would lie. Oliver wouldn't trust him if he was that kind of person.

"I would like us to be friends Dig." Kara told him, taking his hand.

"Good." He told her with a big, warm smile you wouldn't expect to see in such an intimidating man, "Next time you come to Star you can babysit Sara."

"Huh? Why would Sara need…"

"My daughter Sara."

"You want me to babysit your daughter?" She asked, wondering why.

"I can't imagine who she would be safer with than Superwoman. If letting you hang with my only baby girl for a night doesn't show you how much trust we have in you I don't know what will." John pulled the surprised heroine for a hug and walked to the back of the plane as Oliver was walking out.

"So how are things in Central City?" he asked.

"Felicity is doing fine." Kara answered, cutting to the chase. Oliver dropped his head at being so obvious.

"How are you and Barry doing? I heard you had a rough day a couple days ago."

Oliver couldn't see the blush on Kara's cheeks in the darkness and she was grateful for that.

"Who told you?"

"I have my sources."

Kara stared at him for a moment.

"Felicity was worried. She cares about you a lot. We all do. I'm not much of a talker but if you ever need to vent, I'm here. Barry, Ray, Sara, Thea, they can tell you I'm a good listener, just not so good at advice. I can't imagine losing what you have lost on such a grand scale so young and even later but I do know something about loss. I don't handle it well and maybe I can tell you my mistakes sometime."

"Thanks Oliver."

"How is your sister doing?"

"Good. She is going to stay. I think training with Nyssa is really helping her adjust, giving her something to do until she decides what she wants to do in the world. Nyssa is helping me and Barry out as well. Alex is thinking of talking to Joe but doesn't want to make any decisions until we come back. She talked me into going back to say bye to everyone from my old Earth and giving her mother, my foster Mom I guess you could say, the opportunity to come with us. That was what the whole inter dimensional breach thing they were working on was about. Eliza wanted to get her and Alex to where I was and stay if I wanted to stay. Its a little overwhelming. I didn't think…"

"You have a lot more people who love you than you know Kara. When are you taking this day trip?"

"A couple of days actually. We plan to have Cisco try and open the breach again in two days and will take some time while I stay out of sight, for Alex to pick up our belongings, give Eliza some time to think about what she wants to do and then we are on our way back, provided everything works out the way we hope."

"Cisco and Caitlin are going too?"

Kara nodded.

"Thea and I have talked about this and we want to come with you."

Kara opened her mouth to argue but Oliver stopped her. "Just hear me out. I've been there. I have no doubt that the Martian and your cousin have the best intentions. Your adopted mother as well. But this Max Lord? I don't trust him and I know you don't either. There are a whole lot of armed guards and this is the one Earth that can and almost has killed you. It's going to be an emotional reunion and your guard is going to be down. I have no doubt you and Barry can protect yourselves and Alex can take care of herself and any dangers as well but you are all heroes, none of you are killers."

"You aren't either Oliver."

"Yes I am. Before I met Felicity killing was as easy as breathing for me. Thea has quite a bit of blood on her hands as well. I am not proud of that and have done my best to change but sometimes killing is necessary. I had to kill an enemy not long before you arrived on this Earth and my only regret is I was only able to kill him once. If someone tries to hurt you or Barry, either Thea or I can put an arrow through their eye faster than either of you can react. Let us come with you Kara."

"Oliver, after your last adventure some people may not be happy to see you."

Oliver shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "I've seen your cousin in action and your martian surrogate father. I'll take Superwoman on my side every time."

"You aren't going to take no for an answer are you?"

"I tend not to. Stubbornness is part of my charm."

"Its not that charming. You realize if something goes wrong, this is a big risk. Felicity…"

"Has her own life to lead and I have mine. Thea has hers. I'm pretty certain Alex only really hates Sara. So two days, what time do we leave?"

"8 AM."

Oliver nodded. "We will be there. Now you really think you can lift this plane and fly us all the way back to Star City? I wouldn't want Dr. Snow angry at me for overtaxing you."

Kara rolled her eyes until the com broke in. Caitlin's voice.

"Kara we need you. Barry is hurt, bad. Hurry."

"It's Barry." Kara told the Arrow. Before he could say go the wind nearly blew him back as she lifted off into the sky. A sonic boom seconds later told the three she was gone.

"What happened?" Thea asked running out of the plane.

"Barry. I guess he has been hurt, judging by the look on her face. Call Lyla and ask her for a couple helicopters. We need one for the prisoners and one to get us to Central City, as soon as we can."

While Kara was keeping Team Arrow from becoming window dressing on the side of a mountain, Barry had been working late at the station, waiting for Kara's text that she was leaving the office. The fight the two had two days ago had shaken him. While he realized that the two would fight, especially if she was a permanent fixture in his life, he wasn't secure enough to know if it had caused a rift between them. Kara was convinced she was in the wrong and a part of him agreed but he wondered about how she would react to what he said. He never should have called her immature or a girl. She had risked her life countless times, nearly dying trying to save people and making a difference in the world, even nearly sacrificing her life to stop the extinction of the human race. He should have asked about important dates. He knew her birthday but not the most tragic day of her life. She knew the date of his mother's murder.

Barry received a text message on his it out he saw it was Joe asking him to call immediately. Barry hit the call button on contacts and he picked up immediately.

"Got a problem. A gentleman who is unidentified at this time is in a restaurant right now. He sat down and the waiter informed him a bomb was under the chair and the second he stood it was going off. He has been sitting on this thing for an hour. Looks like the same set up as Patty's when she was taken but this is no concussion bomb Barry. Large blast radius and serious set up. The bomb squad has been looking at it for a while but can't figure out how to stop it. I called Kara but Felicity said she is doing her a favor, out of town."

"Why did you call Kara first?" Barry asked, trying not to sound offended.

"Because she is bomb proof and you aren't, maybe? Just an idea."

"I'm on my way, where are you?"

"Martin's Steakhouse."

Thirty seconds later Barry had arrived in full Flash regalia. Joe pulled him to the side, even as other cops breathed a sigh of relief. Quite a few male officers were disappointed that Superwoman hadn't shown up. She was popular at the station. Partly because of her good deeds and partly because she was hot.

"Barry the guy isn't a lightweight. He can sit for a while longer. Why don't we wait for Kara?" Joe whispered.

"I can pull him out of the chair and get out before the bomb has a chance to detonate." Barry argued, getting annoyed at Joe's lack of faith in him and the fact that while Kara was bomb proof they could still hurt her and she shouldn't be put at risk anymore than was necessary.

"Barry…"

"Joe we are not going to use Kara every time something like this happens. She is not untouchable. We have no idea what effect a bomb going off in her face would have on her and I am not risking finding out. She isn't all powerful no matter what people think. She can be hurt and has been hurt. I got this. I've outrun an explosion before."

"Okay, I trust you. We have removed everyone from the area. The bomb squad says it is packing quite a punch and this one has thermal triggers. Any extreme temperature changes and it blows."

"It's the same guy from the apartment building. He must have seen Kara freeze it or the bomb come out as an ice cube and made modifications."

"Most likely. The Feds are going to have some explaining to do. I'll get some guys to knock out the window in the front. You are going to have to grab him, jump back out the window and run at least a block. He weighs at least three hundred pounds. You sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." If this guy made concessions for Kara interfering who knew what other tricks he had for her.

Joe patted Barry on the back and the police force backed off, moving two blocks away. All civilians had been evacuated.

Barry took a deep breath and thought of the best exit strategy. He could back up, three blocks away, phase through the wall, grab the man, and jump out of the window, then run. He had the tachyon device, now miniaturized thanks to Dr. Stein and Cisco and knew he could move faster than Zoom had. Out running an explosion shouldn't be a problem.

Barry ran back past the police who recognized what he was doing and cleared a path. Lightning flashed across his eyes and he moved, vibrating, streaking, prepared to phase through the wall grab the man and jump then run. His momentum should give him all the strength he needed to carry the potential victim out of harm's way. While running towards the restaurant everything seemed in slow motion. He saw the fear in the man's eyes, his hands on the seat of his chair as if pushing himself down on it. Flash closed within 20 feet when his world exploded. The bomb had gone off early.

Detonator was Barry's last thought before he blacked out. The blast disintegrated the man in the chair instantly and threw the Flash back across the street into a car, pushing the door in with his body. His vertebrae cracked, his head hit the back of the car and shrapnel that had been planted in the bomb was stuck in his body, large six inch pieces of very shape metal blades, one dangerously near his heart. The suit had saved his body from burns but did no good against the deadly objects. Not only was his chest struck but also both legs and his abdomen, causing internal bleeding.

Back at S.T.A.R. Caitlin panicked. Barry's chest camera and vital monitoring were completely destroyed as was the com in his ear. Having no way to know what had happened, only that the bomb had gone off before Barry reached the restaurant. Ray Palmer who had been watching, jumped into his suit, grabbed a frantic Cait who had grabbed her medical bag, and flew.

"Patch me through to Kara." Cait told Ray as the two moved over buildings to the scene. The flames were incredibly hot, the entire block seemed on fire but that did not stop the two. Police, and especially a frantic Joe who had not seen Barry emerge as expected moved forward until the burning cars on the street that had been blown into the street leading to the block stopped them.

While Barry lay slumped against the car, and Kara flew faster than she ever had in her life. Caitlin and Ray landed. The heat was causing her skin to redden but it did not matter.

She and Ray rushed to Barry, oblivious to the man in the turnout suit who was walking through the flames and debris towards them.

Ray felt a shot in his back, protected by his suit but the force throwing him in front of Caitlin. He grabbed her and moved her to the hot asphalt immediately, covering her body with his while she fought him to get to Barry. Once she was low, Ray turned around and found a steel pipe hitting his face under the mask, the only weak spot on his suit. The blow dazed him for a moment, while Caitlin lay trapped under him once again.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" she asked the man who she could now see was wearing a black leather hood over his fire proof suit and had a gun in his hand.

"Just someone who owes some people justice. Freddy Sloan should consider himself lucky my friend didn't find him first. I can't have these heroes getting in my way. Too bad the girl didn't show up as well."

Cait noticed the man had a gun for the first time, the gunshot she heard must be what caused Ray to fall on her a second raised it towards Barry. Cait screamed.

She heard the gunshot, fearing the worst until the man fell to the ground. Another shot and his head exploded.

Alex Danvers was behind him, smoking gun in hand, face covered in soot and covered in sweat from the heat.

"Ray, can you stand?" Alex yelled.

Ray shook his head to clear the fuzziness and slowly stood.

"Get Barry out of here to S.T.A.R. We are right behind you."

Ray nodded his head and gently picked Barry up, knowing however he moved the man, he would do more damage but not having a choice. A.T.O.M shot into the air, Barry in his arms, while Alex pulled Cait up to her feet.

"Follow me!" Alex ordered. Cait had gone twenty feet, the pavement so hot it had begun to stick to her shoes, when Alex turned to the right. She was leading them through cars until Caitlin nearly gave out. Wrapping her arm around the woman's shoulder, Alex half guided and half dragged Cait though the danger zone, never losing her strength, moving like a woman possessed. The two reached a motorcycle two blocks away. Fire engines were moving in but Alex did not bother to stop. She sat on a black Ducati and helped Caitlin up, wrapping the woman's arms around her waist.

"Do not let go Cait!"

"Where did you get a motorcycle?" Caitlin asked, half dazed.

"I stole it. Hang on, Barry needs you. Don't pass out on me now."

Alex took off, driving at speeds that would get her arrested if any cop could catch her, taking tight turns, making Caitlin want to puke. Within minutes they were at the lab. Alex helped Caitlin inside where they both found Barry, his suit half torn off, Cisco working with a knife to cut around the shrapnel.

"I think he broke his back again Caitlin!" Cisco told her, trying to stay calm under pressure. Felicity ran in, phone in her hand, talking to someone. Cait did her best to stand against the table.

"Get Cait water! Ray! Get her water! Cisco we need fluids, a lot of fluids. IV bags, saline, you must have some here right?" Alex asked.

"Ye… yeah."

"Then go!" Alex leaned next to Caitlin. "You okay? Can you do this? I can pack around the shrapnel. What do we need to do first?" she asked calmly. This was not the first time Alex Danvers had been in a situation like this. It was only the second time she had killed someone and felt no regret at all. Whoever that was deserved to die. He was about to take the most important person in her sister's life and she could not allow that. Once Barry's camera went off line and Ray took off with Caitlin, Alex ran, finding a Ducati thankfully next to a law firm not far away and hot wired it. Once she arrived she could barely make out Ray but saw the man with the gun. Alex still had her gun she had jumped through the breach with and fired with no hesitation. Now looking at Barry, Alex wondered if the man had actually succeeded in killing him.

"Fluids, I need an IV set up. No Two IVs. He is, he is burnt. I need this suit off. The whole thing. Can you cut it off Alex?" Caitlin asked, coming out of her heat induced stupor.

"I can." Nyssa told the group, walking out with a very sharp knife. Within seconds Barry was down to his boxers and everyone gasped at the bruising on his body.

Caitlin managed one IV while Alex placed the other, one in each arm. Cisco returned with the saline bags.

"We need to remove the shrapnel but I have to determine if any arteries were knocked or cut. He could bleed out if I remove one that is lodged and preventing him from bleeding out. I need an X Ray machine. Cisco, get the X Ray machine!"

Cisco ran until he was nearly knocked over by a flying blue streak in the hall. Kara arrived and slid to a stop next to Barry.

Kara screamed in anger and horror. Barry looked dead and was barely breathing. Alex grabbed her by her shoulders and tried to shake her sister's incredibly strong frame.

"Kara focus! I need you to look at the shrapnel with your X Ray vision and see if any arteries were cut. Can you do that for me?"

Kara continued to stare at Barry, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Kara! Snap out of it! Barry needs you. Use your X ray vision!" Alex yelled, trying to focus her little sister who did not do well when those close to her were injured.

Kara nodded her head and looked. The shrapnel in his chest came dangerously close to his heart, but missed by an inch. The shrapnel in his abdomen pierced his stomach and another knicked his kidney. The ones in his legs were lodged into muscle. Kara relayed the information to Caitlin who nodded, chugged half a bottle of water, poured the other half over her head and told everyone to give her room.

"Alex stay. You have experience with trauma?"

"A little. I've bandaged and field treated other agents when things got rough."

"Stay here. I need an assistant." Caitlin looked at Kara who met her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." the blonde told her best friend.

While Cait opened Barry up, first his chest to remove the dangerous shrapnel next to his heart, Kara continued her X ray of Barry's body. His skull was cracked in the back and four vertebra were smashed.

"He's been hurt worse and healed Kara. He will be okay, I swear to you. His cells are already repairing the damage around his heart. I need to remove the shrapnel in his stomach now. Alex can you remove the shrapnel from his legs? I am going to have to spend a lot of time here. There are smaller pieces inside him. Kara, keep X raying his body." Caitlin ordered.

Three hours later, Barry's stomach and chest had begun to heal. Joe had arrived frantic of course but was held back by Ray, who explained that Caitlin was working and needed space. Iris arrived and wrapped herself in her father's arms as they arched from a window outside the room.

Kara was happy to see the crack in Barry's skull had closed but his vertebrae were not aligning correctly. Kara told Caitlin about this.

"I'll have to deal with that when the bleeding is completely stopped. That happened last time he broke his back. I know how to align it. He will be sore for a few days and then be as good as new so just relax, Kara."

Everyone but the three women surrounding Barry heard a helicopter land outside, and within minutes, Oliver, Thea, Diggle and Lyla who had picked the three up were inside. Diggle ran to the table while Oliver grabbed Felicity who wrapped herself around him and began the situation was in hand, Dig walked outside the room and noted Ray Palmer was sitting down, watching intently with an ice pack on his jaw. He must have taken one where the plexiglass mask ended, right on the chin. Dig and Oliver got a report from Ray as to what happened. Oliver agreed with Joe's guess that the bomb went off early in an attempt to lure Barry or Kara, likely both, into a trap. Oliver was grimly satisfied to find out the bomber was killed by an unknown good samaritan who happened to be walking through the blast zone with a gun. Ray told them all in no uncertain terms, Barry Allen and most likely Caitlin and himself would be dead if not for Alex. Nyssa stood silently in a corner watching, worried about Barry, hurting to see Kara in this state but also pleased with Alex's actions. As she suspected the woman was a warrior, who was prepared to do what was necessary to protect her loved ones.

After four hours Cait had Barry in traction, directing Kara on how to pop his vertebrae back into alignment. Even though she was sure he would wake up in pain, with each movement of her fingers on his back, Barry never did.

"Why isn't he waking up?" she asked.

"I have been giving him sedatives continuously through his IV to keep him asleep. He needs to rest and doesn't need to be awake for this. Since I don't have anesthesia this is the best I can do. He burns through it so quickly I am worried we will run out." Caitlin explained.

During this time, Felicity had not left Oliver's arms, thoughts of how close Oliver had come to death many times including tonight, thoughts of Laurel telling everyone she was okay, only to die moments later, memories of Sara's body in the lair, arrows still in her while Laurel cried over her sister's body. Thea stood next to Nyssa while Diggle and Lyla held onto each other. Ray was pacing until Dr. Stein and his wife, followed by Jax arrived and he explained what was going on.

Oliver watched Kara with great sadness knowing what she must be going through. Joe and Iris continued to hold onto each other. Cisco stood alone, face pressed against the glass, wishing he could do something, trying to think of ways to prevent this from happening again, to take his mind of his friend who still hadn't woken. Cait was holding bandages over his cuts, knowing when he healed the cuts would close up too quickly for her to remove the stitches. She had barely removed Kara's in time.

Finally Alex walked away from the table, Caitlin whispered something into Kara's ear and she nodded, then Caitlin was walking away. She gave a weak thumbs up but there was no smile. She had done all she could and knew it was enough. Barry would take it from here. His incisions had already healed, Kara could see no more shrapnel in his body nor any misalignment of his spine. She continued to stand by him. Alex washed her face then went back to the table to wrap her arm around Kara who was holding onto Barry's hand. Caitlin, cleaned up and drinking a bottle of water, returned with a bottle for Alex. After a final check, the two left Kara alone but not before the blonde thanked both of them, Caitlin for saving him and Alex for killing the bastard who did this and saving them all.

Kara took her cape off and lay it over Barry, tucking it under his chin.

No one slept that night, not one left the lab. Around 4 AM, Iris hesitantly walked into the room where Kara had not moved, standing like a protective sentinel over the Flash, read to kill anyone she did not recognize.

She heard Iris walk up but didn't look at her.

"Would you like a chair?" Iris asked her. Kara nodded her head. When Iris turned Kara spoke.

"Bring two. You are his best friend. You deserve to be here next to him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. He is going to want to see both of us when he wakes up. I really don't mind. It's probably time we put all this past us and focus on what is important, don't you think?"

Iris nodded, relieved and hurried to grab two chairs. Despite his worry and exhaustion, Joe smiled seeing his daughter and the woman he had no doubt would be his daughter in law one day, sitting next to Barry, covered in a blanket from another planet.

At 7 AM, Barry opened his eyes to see Kara and Iris sitting next to whatever this was he was laying on. Memories of the night before began flooding his mind, the hit he took, the bomber must have been watching him. He never had a chance to get to the man in the chair.

"I'm alive. Cool." he mumbled.

Kara chuckled a bit but Barry could see how red her eyes were. How long had she been crying? Iris gave him a huge smile.

"Good to see you up slacker. I'll give you two some time." Iris stood up, patted Kara's back and walked off.

"You must have thought I was dying, if you two are getting along." he laughed and tried to sit up before the pain in his back stopped him. Wincing he laid back down and noted he had Kara's cape laid over him.

"I thought you were going to die. You can't do that Barry. You can't leave me. You can't leave all of us."

"I'm sorry Kara, but you know this is what we do."

"We do not run into traps! I'm the one who can't be hurt by things like bombs and shrapnel. I'm the one who should be doing those things, not you!"

"Hey, I didn't have a choice." Barry argued.

"Really? You couldn't have waited fifteen minutes? I understand the man wasn't going anywhere."

"Maybe I don't want to take a chance of you having a bomb blow up in your face. Have you thought that I need you as much as you need me? This is what we do and I made a mistake. I should have thought there could be a detonator. But the bomb squad didn't see it and if I had gone to look myself whoever it was that did this would have blown the bomb anyway."

"You should have waited. You can't bring me back to life to leave me alone." Kara began crying once more, and Barry did sit up despite the pain to touch her cheek.

"I'm sorry. Next time I wait, okay? But…"

'No buts. Just wait, please? I could have flown around and seen if anyone was around, I could have kept my hand on the pressure sensor, if there hadn't been a detonator… I could have done a lot of things or maybe nothing but I am made to take blasts, to handle the heavy stuff."

"Stop it. You aren't made to be anything but you. Stop talking about yourself as an asset. I didn't want to see you running towards a bomb, whether you could have survived or not. There was no way to know if a blast that big would have wiped out your cells and the fire could have burned you. I'm not going to apologize for loving you and wanting to protect you."

"This is the life I chose Barry."

"The life we chose. I am going to take as many risks as you. I'm sorry, I should have waited, Joe wanted me to wait but if not for that detonator I could have outrun the blast and you know it. I screwed up."

"Just don't leave me. Please, you have to be more careful."

"I will. My back really hurts. And my head. And my chest and…everything happened to me?"

"What didn't happen to you? You broke your back again."

"Do we have any idea who did this?"

"Joe said the police are working on an ID. Cait and Ray were the first to get to you. He shot Ray in his suit but then hit him in the face with a steel bar. I suppose he did his homework on the ATOM too. He told Cait that he couldn't have heroes getting in the way of his revenge. He was about to shoot you."

"What happened? Is Cait okay? Ray? Did you show up?"

"He's dead. Alex killed him, shot him before he could shoot you then Ray brought you here while Alex got Cait out of the blast area. Everyone is here. Most of them are crashed out in the lab somewhere. They all fell asleep about an hour ago, except for Iris and me."

"Alex came to the blast area? Didn't she know how dangerous that was?"

"Yeah she did. I'm not the only badass in my family. Caitlin is pretty awesome too, swooping in to save you and if Ray could have carried two, Cisco would have been there. Ray took a steel bar to the face for you. By the way, Alex stole a motorcycle and shot a guy in the back and head then left the scene so if you could make any evidence collected disappear we would both appreciate it."

Barry laughed quietly. "Lucky for her I know people. I think between me and Joe we can keep her covered."

Kara leaned over and kissed the man, resting her head on his and crying again. Barry wrapped his arms around her and held her close, hating to know how much he had scared her but not knowing what other option he could have had. She understood too, he knew she did. She knew he had to do it, even if it killed him. But feeling her warm tears on his face made him rethink his whole approach.

Kara picked up her head and wiped her eyes. "Someone wants to see you. I'll give you a moment. I won't be far. Just say my name and I will hear you no matter where I am."

Kara walked away leaving Barry ton wonder who was still up. Deciding it must be Iris, he groaned when Oliver Queen walked into the room.

"Good morning Barry. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell."

"Cool… I mean awful. So you aren't up for a run yet?"

Oliver was smiling. This couldn't be good.

"No, not feeling much like running Oliver."

"Good. Then you can lay there under your girlfriend's cape and we can have another talk about casing areas, doing your homework, expecting the unexpected. Maybe you will listen this time so you don't have to see Kara look like I saw her look last night. Neither of us wants that, do we Barry?"

"No… you aren't going to shoot me with arrows again, are you?"

Oliver patted Barry on the shoulder causing him to grimace.

"It is a definite possibility."


	18. Chapter 18

I do not own CW or DC characters.

Okay, first thank you for all the support this story has gotten. It is obviously AU, and may include metahuman characters from Earth 2, and characters from Earth 3, Earth 2 characters may not be from Earth 2. Who is on what Earth will change as I need them in the story. Answers on how Barry killed Zoom will be given later as far as this story goes but there obviously is no Kid Flash/ Wally West, or Jessie Quick (Wells) as have been portrayed on the show. It is basically me playing with DC characters, setting them in different universes and so forth. In my mind I see Henry Cavill as the Superman here because in my mind he is the only Superman who has ever played the part who has a mean edge to him, that to me, makes him more real. If Batman pops up and I am not saying he will it will be Christian Bale's version because no one in my opinion will ever play the Dark Knight better than him. Much of this story may have time jumps, and focus on Barry and Kara relationship because this is a love story at heart between those two and I love writing them together even if it can get overly sweet at times. That is just the way they are. But action wise there will be others a lot of the time. My goal at the end of this story is too see my own version of the JLA or JSA if you will. Thank you for all the reviews. They are keeping me going and I am having so much fun. To the guest reviewer who I couldn't respond to because you are a guest, to answer your concern about Barry being kind of weak power wise in the story. I am trying to portray him as he is in the show and Barry right now has a lot of weaknesses. Just like Kara grew in power from episode 1 to the end of the season I believe Barry has become stronger from the pilot until now but still has a ways to go. I read a message board once where a member argued that the Flash because of his ability to move at near light speed (and faster in some cases) is the most powerful character in the DC universe. I happen to agree based off the comic version. But right now, the Barry Allen from TV that this is based on isn't there yet in my opinion. He is still a work in progress and getting better every season. So is Kara for that matter. So if he doesn't seem as strong as he should be right now, that is why. Okay on with the story.

Chapter 18

"Mom?"

"I'm here Kara."

Kara Zor El gazed longingly at her mother, so close she could simply reach out and touch her. She could feel her mother's hand on her head, her fingers running through her hair, just like when she was a girl.

"I'm lost Mom." Kara told her, "Aunt Astra is dead. I nearly died. I should have died so many times. Why am I still here?"

"I don't know Kara. You should be dead. You can't escape death forever. It will find you. It finds us all."

"Mom?"

"How many Earths do you think you can hide in before Rao's light finally calls you home Kara? How many people will die protecting you? You were sent to protect Kal El. Where is he? How can you protect him, hiding from everyone?" Alura asked her daughter.

"I'm not hiding. I didn't have a choice. I would have died."

"You should have died. You have no home. Why do you keep fighting?" she asked, fingers still running so gently through her daughter's hair, her voice soft but authoritative, as Kara remembered.

"I keep fighting for the ones I love." Kara told her.

"If you love them you would leave. No one is safe around you my daughter. Not Alex, Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, or even Kal El. Eliza wants to follow you to another world. She is ready to give up all she has ever known for you. She thinks she is your mother but we know better don't we?"

"She is… you are too, but she loves me. Alex loves me. Alex came for me. Barry came for me. Eliza is trying to get to me. They love me."

"And they will leave you. You will always be left, just a lost little orphan without a home. It is your destiny to be alone until you die."

"I'm not alone!" Kara yelled, pulling back from her mother in anger.

"Do you see anyone here? It is just the two of us. Barry will leave you, Alex will have her own life one day and realize what all she has given up for you and the time she has wasted. Kal El has turned from the hero he was into a killer because of you. Alex was right, he has become unhinged. You my beloved Kara, bring destruction to every life you touch."

"I've saved people. I've saved a lot of people here." she argued.

"And they will turn on you as well, one day. It is a matter of time. Will you die on your knees as last time or in the cold darkness of space? How many will die trying to save you? Felicity Smoak? Oliver and Thea Queen? Caitlin? Alex? Barry? How many must give up there lives so you can continue your lonely existence?"

"I'm not lonely and they won't die! I can protect them."

"Like you protected Barry?"

"Shut up! I wasn't there! I had no idea and I would have protected him if I did!"

"They are going to follow you back to the Earth you should have died on. They are going to be hunted because of you."

"No…no they won't. No one will know we are there."

"Max Lord will know."

"No… he doesn't matter because…"

"Because if he is a problem Oliver Queen will kill him. You aren't a killer daughter but you have no problem unleashing killers on those who cross you. Not very heroic, Kara. I sent you to protect your baby cousin and instead you require protection from everyone while protecting no one."

"Don't say that Mom. Its not true… Mom?" Kara noticed Alura's face was blackening. Her hair was catching on fire.

"Mom you are on fire!" Kara tried to move, tried to put out the flames but couldn't. Alura's face was blackening but she remained smiling.

"They will all leave you or die because of you Kara." she whispered as flames engulfed her body. The ground beneath Kara exploded, she saw the buildings of Krypton crumbling, fissures erupting from the ground. Her father was lying on the ground near her mother, burning. All Kara could do was watch. Her mother reached out for her once more with a blackened hand. Kara screamed…

She sat straight up in bed, nearly flying away until she felt familiar arms around her. Alex was whispering in her ear in Kryptonese, I've got you, over and over again. She told her it wasn't real. Once Kara regained her breath she took in her surroundings. She was in her bed, Alex had insisted tonight and had slept with Caitlin. Caitlin was at the foot of the bed, looking at her in concern.

"It's just a nightmare honey." Alex whispered in her ear in English.

"I know." Kara told her with a trembling voice.

"Which one was it?" Alex asked her, still holding her tight.

"My mother was burning. My father, Krypton, all on fire." she admitted. Kara had many recurring nightmares since she arrived on Earth and Alex was familiar with every one.

"Look, Caitlin is here. I'm here. No one is leaving you. No one is dying."

"Barry could have. You and Cait could have. Ray could have died. I wasn't there." she whimpered.

"You can't be everywhere Kara. The Queens and John Diggle are alive because of you." Caitlin told her, taking her feet and rubbing them.

"I'm a failure." Kara said in return.

"I would be dead. That whole Earth, Eliza, Cat Grant, Carter Grant, Winn, they would all be dead if not for you. You are not a failure. You know when something bad happens like what happened to Barry you have this nightmare. You had this nightmare when you couldn't save the puppy that was ran over in front of the school when you were 14 because everyone would have seen your powers. That wasn't your mother Kara. That nightmare is about your own fears."

Kara laid her head on Alex's shoulder and reached out for Cait who joined the two.

"Alex, maybe I should go back myself. I can bring Eliza and get whatever you need. Its too…"

"No." Caitlin told her immediately. "We all go."

"Its dangerous there." Kara weakly argued.

"Its dangerous everywhere Kara. Thats why we go together." Caitlin told her in no uncertain terms.

"Stronger together, right?" Alex whispered and kissed the top of her head.

"Alex, is Non still locked up at the DEO? He is blind right?"

Alex froze. She had not had this discussion with Kara yet and hoped to avoid it, even though she knew it would come up.

"Kara, J'onn said you and Non were locked in a battle of wills, his heat vision against yours. You realize he was trying to kill you, right?"

"Yeah… so what? I expected that. I figured some DEO agents took him into custody after I flew the prison into space. Hank didn't? Please tell me he is not still loose, Alex."

"Kara your heat vision pushed his back. Both of your powers were sent into his skull. HIs brain was burned completely. Hank said he took one breath and died."

Caitlin waited for the reaction from Kara. Alex had told her of this when she asked Caitlin if Kara had spoken about killing the man. Caitlin told Alex she wasn't even sure Kara knew she had killed him, only telling them she defeated Non. Alex had not brought up Non or anything about Myriad.

"I killed him?"

"Yes. You had to. He left you no choice, Kara. It was him or the human race. Him or you. He put himself in that situation. You did what you had to do."

Kara nodded her head, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she ended another person's life. She supposed technically she was responsible for Savage's death too, yet Non's bothered her more for some reason. Maybe it was because he was Kryptonian. Maybe because despite how evil he was, selfish, arrogant and genocidal, he was her last link to Astra. Deciding she couldn't deal with it right now, she lay back on the bed. "What time is it?"

"Six." Caitlin told her.

"I need to get up. Barry's dad is coming for breakfast at Joe's. I told him I would be there and I want to see how he is moving today. If he isn't 100% we aren't going through any breach tomorrow unless he agrees to stay back. But then he would probably just get into trouble here or make his own breach and who knows where he would wind up. He has to come so I can watch him so we will have to wait until he is good."

"Kara, he is fine. He was running last night. Barry can take care of himself. Everyone who is going is already in Central City. I promise you if I thought Barry wasn't ready I would tell you, but he was on the treadmill last night and looked good. He is healed."

Kara took Caitlin at her word. She wouldn't let Barry be hurt. The blonde stood on shaky legs, still trying to erase the vivid image of her mother in her dream from her mind.

Two hours later, Kara had made the four mile walk, at a leisurely pace, wanting to delay the inevitable. Her first meeting with Joe had gone well, her first meeting at the same time with Iris had not gone well. She wondered how this man would feel about his only son being in love with an alien. Would he be upset if he learned he would never be a grandfather? Would it matter? She supposed there was only one way to find out. She fretted over what to wear until Caitlin shoved a pair of skinny jeans and a white blouse towards her along with a pair of three inch heels. Had she been able to feel pain, walking in these shoes may have been uncomfortable.

Today she would meet Henry Allen. Tomorrow she returned to face her past. Henry Allen would be no problem compared to that.

Barry met her outside the house he and Joe shared.

"How are you doing?" he asked, causing her to snort in an undignified fashion.

"How am I doing? I'm not the one who took a bomb in the face two days ago. How are you doing?"

"Never better. Already went for a run today. Ready for our vacation?"

"It's not a vacation Barry. You have to promise to stay close to me."

"Where else would I be? How can I protect you if I'm not?" Kara rolled her eyes.

"Okay sidekick. Introduce me to your father."

"Whoa, I'm demoted back to sidekick? What happened to partner?" Barry asked, enjoying seeing the playful side of Kara. She had been a bit down since he was injured, understandably.

"You were demoted when my sister had to save you. Stay out of trouble for a few days and you can be promoted back to partner." Barry rolled his eyes and bumped her shoulder, not moving her an inch of course. She was so good at controlling her strength he really hadn't understood the need for them to hold off taking their romantic… escapades a bit further, until Kara broke the kitchen counter in a fit of passion and had to use her heat vision to fix it before Caitlin got home. Caitlin still noticed and teased her about it mercilessly.

The two walked in and Kara could immediately tell only one heartbeat was in the house.

"Where is Joe?" she asked immediately.

"Having breakfast with Iris somewhere. He thought we may want to be alone." Barry explained, squeezing her hand a bit more.

"Great…"

Henry Allen came out of the kitchen, walked up to Kara and hugged her, surprising the woman. He stood back, hands on her shoulders and took her in with a big smile.

"I have been waiting a very long time to meet you." he told her.

"I haven't been here that long." Kara chuckled a bit.

"I've been waiting to meet you since Barry was born. I guess you have figured out that I am Barry's dad. Henry Allen, pleased to meet you."

"Kara Zor El, pleased to meet you." Henry stood back and clapped his hands.

"Okay, I have cooked up a huge breakfast this morning. I hear you can keep up with my boy in the eating department. Bacon, eggs, toast and pancakes, so who is hungry?"

Kara smiled at the enthusiastic man.

The three walked into the kitchen and Kara was surprised to see there was indeed a lot of food. A lot of food. Henry Allen was prepared for his son and apparently Joe had warned the man about Kara's appetite as well, embarrassing her a bit. Not that she could help it. The woman needed food. Flying and shooting lasers out of one's eyes at 5000 degrees fahrenheit tended to burn a lot of calories. At least that was the excuse she was using.

"So Kara tell me about yourself." Henry asked her as the two settled down for breakfast.

"What would you like to know?"

"Everything."

"Oh, that could take some time. Or maybe not. I guess it depends … when I was 13 my planet was destroyed. You knew I am an alien right?" she asked shyly. Henry smiled.

"Yeah, Joe may have mentioned something about that in passing. So that must have been … I'm sorry, I'm sure its difficult to talk about, especially with someone you just met. Barry told me you have a sister?"

"Yeah, she recently…moved here. She is staying with me and Caitlin until she finds a place to live, and a job and stuff."

"Another Earth right? That is so fascinating. When Barry told me about this multiverse thing I was a bit surprised at first, but leave it to Barry to do the impossible. I've been watching you on the news. You have an extremely good heart."

"Oh, you saw the fight with Savage?" she asked.

"No I saw you carry a little girl out of a burning building and hold onto her while she cried on your shoulder on the street. I guess her parents weren't home?"

"She was seven. Her mother had died when she was a baby. Her father is why the fire started. He had been smoking in bed, drunk and the bed caught fire. She ran down the hall to get help but the fire spread quickly and she was lost in the smoke. Others started to run and she was knocked down. She is an orphan now. Her grandmother took her in and I checked on her last week. She is happy, as happy as can be considering, and the grandmother obviously loves her. I think she will be okay." Kara finished, not sure if she should admit to spying on the grandmother to make sure the girl was being treated right.

"Like I said, a good heart. Barry, what was it like having a bomb explode in your face? Caitlin called me, told me what had happened and that you were okay."

"Yeah thanks for calling. She told me you called a couple times to check on me" Barry mentioned. Kara caught the slight bitterness in his tone as did Henry.

"I wasn't really sure you would want to … I'm glad you are okay. No lingering problems, aches, pains?"

"I was twenty feet away from a bomb exploding. Of course there are lingering aches and pains. So how have you been Dad? Still living by the lake? What are you doing for work now?" Barry asked, trying to keep a positive atmosphere.

"Uh, I'm actually in the process of getting my license back. I think I am going to open a clinic in the town. It's not as easy as I hoped it would be, but I suppose being in prison for over a decade, medicine has changed and I am having to go through a lot of recertifications and board reviews. It will be worth it. Right now I am still working at the lumber yard. The work is helping me get back into shape. You and Kara should come see the cabin. It's not huge but the view is amazing."

"We are kinda busy around here dad but maybe we can find the time to run up. I'll run, she will fly. She can't keep up with me on the ground." Barry told him with a challenging grin towards Kara.

"And he can't keep up with me in the air unless I throw him. He is about to find that out if he doesn't stop bragging."

Henry chuckled at the playful banter between the two and enjoyed the way they looked at each other. He looked at her like Henry had looked at Nora when she was alive.

The rest of the breakfast went pleasantly enough, Joe and Iris returning eventually and visiting with Henry as well. Kara saw Barry seemed tense and took him up to his room for a second.

"Are you okay?" she asked, as soon as the door was closed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He really likes you, not that I doubted he would. I even caught you and Iris smiling at each other. You are hard to resist Kara."

"Barry, can I ask you a kind of personal question? I mean I know I can but would you mind if I asked now? Because if you aren't in the mood, it can wait. I know your Dad is here and…"

"He can wait. Ask me anything." Barry told her.

"When you had the chance, why didn't you save your mother?"

Barry moved to his bed and sat on it, taking a deep breath.

Kara realized probably now wasn't the best time. "Now isn't the time to ask, I'm sorry. Lets go back downstairs…"

"Now is fine Kara. You take precedence. He can wait. When I went back in time, I saw myself fighting Thawne, but in the middle of it, my future self waved me off. Instead I waited, until it was too late. I knew why I was there, to save her, but I had a split second to make a decision, listen to myself or save my mother. I hesitated and she died. Since that time I have given a lot of thought to why future me would do that, but the more I have thought about it the clearer it became.

If I had saved my mother, I would never have become the Flash. If that had happened Thawne never would have had any reason to travel back in time and build the particle accelerator. Without S.T.A.R, Caitlin would have never met Ronnie, and even though he died she knew that love. If I had saved my mother, I would have never had Joe in my life, not in the way he is, Iris never would have been my best friend. If Eddie hadn't died and Thawne would have been born and had somehow become a speedster in the future regardless, he would have no opposition. When Eddie killed himself to change the future and erase Thawne, he didn't change the past. If I had, everything would have changed. If I had changed the past and wasn't the Flash, I never would have been able to meet you or save you or love you. My mother wouldn't have wanted that. Everything happened for a reason, everything led me to here, all of us to where we are, the family we have, all of us, you and me, whoever Iris, Caitlin and Cisco meet and fall in love with in the future. Yeah maybe I could have saved my mother, but there was no guarantee for a happy ever after. There was no way of knowing if changing the events of the past meant she died a year or a week later from some other cause. Maybe my Dad died. Maybe I died. The future is uncertain now, but the past is where it belongs. In the past. My mother wouldn't have wanted me to trade what I have now, what we all have now, for a chance to maybe still be alive. If I was waving myself off before Thawne was erased from existence, then I must have already thought about this. Now with Thawne gone who knows what will happen? I know whatever it is, it will happen with you. So I guess thats why. As much bad has happened since my mother's death, a lot of good has happened as well. That's life and I wouldn't trade any of it. Who we are is because of what has happened to us before. I know that now. We can learn from it and become better or let it tear us down. We are learners. My mother died so we could have the family we have now. I'm not going to dismiss her sacrifice."

Kara nodded and brought Barry in for a hug. The two broke apart after a few moments and held hands walking back downstairs. As they reached the bottom Kara realized Henry was preparing to leave. He hugged Barry and then Kara, and walked out the door. Kara was in front of him before he reached his truck , after telling Barry she would like to talk to his father alone. Barry agreed, not asking any questions.

"Kara?" Henry asked, disoriented at her sudden appearance. He should have been used to it by now but seeing someone other than Barry move at incredible speed was a bit of a shock.

"You wanted to now everything about me? I haven't told you much but I will tell you this. I lost my mother and father a long time ago. A very long time ago. I never felt close to my father, not like I should have. He was busy, always working with his brother on some project, some way to save our planet. My mother was a judge, but she always made time for me. As I have gotten older I have had to deal with the fact that she was not as perfect as I made her in my mind and that is okay. None of us are. But Henry, I would do almost anything to have a chance for her to be in my life now. I could have had my Aunt, my mother's twin sister in my life but my sister had to kill her. You know what I realized on my walk over? My sister was right to do so. I was mad she lied to me about it but I can't be mad anymore that she did it. My aunt would never have changed. She loved me, I know she did, but while I thought I was pulling her to my side, she was trying to pull me to hers. She never would have helped me, and if Alex hadn't done what she did, I would have been the one forced to kill her. I'm not sure if I could ever live with myself after that. My point is, not many of us have a chance to reconnect, to have what was lost to us. Barry thought you were lost to him but he never gave up. I may be out of line here but whatever time you needed to find yourself, maybe its time to find him. He doesn't need you in his life, but he wants you in his life and that is more important than needing you. I used to think people in my life would be better off without me. But when they, my sister, my adopted mother, my former boss and my only blood relative, thought I was most likely dead, they began trying to find a way to me, to accomplish the impossible, to try and find me, alive or dead. My sister jumped head first, tied up, into a hole leading to another universe along with people she had just fought with, trying to find me. Barry wants your love, not a call to find out if he is okay. I know you would do anything for him. I know you love him by the way you look at him. He needs to know that as well.

I realize I don't know you and this isn't my place, but I love him and he would never say this to you. Maybe you hate me after today and I am strong enough to take that but I don't want to see him hurting. He has lost so much and you both have a chance to have each other again. Don't rob him of his chance. Please consider moving back to Central City. Be his father."

Kara began to walk off before Henry lightly grabbed her arm. She turned and saw tears in the man's eyes.

"Kara, I don't deserve him. He has Joe. Joe has been more of a father to him than I have ever been and ever will be. They have a bond I can't match."

"It's okay to have two moms and dads. I do. Its much better than having none. Bye Henry. I'm really glad I met you and I hope to see you more here in Central City, close to Barry here he wants you and you need to be."

"Bye Kara," Henry Allen whispered. He got in his truck and drove, lost in thought. By the time he was an hour from his cabin he had decided she was right. It was time to stop hiding. He wanted his son back.

The next morning, Team Arrow had arrived at the abandoned school where Cisco had created the breach last time. Not only were Thea, Oliver and Dig present but so was Nyssa. Jax and Dr. Stein had agreed to stay back with Ray, to Ray's displeasure, and protect the city from any metahumans interested in taking advantage of the absence of the Flash and Superwoman. Then she arrived.

"No Felicity. You are not…" Oliver started.

"Going to be told what to do by you." Felicity finished. "You need tech support."

"Uh, what am I?" Cisco asked.

"You take care of your crew, I'll take care of mine and we watch out for each other. Double the support. With Caitlin working medical we should be set."

"You know I love helping you guys but does anyone remember I an a bio engineer and not a trauma surgeon?" Caitlin asked, grinning. She had seen as much trauma in the last two years than many ER doctors saw in the same amount of time.

"Felicity…" Oliver tried again.

"I'm coming Oliver… Wow, its been a while since I said that… that was out loud wasn't it? I'm sorry."

"What if we can't get back? What about the work you are doing?" the Arrow tried, hoping to convince her to stay and stopping her rambling before it went to far.

"We made things better the other night Oliver. Don't take a step back. I don't want to. You need me and I am going to be there. If you go to another universe, so am I. I'm your partner remember?"

Oliver smiled, the two had a very good discussion the night after Barry was injured. Between Laurel and seeing Barry nearly die, Felicity told Oliver that she did love him, would always love him and was willing to work on their relationship because she doubted she would ever find someone who made her feel as complete as he did. He swore to her he would never hide anything again. So if she wanted to come… with him… to another universe… great Oliver thought, my mind is completely somewhere else. Focus on the task at hand.

"Besides, the work we are doing requires a friendly face and a sharp mind to win over the public. I would be pretty screwed without Kara so I am keeping an eye on my best asset."

"Okay, I guess we are all going. Everyone packed?" the Arrow asked.

"Uh, if this is my reunion, why do I have to carry the large case of weapons and the other large case of computer equipment?"

"Because you are the one with super strength. If I had super strength, I would carry the large crates. I don't, you do. Team work, remember Kara?" Alex asked, trying to hide the enjoyment at seeing her little sister with two very large plastic cases, on in each hand and wide enough her arms were practically horizontal.

"Okay, everyone knows the plan right?" Barry asked. Kara rolled her eyes but nodded. Cisco had not added the kevlar to her suit as he had wanted, because Kara refused. She wouldn't be afraid. He had, as part of a compromise with her, added a radiation blocker in her chest piece that should prevent her from being weakened by Kryptonite, allowing her enough time to catch any Kryptonite bullets heading her way. As if Barry wouldn't catch them first.

Barry took a deep breath, pulled on his mask and prepared to say hi to Kara's other friends and relatives besides Alex.

"Let's do this. Cisco, open the breach."

 **Earth 3**

Winn Schott Jr. sat at his console, trying to decipher alien databanks Kal El had never been able to, that were at his fortress. The former hero had moved all his databanks to the hangar hoping to find something about inter dimensional breaches. Winn was not having much luck, the Kryptonians appeared to have been as clueless about the multiverse as humans. He glanced at Eliza, sitting next to J'onn at a table, listening to a physicist who had another theory about tachyons and how to isolate them. The look of sadness on Eliza's face saddened him. She had expected Kara and Alex to emerge from a breach days ago. The longer one didn't appear, the more hopeless she became, especially after listening to her crack team and Max Lord, who were convinced a breach could be opened on this side… in five years at the earliest. This was not an easy science project and now the added worry for Alex along with her worry for Kara was draining her.

Winn turned back to his monitors, thinking of taking two Advil to stymy the massive headache he felt coming on, when the algorithm designed to pick up electrical anomalies associated with breaches sounded the alarm he had set up after the last breach. The alarm alerted the entire compound and before he could silence the obnoxious sound and get down to business Eliza, Clark and Hank were by his side.

"Where is it? Where is it coming from?" Eliza asked.

Winn looked at the anomaly readings and thought this must be caused by electrical signatures some researcher was developing.

"It looks like a breach is opening here in our hangar but that can't be. Whatever it is, it is coming fast. Are any of the scientists playing with electricity today?"

"No one should be. There are no tests scheduled." Eliza told him excitedly.

Before Winn could make sense of this the light began to bend in the room, and a point of light was swirling at the far end of the hangar.

"Guns ready! We have no idea who or what is coming out of that breach." Max told his minions, who hurriedly complied remembering the beating they took with the last breachers.

"No! Stand down!" Eliza ordered, her eyes on the hole of light, growing before her eyes. Max's security forces did not follow her orders, scared out of their minds and holding onto weapons to protect themselves if nothing else, including Lucy Lane. Kal El and J'onn were to focused on the breach to even bother enforcing her order.

The hole opened wide and every scientist in the hangar rushed to observe it. No one knew what to expect, a heroine in a skirt walking out with her sister? Alex Danvers walking out alone or worse, being tossed out? What no one saw coming was a flash of light no one could keep track of. The lightning bolt lit up the room, even more so than the breach itself. Max's security forces barely felt a blow but the weapons were gone from each of their hands as if they had turned into air. In front of the breach the lightning bolt stopped and a pile of weapons hit the ground. In front of the pile was a masked man in a red suit, a lightning bolt on his chest.

"If you aren't Eliza, Kal El, Winn or J'onn leave the building now." Barry told the room, while everyone stared wide eyed at the man who had disarmed over a dozen of Max's security forces in less than what felt like a second. Max was the first to recover and stepped forward.

"We aren't going anywhere. The last time a breach opened…" Max stopped talking when he felt himself carried for a brief moment. Before he could finish his sentence, he found himself standing in the wild, far enough away that he couldn't see the hangar any longer.

Barry arrived back, skidding to a stop at the exact position he was at seconds before in front of the breach.

"Anyone else need to be moved?" the Flash asked the group. All stared at where Max Lord had been seconds ago, not sure if he had been moved or disintegrated somehow by the man in red. The exodus was swift after that.

"Kal El." Barry greeted the man who had helped him and trusted him to save Kara's life. He pulled back his mask and gave the four remaining a huge smile. "You must be Eliza, J'onn and I remember Winn of course. It's a pleasure to meet you all, and you Kal in much better circumstances. I hope you don't mind but I brought along some friends. Kara is coming and they are a bit paranoid about Kryptonite being anywhere around. Everything I have heard about Max Lord gives us a hint he isn't to be trusted. I'm going to run the perimeter and make sure he doesn't have anymore guards hidden that you may not know about. Please don't melt my friends, Kal."

Barry was gone, planning on running in circles around the hangar and airfield to ensure all were well away from the building and none of the security forces became brave. He had no doubt that Kal El would have noticed if any Kryptonite was present but Barry was in no mood to take chances. He relied on family and as of yet, the one inside may be Kara's family but the ones outside were not. Barry trusted no one outside those four in this situation. Oliver had taught him that.

Barry disappeared before their wide eyes, not even Kal El able to keep track of him with his superior vision.

The three's attention was diverted when a hooded man in green leather with a bow and quiver on his back walked through the breach and moved to the right of it. Next was a smaller female dressed similar only in red leather. She moved to the left then another woman walked out, wearing a tight black top, and black pants of an unknown material, a red robe draped around her, her face below her eyes covered by a sheer black scarf. All noted she had a bow as well as a quiver and none missed the twin swords on each side, barely visible, but present. Kal used his X Ray vision and saw multiple smaller knives strapped to the woman all over her body, including smaller circular metal blades, throwing stars, draped across her lower back in easy reach.

Next a large muscular black man stepped out, handgun in one hand and automatic rifle in another, one that appeared to be some sort of modified tactical M 4. He wore a helmet and Kal could tell it was emitting an infrared signature. The man did not look their way, instead standing next to Nyssa and scanning the walls, making sure no one outside became brave, or was hidden in a sniper's perch within the large, open spaced building. Spartan was very alert, being in an unknown universe and not knowing what to expect.

Three harmless looking individuals stepped out next, a short tan skinned man wearing a strange black visor over his eyes, a slim woman with dirty blonde hair and bright blonde woman wearing glasses and a tight dress. And last are the two people all have been waiting to see for a long time.

Alex stepped out, wearing the same clothes she had on when she jumped into the portal only a tactical kevlar vest was over her upper body. She gave a bright smile to her mother and her eyes were glistening.

Behind her was a woman who all recognized, even if her dress was very different. Her skirt was gone but they cape and boots were still present. Kara had kept her mask in her inside boot pocket, feeling there was no need for it in the hangar. Her family crest still was displayed proudly on her chest, if much smaller than the one Kal had worn. It also seemed harder but flexible, almost as if was an addition instead of ironed on. Kal himself had stopped wearing the suit long ago, opting for denim jeans and black or white t shirts, sometimes pull overs that Lois bought for him. All eyes filled with tears, at the sight of the two sisters.

Kara set the big boxes in each hand to the floor.

"My big reunion and you guys made me carry the luggage. Unbelievable." she muttered, then met J'onn, Kal and Eliza's eyes. Barry sped up next to her.

"Area is secure. Everyone outside is too freaked to come inside" he told the expanded team. pleasing Oliver greatly, although you wouldn't know it from the scowl on his face, like Speedy, Nyssa and Dig, he was constantly scanning the surrounding area including the high ceiling.

Alex and Kara ran to Eliza, who wrapped both girls in a hug. Both girls returned the gesture, Kara nearly squeezing the breath out of Eliza and the older woman not caring a bit.

"I knew you would find her Alex. My hero found her." she whispered in Alex's ear and stood back taking Kara in.

"Hi Mom. I missed you." Kara told her, surprising Eliza.

"You've… you've never called me Mom before." she told her sunny blonde daughter.

"There are a lot of things I have never done that I should have. That's going to change."

Eliza threw herself at Kara once again, while everyone, except Oliver and Nyssa of course, fought away tears at the reunion. Nyssa was too busy focusing on protecting her charges, years of training allowing her to block out all other distractions. Oliver was constantly scanning for threats to all of them but kept a special eye on Felicity as he had always done. Still he was pleased at the reunion, thinking if nothing else good came from this trip, it was already a success.

Alex hugged Hank and Kal grabbed Kara squeezing her with all his might then pushing her slightly away, keeping his hands on her shoulders but scanning her body for any lingering injuries. Satisfied, he pulled her back in until he noted Barry standing behind Kara now, eyes never leaving her. Kal offered the Flash his hand which Barry took, doing his best not to show the strong grip of Superman bothered him.

While Barry tried to vibrate his hand slightly, hoping the bones wouldn't break, Kara wrapped Winn in a hug, the man crying and not ashamed of it, holding his best friend who he had accepted was all he would ever be and it would be enough.

Oliver looked at Cisco and nodded, Vibe turning towards the breach and closing it behind the group.

Kara walked over to J'onn, resembling his human form of Hank Henshaw. The Martian wrapped his arms around her immediately, kissing her forehead and holding her tightly. The two teams from Earth 1 and 3 finally took each other in, only Nyssa not letting her guard down for one second. Oliver walked over with Thea to stand by Felicity.

"So you want to introduce us to your friends Kara? I think I have met a couple of them in less than pleasant circumstances." J'onn commented, looking at Oliver.

"I would apologize for putting a couple arrows in you and stabbing you but I have a feeling that was just an annoyance to you." Oliver told J'onn with a grin.

"You would be right."

"Oliver! You stabbed him? What is wrong with you? This is exactly why you shouldn't be around Sara!" Felicity hissed. Oliver dropped his head but tried his best to maintain his dignity in front of the others. Dig and Thea hid smiles as did Nyssa, caught surprised by the shock of Oliver Queen being told off by his love. "Apologize now!"

"Felicity…"

"Now Oliver."

Oliver Queen took a deep breath and began to speak looking at the floor before Felicity stopped him. "Hood back, mask off Oliver."

Oliver glared at her but did as he was told, dropping his hood and sliding the mask off while Thea tried to stop her body from shaking due to the laughter she was holding in.

"I apologize for shooting you with two arrows." he told the man with a charming Oliver Queen smile.

"And the knife…" he was prompted by the blonde woman who had finally after four years gotten the man no one could control under her complete control.

"And for stabbing you. It was uncalled for but at the…"

"There are no buts in apologies." Felicity reminded him.

"I am sorry." He really wasn't but if it made her happy… Hank smiled at the obviously whipped man.

"Apology accepted. Welcome to this world."

"Hi, I'm Felicity." she introduced herself, walking up to J'onn and offering her hand. "I'm sorry he shot and stabbed you. He has anger problems and isn't the most diplomatic person. Trust me if you were a beautiful woman he had been marooned on an island with, or a mob boss's crazy daughter he most likely would have tried to steer you from the error of your ways, which is ironic because he is the one who shot you." Felicity finished, looking back at Oliver.

"I only hit his thigh." Oliver weakly argued but then stopped at the look on Felicity's face.

"Its true, he shot me in the back and i'm his friend. You got off easy." Barry told the Martian.

"Anyway," Felicity broke in, "it is a pleasure to meet you all. Kara has told us a lot about you and has missed all of you very badly. We are sorry we weren't here sooner but there have been some problems that needed addressing plus Barry took a bomb in the face two days ago and … there has been a lot going on. You, you are Winn right? Cisco and I need to borrow a computer. I need a secure wifi set up, I'm guessing you have one of those and access to a satellite. You do have a dedicated satellite right? I mean of course you do, all this tech … are those space ships? Oh my God, I have to have my picture taken with those."

"The one on the right is Kara's space ship." Barry pointed out. "And I am getting a picture taken with it this time."

"Dude I have been waiting to see this!" Cisco practically shouted like a child on Christmas morning, ripping off his visor and running to the craft.

"Cisco! Don't we have business first?" Felicity reminded him.

"Its a spaceship. I think we can wait few minutes for business Felicity."

Felicity admitted to herself this was a difficult point to argue. She shook her head regardless. Her team needed to be protected. "Cisco, focus, please."

"Sorry. So Winn right? You have a satellite?"

"Uh no." Winn told the strange man. "Who are you guys?"

"We are the brains, they are the muscle." Felicity explained. "No problem, not everyone has their own satellite Cisco." she told the man, communicating with her eyes that he should shut up.

"We do. No big, man. Felicity can hack into one of … you guys have NORAD right?"

"It will be easier to cut into NASA's weather satellites, Cisco. They have a continuous stream with no line of sight blocked and are less conspicuous than the NORAD system. You guys have NASA right, or Star Fleet or something along those lines? Anyway we can piggyback our signals off the weather data transmissions anywhere in the world so it will be just as effective as NORAD."

"Yeah, Uh, I'll show you my set up." Winn told him slowly and walked towards him with a last squeeze of Kara's hand, to make sure she was here, alive and not going anywhere.

Kal looked at Barry and asked the question that had been on his mind since the bullets were found.

"How did you do it? Where did you find the blood to…"

"Barry and Cisco gave me theres, to the point both passed out, Barry twice. Caitlin?"

Caitlin Snow walked up to the group, a bit nervous being around so many unfamiliar people. Kara brought her in, arm around her shoulders while Alex rubbed the doctor's back.

"Meet Dr. Caitlin Snow, the best bio engineer on our Earth and probably any other and the woman who performed surgery on me. She is our biggest hero and the reason I am alive. She performed surgery on an alien. I am still alive because of her."

Caitlin blushed at the compliment and looked at the floor until a large hand touched her shoulder.

"You have my eternal thanks and loyalty, Caitlin Snow." Kal El told her. Caitlin met the eyes of the dark and somewhat intimidating man, surprised to see such relief and emotion in them. He didn't look intimidating at this moment, simply thankful.

The five sat at a table, Alex on one side of Eliza, and Kara on the other, so she wouldn't leave either daughter. Eliza had no doubt what she planned to do. Her whole goal, Alex's as well, had been to get to Kara. She had hoped both her and Jeremiah would be here, but after Project Cadmus was shut down and Jeremiah was not one of those released and no records of his presence were found by Winn, she had given up hope. Jeremiah was dead but she had her daughters. Now she would travel to another universe with them. This world was too dangerous for Kara and therefore too dangerous for Alex as well. Kara filled them in on all that had happened to her on the Earth she called home now, her hand not leaving Eliza's but her eyes never leaving Barry Allen. Eliza was horrified at the fight with Savage that Kara tried to play off but Alex provided details she had seen on video. Still a part of her, a large part felt a great deal of pride and knew Alex and Kal El felt the same. Learning about Barry Allen was also fascinating. He entrusted the three with what he knew of inter dimensional travel, provided it was not told to anyone else, but to their disappointment not much was known that could help them on this Earth. Barry talked about the speed canon but one would need speed close to Barry's to use such a device. He talked about quark matter being the key to harnessing Tachyons, Eliza shaking her head that neither her to any of the scientists had thought of that. He also talked about the device now under his chest plate, that allowed him to move close to the speed of light.

Eliza didn't really care about this anymore. She had what she wanted and the fact that this Cisco could open breaches and is the reason Barry knew Kara was wounded and nearly died was enough for her to be thankful. She was also thankful for Barry Allen's feelings for her daughter as well. She had secretly always been afraid Kara would be alone for life, no one understanding her, no one ever knowing the truth. She knew Kara deserved better than James Olsen and she and found better.

The conversations continued until Eliza stopped and handed her phone to Kara. "There is someone else who will want to talk to you. The woman who pays for all this."

Kara took the phone with a shaking hand and hit the familiar name in contacts. Cat Grant answered immediately.

"Has there ben another breach?" she asked as a greeting.

"Hello Miss Grant."

The silence seemed to stretch for hours and Kara could swear she heard a choked back sob. Finally Cat spoke after what was only thirty seconds.

"You have been missing a lot of work lately Kierra. Where are you at so we can talk about this?"

"I'm at the hangar." Kara told her, eyes misting, not realizing how much she missed the woman.

"Is it safe to bring Carter?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I would hate to expose him to any magnetic or exploding arrows." she remarked dryly. Kara still laughed.

"I promise my friends are on their best behavior."

"Excellent. I will be there in half an hour with Carter. Do not leave that hangar, Kara. No one can see you."

"I understand. I will be here." The call ended and Kal mentioned he would be calling Lois as well, stepping outside. Finding out from Alex last week that Lois and Cat had been working together blew her mind. It really was a strange world now.

"Kara, Barry, we are done. Hooked up and ready to go. Get over here." Cisco ordered while Caitlin played with screens next to him and Felicity ordered her men and women over, minus Nyssa who refused to do the same. Those at the table watched as Kara and Barry walked over to Cisco and removed their chest pieces, both Eliza and Hank surprised the plates were even removable. Cisco placed chips under each of their plates and put them back on while Caitlin dana check. Felicity handed Arrow, Speedy and Spartan, coms with GPS chips in them. She didn't bother tracking their health. They had been shot and stabbed so often it was becoming a moot point.

"What are they doing?" Hank asked Alex.

"Lets just say Caitlin and Cisco take monitoring and protecting Kara and Barry to a level the DEO never imagined. Cisco basically just reconfigured a chip, he and Felicity have hacked into some satellite system here on this Earth, probably NASA and can monitor their status anywhere in the world. Felicity probably has the same for her team. Cisco made the suits and they aren't just costumes, they are battle armor. Kara's suit has fabric all over, that can turn using nano technology into super solar panels, helping her cells recover faster during fights. They also have cameras so Caitlin and Cisco can see what they are doing, monitor their vital signs all the way down to oxygen absorption and even a defibrillator in the chest pieces. Kara also has a radiation blocker so if any Kryptonite is around she won't be affected."

"Amazing," Eliza whispered.

"No kidding. You should see Barry run through walls."

"He can break through walls? I didn't know he had super strength." Hank told her, impressed.

"He doesn't, he can literally pass through walls, vibrating fast enough that he basically phases his molecules through solid matter."

Eliza had no other comment after digesting that. Barry and Kara walked back over to the table hand in hand.

"Sorry for the interruption. Cisco feels much better now that he and Caitlin have our lives under their constant motoring and vigilance." Barry told the group.

"Yes, Alex was just filling us in. Thats amazing." Eliza commented. She could not wait to arrive on this new Earth where her daughters would be safe and the technology would be fascinating.

"Wait till you see the one he is making for Alex." Barry told the group, while Kara groaned.

"Its supposed to be a surprise. You and Oliver are the worst at keeping secrets."

"Oh, my bad. Sorry Alex, don't tell Cisco you know."

"I'm getting a suit?" she asked, secretly touched while trying to remain unaffected.

"You run into a blast zone, fire and destruction everywhere, to save me and you definitely get a suit. Sorry, part of being on the team and all. Be prepared to have your internal medical privacy destroyed." Barry told her.

"So that sounds like an interesting story. What other surprises do you two have?" Kal El asked, walking up.

"Kara got a tattoo," Alex practically sang.

"You did what?!" all three asked at once.

"Kara shrugged her shoulders and glared at her sister.

"You suck at keeping secrets as much a Barry and Oliver." Kara reminded her. "I was drunk. It was new for me. It seemed like a really good idea and I love it."

While the Kara's cousin, mother and father figure stared at her, waiting for further explanation on how she managed to get drunk, Felicity sat with Winn, Caitlin and Cisco, amazed at the work he had done on decoding alien technology and listening to his stories about Indigo, the living computer. Felicity was jealous. The alien computer could have been her ultimate nemesis and Winn took her out. Winn was enjoying being the center of attention, having felt a bit out of his league watching Felicity crack the NASA database as easily as if she were opening a game of Candy Crush. Now he was getting serious respect from the three.

While the four listened to him, a sound alerted them to an IM on the laptop in front of Felicity. She saw it and froze.

/I'm impressed. I had a hard time tracking you but you aren't untouchable. At least by me. No worries, I mean you no harm. You have serious skill/

Felicity looked at the group, who were all shocked. Cisco and Caitlin knew Felicity had never been tracked. Ever.

/Who is this?/

/A friend. I've been keeping up with Dr. Danver's project but you are new. I like your style. How is the work going on the inter dimensional breach Max Lord seems confident he can accomplish?/

"Winn?" Felicity asked.

"I have no idea." he admitted, a chill running down his spine, wondering who had been watching them and how much this person knew.

/Why are you interested? Are you gov.?/ Felicity typed.

/No. I have an interest in keeping Superman hidden for now. The human race does not need to anger him any further. The world needs heroes. I help without them knowing. He isn't the only one but doesn't realize it. Its a hobby. Operation Clean Sweep caught me by surprise. It won't happen again. Since I have never seen your style before I am guessing you aren't from here?/

/No comment/ Felicity responded, desperately trying to track the signal back while Winn and Cisco did the same on different laptops.

/None needed. The guy in green who does what you tell him too is extremely hot. Love his arms. Congrats./

"Screw this." Felicity whispered.

/You just stop by to talk or do you have a point?/

/A proposition. The world needs Superman. Kara Danvers is gone or at least she won't stay but Clark Kent is still around. I want Superman to get back to doing what he does best. You are going to talk him into it./

/Why would I do that? It isn't my business./ Felicity typed.

/Because I have something you will all want. He goes back to saving people and I tell you where Jeremiah Danvers is being kept and exactly how to get him out. What do you call yourself?/

Winn's hands began shaking over the keyboard. The idea that Jeremiah Danvers could still be alive? The idea that he could have been moved before the operation this hacker says was called Clean Sweep was a possibility none had ever considered.

Felicity decided to play, as she had nothing to lose at this point. If the woman knew what Oliver looked like she obviously had access to every webcam, laptop cam and security camera in this place.

/I'm Overwatch./

/Nice to meet you Overwatch. I'm Oracle. Welcome to my universe./


	19. Chapter 19

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N Okay first off thanks for the reviews, we had more reviews last chapter than any other chapter so far. You guys and gals are keeping me going. Second, the season finales will have no bearing on this story. There is no way they could after Flash. What a mess that is going to turn out to be. Oh well. I'm sure it will be great, but the writers are going to have a headache by the time they sort out different timelines and universes.

When I first started writing three years ago, my average chapter was about a thousand words. As I wrote more stories my average chapter was about five thousand words. Recently in the past year my chapters range from 7 to 8 thousand words. I promised myself when I started this story I would keep it to five thousand. Yeah, it obviously isn't happening. This one topped out at 10 K. I apologize for the length. A lot of conversations had to be had and this one doesn't have much action but the conversations were fun to write. Is anyone else loving the Team Arrow and Oliver protective big brother vibe over Kara as much as I am? To me his reaction to Kara would be the same as he reacts to Barry and Stephen Amell told reporters that the Arrow would meet Supergirl next season. Interestingly enough, Grant Gustin told a reported who asked if he agreed with fans who said Kara and Barry would be the ultimate ship? He actually did agree and said the two would be seeing a lot of each other next season, telling me that outside of the mega crossover event between LOT, Arrow, Flash and Supergirl, the Flash and Supergirl may have their very own crossover or two. Hope to see more obviously. Okay, like I said, not much action wise this chapter but I have a long weekend and plan to have the next chapter up by Monday and a certain playboy billionaire will make an appearance. As far as how long our heroes will remain on Earth 3? Until the job gets done, then the gang heads back home with some additions and the story will focus a lot more on Barry and Kara's relationship for a while. It won't be all action all the time but I hope you all stick with me anyway. I mean this is a story about love and the family you make for yourself, no matter how dysfunctional. Here we go.

Chapter 19

"Oliver?"

"Yes Felicity?"Oliver responded, scanning the room while Barry and Kara had family time.

"We have a problem."Felicity answered. Dig, Oliver and Thea looked at the blonde. As much as the team had been through over the past three years, all knew if Felicity said there was a problem, there was a definite problem. Oliver was the first to rush over and read the screen over Felicity's shoulder.

/He is even hotter close up. I'm impressed./ Oracle messaged.

"Winn, is the PA system hooked up to the main system?" Felicity whispered.

"What PA system?" Winn asked. "Voices echo in this place. We usually just shout a name and it carries."

Felicity let out a sigh of relief. "She can't hear us. Cisco? I don't like her seeing us."

I don't either." Oliver agreed, looking for cameras. "How is she seeing us? Hidden cameras ?"

"I doubt it. Most likely the cameras on the computers and the security system." she guessed.

"So we reboot. Cut power for thirty seconds. When we boot up we can catch the Trojan and kill it." Cisco suggested.

"Whats going on?" Kara asked, zipping over with Barry and Kal El.

"We are being watched. Everything that has happened since this hangar's systems were up and running has been monitored by a very skilled hacker who claims to know where your foster father is being kept, Kara." Felicity explained.

"If we reboot we lose feed from outside right? I don't like it. We would be blind. She could want us to do this so a strike team could enter." Oliver thought out loud.

"You would rather her see us now? I am getting tired of her making comments about how hot you are. I wonder if Helena is a hacker on this Earth? If she is, I am so kicking her ass."

"Probably Cupid." Speedy muttered. "Seems like there are a couple crazy women in every universe obsessed with my brother."

/Quite a conversation your friends and you are having. I thought we were becoming friends. It is rude to talk when I can't hear./

/You can see us and we can't see you. Hardly fair and eyes off my man./ Felicity responded.

"Kara, mask on. Its daylight outside, and you are going to be our camera." Oliver ordered. Kal El took offense.

"You will not tell her what to do. If she is in danger I am getting her out of here."

"She took out one of the most powerful and evil men in the history of our world. She should probably be protecting you. Back off, go somewhere, hide under a cape, I really don't care. I don't know you. I know her. She is team, not you, so unless you have something useful to say, shut up and do as you are told. Protect Eliza and Caitlin." Oliver ordered. As always the gang from Earth 1 did what Oliver told them to in situations like this, even Barry. When it came to war, they all knew no one was better than Oliver and his sometimes over the top paranoia. Barry and Kara were heroes and had battled to near death but when it came to violence, neither were in the Arrow's or Nyssa's league. All of Team Arrow had been in situations like this before.

" Alex!" Dig called.

Alex ran up and Dig handed her a Glock 9mm.

"Reboot the system Felicity. Nyssa! We are bout to go blind." Oliver instructed.

"I understand. So long as you understand if anyone comes in that door, I will kill them."

"Do what you have to do." Oliver told her. "Do it Felicity."

/I'm going to have to put you on hold Oracle. Nothing personal. I will be right back./

Felicity hit the system reboot and the power dimmed, the computers shut off and the hangar plunged into darkness, only lit by the small bit of sunlight coming under the large bay door.

"Barry in the middle. Kara in the air, X Ray everything. Nyssa, South, Dig North, Thea West and I got East entrance. Alex could you clear the rooms on the second and lay down cover fire from above if we have visitors?'

"Yep." Alex responded immediately, heading for the small stairs leading to the second floor where a break room and a couple of old offices resided. Kara shot to the middle of the hangar, halfway between the roof and the floor, spinning slowly in the air watching everything with her X ray vision. Being blind wasn't so bad when you have a woman who can see through walls, Oliver thought, before he had bow in hand watching his entrance.

"Why am I in the middle of the Hangar?" Barry asked, mask on, lightning in his eyes.

"Stay under Kara. If she sees any hostile I want you through that wall and hitting them as hard as you can. Disarm them, do what you do Barry. Do _whatever_ you have to do Barry. You understand?" Oliver glanced up at Kara hovering above them and Barry understood what he had to do if it came down to it.

"Don't worry about me. I know what I have to do, Oliver." The Arrow recognized the conviction in his tone. Barry wouldn't let any green colored objects near Kara. While the Flash had confidence in Cisco's radiation blocker, Kryptonite bullets could break through a layer of radiation and harm her in Oliver's mind. It was possible anyway and no one wanted to test the theory.

Kal flew up next to Kara who was still turning, like a lighthouse, scanning all.

"I only see Lucy Lane outside by a car. No one else around." Kara informed the group. "Kal move, I can't see through you."

"I'm not leaving your side." he told her. J'onn walked up to Oliver from behind.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Protect Eliza and Caitlin and get your friend away from Kara so she can do what she does best, mainly saving our asses. Barry and Kara are our most powerful and fastest offense if we are attacked in the next twenty seconds." Oliver told him. J'onn walked back to the worried women and stood near them. Quietly he was impressed by how quickly all worked together, no hesitation in their interactions. They had fought together before. This Oliver Queen had a very tactical mind. He used Kara and Barry's powers to their advantage but did not put them at unnecessary risk. J'onn didn't bother trying to talk Kal down. It would have been pointless but he also recognized his friend was a wild card in what looked like a well oiled machine. He noted with pride, Alex on the second looking over the railing, gun in front, eyes checking all the entrances.

"Time Felicity." Oliver requested in a tone that indicated he wasn't requesting but was hoping she wouldn't notice.

"Ten seconds and say please. Cisco, Winn, when the system reboots we have fifteen seconds to find the Trojan and destroy it. Winn, I am betting you have more viruses ready than Oliver has arrows. When we find it, shut down the link but keep everything else open. I'm not done with her, if what she says is true, this could be big."

"Then why did we reboot the system?" Winn asked.

"Because I would rather fight off a possible attack in thirty seconds than be watched for the rest of the day by this Earth's version of Felicity." Oliver explained. "Kara? Anything?"

"We are clear besides Lucy. Barry you feel like taking a look around?"

"For the last thirty seconds." Lightning flashed in Barry's eyes and he took off, phasing through the wall and running in circles a mile, two, three miles out and back in. He was back in ten seconds and let out a sigh of relief. No hostiles in sight, besides the Lane woman who was leaned against a car, not seeming surprised anymore by the bolt of lightning that zipped in and out.

"We are clear." he told Oliver.

"Second floor is clear." Alex yelled from the top railing that wrapped around the hangar.

Kara looked up, as did Kal El, both scanning the skies and seeing nothing. Kal El noticed at some point she had indeed placed a mask over her face.

"We are back up. Let's go Cisco." As soon as the words left Felicity's mouth the lights flickered back on and screens lit up.

"Ten seconds…"

"I know Felicity… Check the ports from the high bandwidth security…" Cisco told her, calm on the outside but mind working through hundreds of different scenarios.

"Got it! Sending virus now." Winn told the group, nervous but having the time of his life, despite the possible danger.

Felicity relaxed, monitoring the virus and sending a similar stream back towards Oracle, catching the webcam feature in the monitor she was hiding behind. Unfortunately she saw nothing but darkness.

/Very nice. I can't see you now. I figured it would be prudent to cover my cam. Any reason why you did that?/

/I don't like my man being perved./

"We are clear, security monitors back on line." Felicity told the group.

/I'm hurt. I told you I meant no harm/

/We have trust issues. If you knew what we have been through you would understand. We also do not like to play games. Watching us is playing a game you really don't want to get involved in. If you really want to talk, come by anytime./ Felicity responded. /But if you don't stop being cute, I will destroy your system with my tablet./

/No more games. Talk to Clark Kent. I know Kara would stay to save Jeremiah if Superman doesn't want to play ball. All I want is for him to be who he is supposed to be./

Kara froze. "What does she want? Him to be who he is supposed to be?" she whispered. Barry wrapped his arms around her, and despite the tense situation, she relaxed just a bit. He was still warm from his run and she could feel the electricity still running through his body.

"Got her." Felicity whispered. /We need to have a team meeting. I will contact you after we have all talked. Should I check this untraceable IM program or would you rather I use your email account in Gotham City?/

Oracle's message window closed immediately.

"Boom! Thats what I'm talking about! Don't like us knowing where you are, do you Oracle?" Felicity shouted, attempting a high five with Cisco and failing miserably.

"You know where she is?" Barry asked. "Because I can totally be there in ten minutes, twenty if she is overseas."

"I found a defunct email address on her server. Doesn't look like it has been used in a while but the URL trailed back to a Wayne Enterprises in a Gotham City."

"I'm sorry, Barry did you say you could be overseas in twenty minutes?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah Mom, he can run on water." Kara answered proudly.

"I understand that but how would you go all the way across the Atlantic, storms, high waves, salt water imbalances as you hit deeper and then shallow water? If you hit a wave you would probably phase through but at what point would you phase back and the change in your atomic structure must make you lose some momentum? I would imagine if you can run on water then you must have to maintain a constant velocity without any distractions and constant quick steps. Going across the Atlantic could be very dangerous. Do you really think you could make it that quickly, to say Italy?"

Barry stood speechless for a moment and then looked at Cisco who shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me, man. She has some valid points and you have never really ran over any rough water, just the bay, and you know that is always calm. Odds are good you would drown on the way to Italy."

"Caitlin?" Barry asked. The woman shrugged her shoulders. "She does have some valid concerns Barry. I've seen you do a lot of things I thought were impossible but getting to Europe in twenty minutes? Likely not going to happen."

"Can we focus please?" Oliver asked, gruffly. "Dr. Danvers, this hacker has been spying on you since you started this venture. Any idea of who it might be, what her interest is and how she would have any information on your husband?"

"Jeremiah is dead. I've accepted that."

"Mom he could have been moved, especially if they were using mine and Kara's life to make him do whatever they had him do. If he found out Kara was dead, then he … they wouldn't want him to find out." Alex quietly suggested, like Eliza, not wanting to let hope in her heart after it had been dashed when Project Cadmus had been shut down and Jeremiah was not found but unable to ignore the flare of hope.

"Alex is right. What exactly did this Oracle want? Kal to work for her?" Kara asked.

"She wants your cousin to go back to being a hero. She said helping out heroes is what she does and he isn't the only one on this Earth. Nothing was said about working for her." Felicity told the group.

"Besides J'onn, I don't know of any others left on this planet that have superpowers. Unless… did you say Gotham? She couldn't be talking about that vigilante?" Kal scoffed.

"You mean the bat who hunts criminals?" Kara snorted. "Total urban legend. It doesn't matter. Get her back on your computer thingy and tell her he is game."

"I am not. After what happened to you, you expect me to defend this planet?" Kal asked. "Jeremiah wouldn't want that. He loved you Kara. He wouldn't want me to help anyone after what this world tried to do to you. If he is still alive I will find him but not according to some mystery hacker's rules."

Kara stepped up to Kal El, looking up at him inches away but seeming taller than him at the moment. Perhaps it was her suit, her mask, or her slightly glowing eyes that all had recognized as extreme irritation, but at that moment, Kal El looked small next to his shorter cousin.

"Felicity, please get your nemesis back online and tell her Kal will be back in his suit as soon as we have Jeremiah." Kara told her again.

No one said a word as everyone, even Nyssa with some amusement, watched the two aliens in the room having a silent battle of wills.

"Kara, do you know what losing you did to me? Do…"

Kara shot into the air and moved in front of the wrap around walkway on the second level of the hangar. "Up here now. We need to talk."

Kal sighed and drifted up, following Kara into the familiar break room/ kitchen.

Kara was kicked back in a chair, feet crossed on the table, arms crossed.

"Could you take that mask off? I have waited a long time to see your face and I would like to soak it in before you jump off again to another universe with Mr. Allen. Unless you want me to come with you? I will. Lois and I…"

"Shut up Clark." Kara told him, her anger barely concealed. "Jeremiah is dead because of us . Or at least he is captured, being held prisoner, because of me and you.

Kal was so surprised by the statement he didn't even correct her use of his human name.

"I decided to take Alex flying. She didn't want to, she was afraid of getting caught but I convinced her to come. When we returned Eliza and Jeremiah caught us. Alex was told they were disappointed in her. Not me, but her. She took the brunt of the blame, she looked out for me as always. Later that night, there was a knock on the door. Jeremiah told the two of us to go upstairs and made it clear I was not to listen. I listened anyway. A man I now know was Hank Henshaw had come with DEO agents to take me. Jeremiah agreed to work for them, to give them whatever they want, provided they wouldn't take me. A year later we thought he was dead."

"I… I didn't know that. Eliza never told me about you flying. She just said they found…"

"Because she was protecting you! She protected me! She didn't want us to feel guilty. I did. I felt guilty as hell. Alex lost her father because of us! Eliza lost her husband because of us! Because you involved them!"

"Hank Henshaw…" Kal began to argue.

"Never should have had the chance to take me. You should have been there! I came to this planet at 13 to protect you, a baby. When I finally arrived instead of helping me, you left me so you could be a hero! You didn't have time for a life outside of being Superman except the one you made with Lois. You should have taken me in and Hank Henshaw never would have had any reason to go after Jeremiah and no chance to come after me. You could have protected me, fought for me, so they didn't have to! You could have taught me to defend myself instead of having to hide who I was to blend in!"

"You think I don't know that I abandoned you? You think it doesn't kill me inside?!"

"I think you didn't give a damn until you thought I was dead. You left me to be a hero and when I was gone you decided you didn't want to be a hero anymore. Make up your mind!"

"This world tried to kill you!"

"No it didn't! The President and your father in law tried to kill me! The men who broke into my apartment tried to kill me! I have every reason to hide and I am not talking about the mask I wear. I was the one who was shot, I felt the bullets, I thought I was dead and I woke up weak, disoriented, and in a different universe! If anyone has any reason not to be a hero anymore it is me, but I am still out there! I am still fighting! Barry has been hurt, nearly killed, watched his mother die in front of him and knew he could do nothing about it and he still fights! Oliver, Dig, Felicity and Speedy have had every reason to give up before, walk away from it all, but they don't. They fight, they battle not only criminals on the street but men who could dominate the world with their powers and they go out with a bows and arrows and swords and their bodies and they fight! They have had teammates die! Not super powered teammates but friends, family who have died fighting for what was right and they still keep going. The President is on trial because these people who you seem convinced tried to kill me, stood up for me and for you. The world protested against what happened to me because of humans like Cat Grant and Winn. Cat has two sons and both of them are good people. Lois is a good person. There are a lot of good people out there who need your help."

"Maybe I am tired Kara. I have given my life to this planet, trying to be accepted and then they try to eradicate our people!"

"Our people? You killed Zod, I killed Non and I would have killed Astra as well if she had stayed her course! We both chose Earth. If you aren't more human than Kryptonian why did Myriad take control of you? Oliver told me at the battle in front of the last breach you were in your suit. Why?"

"Because I was flying back with my pod and denim and cotton aren't sturdy enough for quick flight. You know this."

"Take our family crest from that suit." Kara told him.

"Excuse me? I love you Kara but…"

"You now nothing of Krypton besides what you have seen in holograms. You don't know the prayers, Alex speaks better Kryptonese than you do. You don't remember the architecture, the art, the monuments, the red sun and how it felt on your face. You have no memories of this, of any of it. You were shot off in a pod and grew up in Kansas. You know nothing. I realize my growth was stopped for a couple of decades and I have taken a back seat to you. That is my fault. I never should have allowed myself to live in your shadow, but I did and that is on me. Now it is time to fulfill part of my duties I came here for. There are some things you should know about our house, our family, my family at least. We were one of the ruling noble families of the planet. As your elder, and yes I am, it is time you took your place or turned in the symbol of our house."

"I will never take off the symbol of our family." Kal told her, trying to bury the anger in his chest at being called out by his younger cousin.

"Then give it the respect it deserves. Our house dated back thousand of years from the time clans fought over continents, different dialects were spoken and our ancestors had only one name. We were scientists, politicians, judges, but all of us, everyone, were warriors. I wanted to quit. When I got to Barry's Earth I was convinced I would never put my family crest on my chest again, but I couldn't help it. We are warriors Kal El."

Kal couldn't look her in the eyes any longer and instead looked at the floor.

"I know you love me and I love you. Yes I am disappointed that you left me, you left your blood when I needed you the most, but now? Those people who protested, who literally toppled the most powerful woman in the world need a warrior, a hero, someone who gives them hope. I love the life I have now. I love my friends, I love having Alex with me and I love Barry and he is so good to me. Better than I ever dreamed I could have. I love eating ice-cream and watching silly TV shows with Cait and I love Alex kicking me at night and waking herself up. I love her being there when the nightmares wake me because she always has been and now Caitlin is as well. It's good to have people like that to hold your hand and tell you it will be okay."

Kal flinched at the unspoken meaning. He had not been the one to hold her hand, ever.

"Our family is made of warriors. I want to fight on a different Earth because I am in love and finally feel like I am where I belong. But you belong here. You and Lois have a life here. If you stop defending others, fighting for those who can't fight for themselves then you are disgracing our family name, because that is what we do. You are going to tell this Oracle that you are going to get back to work as usual and you will mean it. If not I will stay and take up your mantle, no matter how many nightmares it gives me. This is what we do. So Kal, am I going to be wearing our family crest on this Earth or are you?"

Kal leaned back and looked at the ceiling. Kara had changed. She had always been his awkward little cousin, he saw her as more of a little sister. One who he was very proud of. One who always seemed so unsure of herself. Life had changed her. She still had that glow about her, even with the mask still on her face. It must have been so comfortable she hadn't even noticed. She was still sweet and caring, her reunion with Eliza, Hank and him had shown him as much. She looked at Barry Allen as if he were her personal sun.

Kara though, was not the same. Astra's death, Myriad, being forced to kill Non, almost dying in space and then almost being murdered in her own home, only alive because of a man capable of reaching near light speed and a thin, beautiful, dirty blonde haired miracle worker. The sunshine was still there but the doubt was gone. She was fierce and she was not afraid.

"I will do what is necessary to get Jeremiah back." he told her.

"No, you will be the hero I expect you to be as a member of the House of El. Represent our family with honor, or stop using the name. You can be Clark Kent, born and raised in Kansas. But don't call yourself one of the last survivors of Krypton unless you are going to act like it."

"And how should I act, exactly?"

"The next time you hear someone call for help, help them. It doesn't have to be harder than that. You are going to give your word as a member of the House of El to whoever that is on the other end of the computer that you will continue to protect the human race. Then we find where Jeremiah is and my friends and I will get him out. Hank I'm sure, will do whatever is necessary. He was willing to die for the human race and has nearly died many times. Whether you are there or not is completely up to you. I know you will be though. Its who you are, right little cousin?"

Kal El stood up from his seat and opened his arms. Kara took off her mask and walked around the table, hugging the much larger man.

"I'm so sorry Kara. For everything." he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks and falling on her hair.

"I've already forgiven you. I love you and I always will. Now you need to forgive yourself. You didn't fail me. By deciding to let Barry take me, you saved my life. You and Alex have always been my heroes. Forgive yourself and act like a hero. It isn't the human race's fault that I was shot."

"Okay. If that is all she wants, then I am game. I won't take orders from her or whoever she works for but I will be Superman again." Kara pushed back a bit and looked him in the eyes.

"Just be Kal El. Thats enough."

While Kara and Kal El had their discussion upstairs, the rest of the people in the hangar debated letting Lucy Lane in. The woman was still standing outside, leaning against a car, perhaps her car, waiting. Waiting to be let in, or waiting for back up. Waiting for back up was Oliver's suspicion. Barry suggested he lighten up.

"I'm sorry Barry, I seem to remember not long ago that you weren't exactly lightening up. We both know what can happen in thirty seconds, especially when we are being spied on by a woman who is a better hacker…"

"You had better not finish that sentence." the blonde warned.

"…almost as good a hacker as Felicity, who claims to have information on Kara's deceased foster father and the fact that not only is he still alive she knows where. Lets not forget the fact that she has been spying for months but only made herself known when we arrived."

"True but that was then. I have literally covered every inch of ground for a three mile radius and no one but the brooding, short girl outside is around. So relax? Maybe?" Barry suggested.

"He has a point Ollie. No one is going to try to take out a hangar with the six of us in it plus Super cousin and Giant Green guy inside." Thea agreed.

"Thea… please don't call me… that in front of other…"

"What? Ollie? I've been calling you that since I could talk. I don't complain when you call me Speedy. C'mon its cute."

"Yes Ollie, lighten up." Nyssa told the man, standing behind his sister. Oliver looked at Thea and pointed his finger at her.

"You see what you started?"

"Hey guys, we have a visitor, but its cool. Its only, Miss Grant…"

Before Winn could finish the sentence, the front door opened and Nyssa let loose a throwing star, traveling with deadly accuracy towards the half way opened door. Barry caught it five feet from the door and hid it behind his back as a smiling Cat Grant, followed by her son and Lois Lane walked in.

"Hello Mr. Allen. A pleasure to see you again." Cat greeted him with a smirk.

"Nice to see you too, Miss Grant."

Lois offered her hand. Barry took it with his left. "Uh sorry, I cut my other hand a moment ago. Something dropped and it was incredibly sharp. Very, very sharp. One of those things that wherever you touch it, it just seems to be razor sharp everywhere."

Barry held onto the throwing star that had cut into his hand behind his back and managed not to let the pain show in his face. He would definitely have Felicity talk to Oliver about having a talk with Nyssa about not throwing pointy and/or very sharp things at innocent people.

"As good as it is too see you again Mr. Allen I would really love to see your significant other." Cat informed him in her usual bored tone.

"You're the Blur." Carter whispered. Barry managed to keep the irritation from his face and gave the kid a bright smile.

"I'm actually called the Flash."

"The Blur is better but okay." Carter agreed, star struck by the suit and the one time he had seen him fight by Supergirl's side on the news.

"Kara is talking to her cousin…" Barry began, before Kara floated down.

"I'm right here."

Lois and Cat's breath was taken away by the woman descending down slowly towards them. She hadn't been gone that long, months, however they felt like years, but both Lois and especially Cat could see the girl had changed more than her appearance. Her red cape and boots were still present along with the well known symbol of the House of El, as Supergirl had explained in her first interview and Lois had explained at greater length. Her skirt however, was gone, instead she wore a tight suit similar to Mr. Allen's. Cat would bet there was a mask involved as well. It was good to know Kara was not relying on her old disguise if this was the case. She was always too beautiful to have to cover it up. Such light shouldn't be forced to hide behind meekness.

Kara landed in front of Cat and the usually cool and composed woman, sniffed, casually wiped an eye and took her in.

"I have missed you, Kara."

"I have missed you too, Miss Grant." Kara responded wrapping her arms around the older woman, who grabbed onto her fiercely.

No one in the room said a word as the women hugged each other tightly. Alex had never understood the bond these two shared but she knew despite everything it was deep. Kara had always seen Cat Grant as a hero but she had never understood it until recently. Underneath the snippy attitude and arrogance was an intelligent, charming, loving mother. Cat Grant had a huge heart and like everyone else in Kara's orbit, she was drawn to the hero.

Finally pulling back, Kara knelt on one knee and took Carter in.

"Can I hug you?" Kara asked, knowing Carter did not like sudden physical contact.

"Please?" the boy asked. Kara took him gently in her arms and he lay his head on her shoulder.

"It's really you. I knew you couldn't be dead. You just couldn't. Nobody can beat you." Kara's skin warmed at his presence and his faith in her. He didn't know that she could be beat, had very nearly been beat several times. He had his faith shattered when his mother explained to him what happened to Kara only for it to be restored when she had told him twenty eight minutes ago that Kara was back. His mother had called Lois, telling her the news and the three arrived at the same time.

"I like your suit. It's really cool. Its like the Blur's only cooler." Carter mentioned, causing snickering in the audience and Barry to roll his eyes.

Cisco walked up to the young man and offered his hand. Carter looked at it, unsure. Kara noticed and tried to ease Carter's anxiety without making Cisco feel awkward.

"Carter, this is Cisco but he goes by Vibe. He is a superhero too. He can open up breaches into other worlds. That is how we got here. He also makes all the superhero costumes and the really cool toys we use to fight bad guys."

A grin broke out on the young man's face and he took Cisco's hand. "So you have been here quite a bit huh?" Vibe asked.

"Uh huh."

"I bet you know a lot about those spaceships then, right?"

Carter nodded his head furiously.

"Think you can show me around them? I haven't had a chance to look yet." Carter ran towards the ships before turning and motioning to Cisco to follow.

"You look well Kara. I am so relieved." Lois told her. Kara smiled at her cousin's wife who had always been kind to her, though distance had kept them from being very close. "Lucy is still outside. I suppose all the guards left because they were a little freaked?"

Kara nodded affirmation. "We really didn't want anyone to get hurt, my friends coming with me and all."

"They wouldn't have hurt your friends Kara." Lois told the younger woman.

"I was talking about Max's team being hurt." Kara clarified. Lois raised an eyebrow and took in the group behind her. She knew what they were capable of from the last encounter Max's idiots had. Lois was disappointed in Lucy becoming involved with the man but understood the need she felt to do something, and was grateful Kara kept them from being injured.

"She wanted to know if she could come in. She would really like to talk to you."

"General Lane junior can wait. I have spent a lot of money to have a conversation with Kara and I plan to be first in line. Come with me Kara."

Cat walked off, heels taping to the makeshift board room the project team used.

"Glad to see somethings never change." Kara told Lois, rolling her eyes. Felicity stood up and walk to the Superheroine.

"Do I need to remind her you don't work for her anymore?"

Kara laughed.

"Its just the way she is. She doesn't mean anything by it." Kara patted Felicity on the shoulder and followed Cat, glad to be able to catch up with the woman. She winked at Barry who returned the gesture and followed her former mentor and one of the women she had always looked towards as a role model.

While this was going on, Carter had taken in the rest of the newcomers while Cisco sat in the cockpit and Winn pointed out various features of Kara's pod. Even Alex and Caitlin had joined, Alex unable to fully enjoy the moment, trying to be optimistic but unable to make herself fall for the possibility whoever this Oracle was, could be just playing with them. The idea that she could have her Mom, Dad and Kara in a universe safe from those out to get them was too much to hope for. Instead she maintained a smile and tried to divert Carter's interest from Team Arrow who were whispering among themselves, at least Thea, Dig and Oliver were. Carter would not be deterred, and began walking towards the two hooded and masked individuals, the man who had a really cool helmet in his hand and the strange woman standing behind them silently, not moving at all.

Barry zipped in front of him. "Hey Carter… where you going?"

"Hey Blur… Flash, sorry. Who are they?"

The three stopped talking and noted Felicity and Caitlin were walking towards the young man rather quickly.

"Hi! My name is Caitlin. You are Carter?"

"Who are they? Are they superheroes?"

One affirmation and three denials were spoken at the same time. Nyssa, Dig and Oliver both looked at Thea with annoyance as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Screw you guys. Everything I have been through, I'm a superhero … ine? Felicity?"

"You can probably go with superhero, Thea." Felicity agreed thinking if Speedy was the one to talk to the boy, things wouldn't be bad.

"So what are you called?" Carter asked.

"I'm Speedy."

"Speedy?"

"I know kid. I tired to change it but she is stuck on the name." Cisco commented.

"And what about you?" he asked Oliver.

"I'm Oliver…"

"He's the Green Arrow." Cisco explained. "Even though the green part is totally lame."

"I like Green Arrow. I mean he is green, or wearing green. What about you?" He asked Dig. Dig knelt his big frame down, and smiled at the boy.

"I'm this guy's bodyguard. Or I guess his little sister's since she pays me now. I pretty much just save them when they bite off more than they can chew, which happens quite a bit."

"Cool. A superhero's bodyguard. What about you?" he asked Nyssa. "Are you a ninja?"

Nyssa smiled, Oliver grimaced while Barry and Felicity simply groaned.

"I am Nyssa, the last Ra's Al Ghul and leader of the League of Assassins. I disbanded the league after rising to the title of the Demon. My husband by League law, Al Sahim or Oliver Queen as he is known, defeated the former Ra's Al Ghul, Speedy's biological father Malcolm Merlyn and cut off his hand. He then passed the mantel of Ra's Al Ghul to me and I disbanded the order but not before destroying the Lazarus Pit. I now wander the world, enjoying life and taking the occasional odd job should someone need to be dealt with in a more permanent fashion than a typical so called superhero could provide."

Carter stared at the woman, speechless, as was Winn standing behind him.

"I'm… I'm gonna go back to the spaceship. When Kara comes out could you ask her to come stand by me? Closely?" the boy asked Alex, who nodded and glared at a grinning Nyssa.

"C'mon Carter." Winn patted the boy lightly on the shoulder and they both turned walking far away from the group.

"Nice job Nyssa. Way to scare the kid." Barry mentioned.

"He asked."

"And stop throwing things at people!" Felicity hissed.

"It would have hit the door as it opened. Trust me, I never miss."

"It hurt. My hand is still healing and sticky from the blood. My glove is torn. Not cool Nyssa, not cool." Barry told her, trying to sound as intimidating as possible when faced with a woman he knew would only need to contact him once, to knock him out.

While introductions were ongoing outside Kara and Cat sat across from each other, saying nothing, still coming to grips that they were in each others presence.

"Thank you." Kara started. "Alex told me what you did after you found out what happened. And this, all this just to get to me. I can't even begin to tell you what that means to me."

Thinking of a dismissive word, Cat found she didn't have it in her. Not anymore. After thinking her sunny protege was dead for so long, the time for games had stopped.

"Of course. You have saved my life enough times that I think I may have owed you more than one debt. Honestly I am just glad to see you. To know you are okay. Carter is overjoyed. We all are. I suppose you won't be staying?"

Kara shook her head. Cat felt both relief and disappointment. Relief that Kara would be away from this world with its dangers to her and disappointment that Kara would not be a permanent fixture in her and her son's life.

"I understand. It is for the best. On your Earth nothing can harm you correct? No Kryptonite, no other alien prisoners out to get you?"

"No, none of that." Kara didn't mention sorcerers and magic, her new Kryptonite. No point in worrying the woman.

"So do you wear a mask with your new outfit?"

"Yes. Is this an interview? I don't mind giving you one now."

"No! No one can know you are alive. That woman murdered the life you had here and she will be tried and convicted for it."

"I understand." Kara told her and did. She truly didn't care if the former president was convicted of murder. From what Alex had told her, Kara wasn't the first murder she had ordered and succeeded at most. Cat and Lois had dug up everything about the woman's life.

"So I see you are still wearing the big S. only smaller… Does this mean you go by…"

"No! I know you loved that name but it just had too many bad memories associated with it. You are right. Supergirl died that day."

"So what do you call yourself?" Cat asked.

"My friends call me Superwoman." she told her former boss, a touch of pride in her voice.

Cat smiled. "So you finally got the title you wanted. It fits. You have definitely grown into it. I wish I knew how you do it."

"Do what?" Kara asked, a bit confused.

"Just be you. You have had your world destroyed so many times and yet you still have that light in your eyes. I suppose Mr. Allen has something to do with that, but it is more. You just have this brightness Kara. One that should never go away."

"I don't know. Everything has affected me.I still have nightmares and minor panic attacks and there were days before all this that I was so depressed I didn't want to get out of bed. But I always had people around me who loved me. I had a job I enjoyed and gave me a reason to get out of bed every morning. I had a boss I looked up to as a role model, who had fought her way to the top and never admitted defeat. You have no idea how much of an inspiration you have always been to me."

"Yes… well… you have had quite the affect on me as well, Kara. So since this friend of yours can open these breaches any time will we be seeing you again?"

"I'd like to. Cisco is getting very good, so it shouldn't be a problem. Kal will still be here and you and Carter of course. I don't want to disappear. Maybe it is selfish to keep the people I care about and risk traveling universes but, I don't know, I just don't want to lose any of the people I have. Not anymore."

"I am glad to hear it. So what are you doing when you and the Blur aren't zipping through the city?"

"I actually work for the blonde woman with glasses. Her name is Felicity and she is the CEO of this huge corporation that develops cutting edge technological breakthroughs. Her latest device is a chip that can repair spinal cord injuries. She was paralyzed not long ago and put the first chip in her own spine. As you can see she is walking just fine."

Cat's jaw dropped. "She has cured spinal cord injuries?"

"Not completely, but one day, yes along with other diseases. I believe in her. She is the owner and CEO of the company but not really into the business side of things. She prefers to be in R&D making the miracles happen. She hired me to be her executive assistant but my first day of work she was attacked by this really bad guy. He and I had a fight and we destroyed the building. Like all of it. All forty stories, 39 of which landed on me. But before I destroyed the building I had this really big office with a window so I could go quickly if I was needed. My office in the temporary offices is big as well. I don't really do any executive assistant work. Instead I liaison with the contractors rebuilding our offices and I approve, or deny as the case has been lately, the PR teams press releases and marketing plans. I'm also the designated face of the company according to her. Kind of makes the mask necessary."

"Amazing. You are the face and voice of a company curing the incurable, shaping its direction and making it run smoothly. I always knew you would change the world Kara, not just as a superhero. I wished it had been this world but I am glad it is somewhere, a place that deserves you. So tell me how is the love life going? I had to demote Mr. Olsen before he quit. I'm not sure where he is now."

"Really? He quit? Why?"

"Easy. He couldn't marry into Superman's wife's family and he couldn't marry his cousin so he had nothing left to strive for. When Superman stopped taking his calls, Winn having told him of James constantly playing with your emotions while dating Lucy, Kal El basically cut him off. James started drinking quite a bit, his job performance suffered. I bumped him down to investigative photojournalist and he lasted about a month, not completing one single assignment ,then just stopped showing up. I have heard rumors he is working freelance here and there but nothing concrete and to be honest I haven't paid much attention. Enough about him. Is the solar powered sex bracelet working or have you broken Mr. Allen in half yet?"

Kara's blush was as bright red as the symbol on her chest.

An hour later as Kara tried to avoid the subject of sex and Cat brought it up at every opportunity, her former boss decided to take her son home. It was only nearing 3 PM but he had enough excitement for the day and was promised a return visit tomorrow. Before he left, Kara gave the young man four action figures, The Flash, Superwoman, Speedy and the Green Arrow. Dig was secretly upset that he didn't have one but acted as if it hadn't bothered him.

Everyone unpacked, Winn doing his best not to gawk at Felicity's equipment and Eliza trying not to pale at the number of swords, knives, guns, and arrows, in one of the cases. Everyday clothes were also packed in with the computer equipment and Eliza found Kara and apparently Alex's friends were not as intimidating without there costumes. Actually Nyssa was and Oliver underneath his charming smile had a coldness to him, etched by years of heartache. Eliza recognized it in her mirror since Jeremiah died.

The idea of him really being alive was too much for her. So instead of thinking on it, she, Lois, Winn and Caitlin who Winn had invited, drove into the city and brought back food for everyone. All the scientists were called and told not to report for the next three days and Max Lord had called Eliza several times, demanding to be let in unmolested until Oliver took the phone from Eliza and asked Max exactly how many holes would he like in his body this time. Max did not call back.

Lucy was allowed in and had asked to speak to Kara. Kara however, now in jeans and her favorite Flash mid drift t shirt, told her they would talk later. It had been an emotional day for Superwoman and she had one more journey to make that would be emotional for her and Alex. As darkness fell, Barry, Thea, and Caitlin rode in back of the black SUV Alex was driving to Kara's old apartment building while Kara sat in the front beside her sister. Barry and Thea stayed outside, Thea providing security in the event any reporters or other dangers were around and Barry preferring to walk around outside rather than enter the place he saw Kara close to death. She was not the only one who had nightmares about that day. Seeing the blood pouring thickly out of her wounds and spreading in a puddle underneath her burned in his soul and he would never forget that sight no matter how long he lived.

Alex and Kara walked in, hand in hand, followed by Cait who had come at Kara's request and Kara took a deep breath. This was where she had spent her adult life. Her eyes went to her paintings, exactly where she left them. Alex hadn't moved a thing. She took in her couch where she and Alex had spent many evenings eating ice cream and watching television.

Then her eyes were drawn to the floor. One spot on the floor. Kara remembered falling to her knees, the helplessness she felt when she saw the eyes of the man who put the gun to her head.

"Kara!"

Alex's voice snapped her out of her memories and Caitlin was rubbing her back.

"Slow your breathing down, Kara. This is a bad idea. Caitlin would you mind taking her outside?"

"No! I'm good." Kara told her sister. She would not be frightened out of the place she once called home. A place she belonged once, that was all hers, a place that had her old clothes, some clothes she really loved, her paintings a few of which she planned to take. Alex would grab her clothes and assorted favorite weapons and they would leave. This wasn't a sight seeing trip. Tomorrow morning Felicity would contact this Oracle and they would find out what was known about Jeremiah's secret location and take him home with Alex and Eliza, back to Kara's new home. Her family would be together, no government out to get them.

Before they could walk out, the three women heard a scream, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Running towards the door they stepped into the hallway, as Barry sped up to find Thea kneeling over a man she had in an arm bar, his arm twisted to the point it could snap and her knee on the back of his neck.

"I was checking the end of the hall when he walked out of the elevator. He had lock picking tools so I dealt with it. Violently." the young thin woman who had looked every bit a college student and popular frat girl until she took the man down, explained.

"James?" Barry asked, kneeling down next to the man on the ground and smelling the alcohol on his breath. Despite the numbing beverage, James was obviously in a lot of pain, Thea's knee buried in his neck and his arm twisted to the point of being detached from his body.

"James what are you doing here?" Kara asked. "It's okay Thea, you can let him up. He is harmless."

Thea slowly stood up, letting the drunk man's arm loose but never taking her eyes off of him. With a little luck he may do something that would allow her to hurt him again.

James stumbled a bit to his knees while Barry took his other arm and helped him stand.

"Kara? Its really you?" he asked, eyes squinting in disbelief.

"Yeah, its really me. Why were you about to break into my… Alex's apartment?" the blonde asked, standing in front of Caitlin, who tried to look around her. Alex had a deep scowl on her face as she took the man in, drunk and obviously having let himself go.

"I missed you." he explained.

"So you were going to break in? If Alex had been home by herself she would have shot you and asked questions later. Much later after she buried your body in an unmarked grave."

"You are not kidding sister." Alex promised quietly, eyes never leaving the man.

"I just wanted to be near you and your apartment was the only place I really had left. It seemed like a good idea. I knew Alex lived here but figured she would be at the airfield."

"You know about the airfield? How? Did Lucy tell you?" Alex asked immediately.

"No, Lucy and Clark don't exactly take my calls anymore but I do have some skills. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't become the journalist I am now by relying on Superman to give me leads. I just wanted to be near you Kara. Then Winn was gone and you, maybe, were dead or with Allen and not coming back. I just…'

"Were going to break into my old apartment? Rao, James what has happened to you?"

"I have nothing left! We could have been happy and the damn President, and then Lane … and Allen…"

"We never would have been happy, James."

"Yes we would have!"

"You wanted someone who never existed. The female version of my cousin, the perfect superhero, at least in your mind. You never would have loved all of me. You could never have taken the sadness and anger that I have inside me. You would have put me on a pedestal I couldn't possible remain on. And I would have tried. I would have lost myself in you because I didn't want to be alone. We both would have been miserable eventually. It just wasn't meant to be. You need to find someone who doesn't have to live up to your lofty expectations and love her because of her imperfections, not in spite of them."

"And you need a shower." Alex added. Caitlin, Alex and Thea walked back into the apartment, so the packing could begin. Barry asked Kara if she would like him to go outside. Kara grabbed his hand.

"No, you stay where you belong, next to me. James it was never going to happen. Not in a way that was fair to both of us. Be happy, pull yourself together and stop wasting your life and talent on the memory of a woman who never really existed. The reason I love Barry is because he accepts all of me, the good and the bad and I do the same with him. Find someone like that, someone who you don't expect to be perfect, and try to be happy. I have packing to do. Do you want us to call you a cab?"

"No. I walked, I can find my way back. Good luck Kara. I guess this it. The last time I see you? Ever?"

"Probably James." Kara admitted, knowing she would risk traveling back with Barry to see Kal El and Cat and Carter Grant, Winn, even Lois, but not for him.

Kara walked inside to avoid anymore awkward goodbyes, leaving Barry and James alone.

"I guess I don't have to tell you to not let anyone know Kara is alive, do I?" Barry asked.

"What if I do?"

"No one will believe you, you will lose any credibility you have left and I will put enough lightning into your body that you might come close to sobering up. Bye James."

Barry walked into the apartment, leaving the broken man in the hallway. Inside he noted Caitlin siting on the couch, while Alex packed in the bedroom. Kara was standing in the middle of her living room, staring at the familiar spot on the floor.

"You okay?" he asked, holding her from behind.

"Yeah, a minor panic attack when I first walked in but I am good now."

"That spot on the floor, I have nightmares about it too. But I also am amazed by it. What you did, staying alive despite what happened here is amazing and you should be proud of yourself."

Kara laughed. "Proud of myself? If you and Kal hadn't shown up, I would be dead."

Barry held her tighter. "You don't get it, do you? You should have died. You lost so much blood you should have died there, not survived long enough for me to carry you through a breach, to let Caitlin perform surgery. Your heart shouldn't have restarted. Even with the blood transfusions it wasn't enough for anyone, human or Kryptonian to survive. You are the one who held on, who refused to die, giving Caitlin a chance to save you. What she did was amazing but she never would have had the chance if you weren't such a fighter. You refused to die. You weren't just a victim that day, you were a survivor. This place was another crucible you had to undergo and you did it. You came out stronger."

"You helped quite a bit with that. If not for you I doubt I would have ever flown again." she admitted.

"Yeah maybe. We all need help sometimes, even if it is from a crazy guy in green leather prepared to kill anybody who walks into a door with the intention of harming you. Trust me, Oliver wouldn't do that for just anybody, much less bring his sister, Felicity and Dig."

"He's a good friend to you." Kara admitted.

"Yeah he is, and in a short time of knowing you, he is devoted to you. You saved Felicity. In his book he would die for you now. So would any of us, but it won't come to that."

'You understand no matter what, I am getting Jeremiah back? Right?"

"So long as you understand I will be there helping you."

"Of course. Partner's right?" Kara told him, leaning back, her head resting on her chest. She stopped looking at the floor. That spot didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore except the people in her life.

"Kara we haven't begun to realize what the two of us can do together. The ones keeping your Dad prisoner are about to find out." Barry promised.

When the group returned to the hangar, nearly everyone was preparing cots, with the exception of Diggle and Oliver who stood by like sentinels watching over them all. She supposed Oliver would trade off with him standing guard through out the night.

"I talked to Oracle while you were gone." Felicity told Kara and Alex immediately.

"And?" Alex prompted.

"Your cousin gave her his word he would return doing what he does, or did. She is sending someone to see us tomorrow. He apparently is her benefactor and supports her work. This man is going to deliver the information we need. He will come alone." Overwatch explained.

"And who is this mystery benefactor?" Barry asked.

"Some billionaire named Bruce Wayne. Everything I have read about him puts pre island Oliver to shame. Billionaire playboy, different woman every night, wastes money on yachts, private planes, but also big into charity works though his company's foundation. Seems harmless enough. Spoiled rich brat that likes to play with everything. Probably gets his kicks involving himself in a world he has no business in. It would explain how this mystery hacker has the tech to do what she does, almost as well as I do."

"I guess we should probably get some sleep then." Barry told the ladies. Nothing to do now but wait and figure out a way he and Kara could fit onto the same single person cot. He supposed they could push two together.

Lucy began to walk towards Kara, hoping to finally talk to the woman, explain, apologize, make her believe she had nothing to do with her attack. Before she could get within fifty feet of the sunny blonde warrior, Oliver Queen stepped in front of her. Felicity was back at her workstation, next to Winn while Cisco played in Kara's spaceship. Lucy immediately became nervous at the man's proximity. He was dressed casually now, grey short sleeve t shirt form fitting which she greatly appreciated and loose faded blue jeans over combat boots. Despite his physical attractiveness she did not take him for granted, having seen his skills firsthand.

"Hi, I'm Oliver Queen."

"Yes, I remember." Lucy told him, hands on her hips and defiant look on her face.

"Right, you were with your boss when…"

"He isn't my boss. We work together." Lucy corrected.

"You need better coworkers. I hope there is no awkwardness between us. We were on a mission and you and your friends were in our way. I didn't want to attack you or your team."

Lucy let out a breath, knowing she should just let it go. The man and his friends had beaten them. No point in holding it against him now.

"No problem. If it is all the same to you I would like to talk to Kara." Lucy tried to move around the man but was stopped by his hand on her shoulder.

"And you will talk to Kara but before you talk to her, I want you to tell me everything that happened at the DEO the day she was shot."

"Why? I plan to tell her." Lucy defiantly stated, hoping she could seem strong and not intimidated.

"How about you humor me?"

The younger Lane knew she would not talk to Kara until she had given this man the information he wanted.

"Fine, where would you like me to start?" she asked. Oliver grinned, glad she would not put up a fight. He glanced at his love who gave him a thumbs up from her seat.

"First I need you to answer a very important question. What color are your shoes?"


	20. Chapter 20

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N Okay its a day late but it is the longest chapter so far. Please forgive any mistakes. It is 4 AM and I am trying to get this out by 7. 11K words is a lot to edit and I suck at editing to begin with. Please keep in mind that I am following no particular canon about which characters I use on which Earth. I did some research on the multiverse in comics this weekend and by the time I reached Earth 16 I gave up. Anyway thank you for all the reviews. They are increasing in number each chapter and I hope this continues. You readers are really inspiring me and I love replying to reviews. I have had some of the most fun discussions. Here we go. Grab a snack and a drink. Its a long one. Oh one more thing. I forgot people who read this story and watch the Flash don't necessarily watch the Arrow. If anyone is wondering why Oliver asked what color Lucy's shoes were at the end of last chapter go to Youtube and search for Arrow what color are your shoes. One of my favorite Oliver Felicity moments.

Chapter 20

"What kind of question is that?" Lucy asked the man in front of her who was now even stranger.

"Just answer the question. What color are your shoes?" Oliver repeated.

"They are black!"

"Okay Oliver, I have the baseline. Go ahead." Felicity informed him from her workstation on the other side of the hangar. The com in Oliver's ear was small but clear enough for Felicity to be able to conduct a polygraph based on stress levels in the voice. It was a trick they had employed before on the streets after Felicity decided Oliver needed a better information gathering technique than sticking arrows in people until they talked.

"Thank you Miss Lane. Now could you please tell me what happened the morning Kara was shot? Kara hasn't spoken about it in detail to anyone besides Caitlin and Barry but Barry tells me everything, whether I want to know or not, and I would love to hear about it from a fresh perspective."

"My father tried to have her murdered. What else is there to know? You think I had something to do with it? You think if I had, Alex would have let me live?" Lucy challenged.

"I think it is possible for someone to be so close to a situation that she, or he of course, might miss little things. I think, no, I know, that when you talk to Kara she is going to believe you had nothing to do with the attempt on her life and try to make you feel better. Its who she is. I am who I am and I have questions. So tell me what I want to know or Alex will be the least of your worries." Oliver warned.

"You are threatening me?" Lucy asked disbelieving. Oliver motioned with his head over her shoulder. Lucy turned and saw the mysterious woman in black with a bow behind her and twin swords under her red robe, staring at her with a slight grin.

"That nice lady is Kara and Alex's mentor. She trains them to fight, to be quicker, stronger, smarter. I happen to know she is fond of both of them. Nyssa is very loyal to those she holds dear. If she even suspects you are a danger to any of us, she will kill you. She does not have the restraint I have developed over the years. She is not a hero, she is an assassin and has been since she could walk. I am trying to save your life. I have to convince her you are not a threat because she feels you are. Before I can do that I need to know everything."

"Fine. I had just arrived for the morning shift. Alex and Hank had been handling operations at night. Approximately thirty minutes after they had left, My father entered the compound, bypassing all security measures to alert us to any visitors presence. He had ten soldiers with him, all Army. I asked what he was doing and he informed me that by Presidential order he would be taking control of the DEO. I told him I would need to speak to the President and four of my own men pulled weapons and trained them on me. The soldiers moved my remaining agents away from their stations. My father received a call. I heard him ask how they failed to kill him because he was told the ambush would be foolproof. I didn't realize it as of yet, that he was talking about the attempt on Superman's life.

He ordered one of my former agents who had sided with him to pull up a cam. The camera was on a tactical helmet and appeared to be of a man in a van along with five others, all in black, all carrying weapons. A com was opened and General Lane informed the men that the attack on Superman had failed and he was most likely on his way to National City. He then ordered the men to attack Supergirl before he could get to her. When the man stepped out of the van I recognized the apartment building as Kara's and it became clear to me what was going on. I rushed towards my phone and called her before anyone could stop me. I tried to warn her but I was tackled and my phone crushed. You know the rest I am sure."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I find it strange that you managed to call Kara a few seconds before the men broke into her home. Your call actually aided them by distracting her. Have you thought of this?"

Lucy froze. She had not thought of that. Alex had never thought of it. There was no reason for anyone to think about it because they knew her. Lucy would never betray Kara that way.

"Hank … J'onn, the Martian you couldn't beat? He can read minds. Did you know that? I have been here for months. Don't you think if I had played a part in Kara's attack he would have known?"

"Thanks for the information on the Martian. You were really the head of a top secret black op government agency? Answer the question. I prefer not to rely on anyone else, mind reader or not, for my own satisfaction."

"No, I never thought of it. I was held down until my father saw, we all saw Kara shot and fall to the floor. We saw the man put a gun to her head, I screamed and then we saw carnage. Superman had arrived and was literally tearing bodies to pieces. The man with the camera on his helmet had his arms torn off, another had a leg ripped off. Clark was screaming, he hit one man in the chest and his fist went all the way through him. My father saw this happen. He saw Barry Allen arrive and pick Kara up, telling Superman that he could save her. Then they were gone. Kara was bleeding, there was so much blood. She had blood coming rom her mouth with each breath.

My father panicked. He tried to hide his fear but he knew. All the soldiers in the room knew. We had heard Clark tell Allen the DEO did this. Dad … General Lane, knew he was dead at that point. He ordered his soldiers and the agents who had who betrayed us to leave with him. I didn't know what to do so I used Vasquez's phone and called Alex. I was freaking out. I thought she was dead, I saw her, there was so much blood. Alex and Hank must have found someway to find Kara, probably the tracker Alex had in sewn in her suit that Kara didn't know about. They arrived just after Clark threw Allen and Kara into the breach. The rest… I didn't call to distract her. I tried to save her. If you don't believe me let your guard dog take her best shot. I have no illusions that I am in her league but I will not be accused of betraying someone I cared about and considered a close friend, as Kara Danvers no less and not just Supergirl, by you or any of your dimension hopping enforcers. Now get out of my way."

Oliver listened intently, trying to read her face. She was angry and offended by his suggestion of betrayal, and had more guts that she had shown before. Her problem wasn't heart, it was skill and having to rely on someone like Max Lord for financial support to continue the work she had been doing. He knew the look in her eye. A parent had betrayed her. It was one he knew well. He also knew that to some degree she had been greatly traumatized by watching Kara being shot.

"She is telling the truth, Oliver. Let her go." Felicity told him in the com. Oliver smiled at Lucy, stepped aside and waved his arm toward Kara who was sitting next to and talking to Cait.

"Enjoy your conversation." the Arrow said pleasantly and walked away. Lucy shook her head, schooled her features and walked towards the table where Kara sat. The worst that could happen would be Kara telling her to leave. Although the blonde had not indicated she would, she also had not made an effort to even look towards Lucy. She understood Kara not trusting Max Lord but why did she have to leave when the breach opened today? Was it because she worked with Max? Or was it more? Did Kara wonder about the timing of Lucy's warning call? Had Oliver Queen made her as paranoid as he was? From the short time, she had seen the group together, many of them, even Allen it seemed, took their lead from Queen. She wondered what a non super powered man and his non super powered friends, especially the thin short haired girl, were even doing, being involved with heroes like Kara and Allen. Oliver Queen was charming, handsome and obviously dangerous but Lucy did not see him as a hero. There was too much darkness in him. Yet Kara and Barry accepted him as if he was family. She supposed if she wanted to become a part of Kara's inner circle as she had once been, before her father betrayed them all, she had best figure out who was what to who.

When she reached the table, Kara met her eyes. To her relief, Lucy did not see any anger or suspicion. Instead she seemed almost apologetic. Caitlin caught the direction of Kara's eyes and followed her gaze. She squeezed Kara's hand, stood up and offered her seat to Lucy with a smile before walking away.

Lucy sat down hesitantly, offering Kara a small smile.

"I'm sorry." Kara told her, surprising the woman.

"What… what are you apologizing for?" Lucy asked. "I'm the one…"

"You tried to save me. I shouldn't have asked Barry to tell you to leave when we came through the breach and I shouldn't have left you outside. I… I knew you were with Max when Oliver and Sara came through and … I don't exactly trust Max. He helped out with Myriad and finding Fort Roz and he helped me before in the past but he has also tried to kill me. I just couldn't imagine him wanting to find me for any good reason and the idea that he was a part of what was going on, and you were working with him … but you were my friend. You tried to warn me, and your father betrayed you and Clark killed him and I know these past few months have been hard on you. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. I'm glad you are here Lucy."

Lucy leaned back, mouth open, trying to digest what she just heard. Kara had her entire life ripped from her again and felt guilt over how Lucy was ignored the last few hours and what she went through since Kara was nearly killed.

"Kara…"

"And I'm sorry for what Oliver was doing. I heard everything. Felicity was running a lie detector test by analyzing your voice through a small com in his ear. Its small enough that you have to look really hard to see it. I didn't ask her to do it. Oliver is … protective over all of us. I guess we all kind of look out for each other."

"That's… thats good…" Lucy managed to say before a torrent of tears rushed out of her eyes, surprising herself and Kara. Kara reached over where Lucy was seated and pulled the woman into her arms. Lucy had a thousand things she wanted to say but at that moment, being with the blonde, all the hurt, guilt grief, betrayal, self loathing and stress came rushing out because of Kara's words of kindness. She couldn't contain herself so Kara just brought her closer, the two sitting side by side, Lucy trying to regain control of her breathing and Kara rubbing her back, feeling a few tears of her own. Kara would never tell Lucy this but she had thought of the possibility that Lucy called at that exact time to distract her but dismissed it. At the time, shortly after it happened, Kara was overanalyzing everything leading up to the ambush and doubting everything she thought she knew about everyone. The only people she knew weren't involved were Alex, J'onn, Eliza, Winn, James, Cat and Clark. That was it. Those were the ones she had absolute trust in, on that Earth at least. Everything else she had thought she knew was shattered. Lucy had been telling the truth. Her father betrayed her, infiltrated her agency from the inside under her nose and used her agents to enact an operation leading to the attempted murder of her friend. Her world had been torn apart. Her father was killed, murdered by Kal El in revenge and Lucy could not even defend the man, much less knowing that her sister approved and her brother in law was the one to do it.

Everyone else in the hangar drifted away, giving the two women space. Soon Kara realized it was just the two of them, all others walking the airfield from the sound of it. Eliza was pointing out constellations to Thea and Barry, Cisco and Winn were talking about sci fi movies on Netflix and comparing who had what movies in what universes. Oliver and Diggle were talking to Felicity apart from the rest, wanting to know everything they could about Bruce Wayne and any reports on a man bat in Gotham City. She couldn't hear Alex or Nyssa but was sure they were probably somewhere hanging out, maybe going for a hike or something. Kara was impressed by how good of a friend Nyssa had become to Alex. She had never seen Alex socialize with anyone as much as she had Nyssa, outside of Kara herself of course. The two also did a lot of extra training it seemed and Alex always came back exhausted but in a great mood.

Lucy finally got control of herself and picked her head up off Kara's shoulder.

"I'm… I'm sorry. You were nearly killed and had everything taken again from you! And I am the one you are comforting. Why … Kara why did he do it? Why was he like that? My mother wasn't like that. Lois was never like that. But I was always a daddy's girl. I wanted so badly to impress him. If he thought aliens were dangerous then they were all dangerous. If Daddy thought it then it must be true. I had no reason to think it, but I did. I destroyed my relationship with my sister over that belief that wasn't even mine. Until I met you and you shattered every notion that I ever had about him being right. I thought he was changing. I really thought after Myriad and you … why? Why was he such a bastard Kara?"

Kara looked into her dark eyes and felt her heart break again. Lucy had so much pain and it went far beyond the day Kara was shot. She had lost her mother when she was young as well. She and Lois were at constant odds, Lucy needing her Dad's love and Lois rebelling against the man and his rigid views. It couldn't be easy on either side, especially for a man as unchanging as Samuel Lane.

"I don't know, Lucy. I do know he loved you. That was one thing I never doubted. You were his world."

"Only you would say something good about him." Lucy chuckled and sniffed, trying to dry her eyes with one hand.

"There are a lot of things we all wish we knew the answers to. I will never understand what happened between my mother and Aunt Astra that tore once close sisters apart so completely. I realize they had different ideas on things but neither would give I suppose. I don't know if either was completely right or completely wrong. I don't know the whole story, and I don't know why I was chosen out of all the females in my family to go with Clark to protect him. It would have made more sense for his own mother to go but there were only two pods and I was chosen. Despite the good in my life, there are times I wished I had died with my planet. I know that doesn't make sense, I'm not suicidal by any means. I have a pretty great life. But there are times when I think of all my childhood friends and all my cousins and my tutors and my grandmother, I wonder why me? Why did they get to give up and I couldn't? I had another cousin, named Kor. He was approximately four Earth years I suppose. He had hair as blonde as mine and the cutest dimples. I would play with him at least once a day and he would follow me around saying Kawa all the time. He's gone now. The core couldn't take the pressure any longer and just like that Kor was gone in a matter of seconds. My mother, my father, all gone in a matter of seconds. It wasn't fire or earthquakes that killed them. In my nightmares they burn but I know in my heart that is not what happened. I heard the explosion and I still hear it. I felt the shockwave before I went to sleep. It was over in seconds. 2 billion Kryptonians, millions of years of history just gone. Monuments, temples, homes, families, lovers, siblings just gone. I don't know why I was chosen. I will never know and sometimes I think that is the worst thing. The entire planet is now in Rao's light, except for me and Kal. It doesn't seem fair. What was so special about me, you know?"

"You have survivor's guilt."

"I guess. Thats why Eliza told me once. I still have nightmares where my mother tells me I don't deserve to live. That makes no sense because she is the one who obviously wanted me to live but the nightmare still comes. Do you have nightmares Lucy?"

Lucy nodded slightly. She had nightmares since her mother died.

"Lucy, what happened to me wasn't your fault. I am sorry. I should have included you when I first got here but…"

"I have been working with Max. You know if I thought he was out to harm you I never would have. Its just that I don't trust the government, not anymore. I don't trust Max but at least he is honest about being a bastard."

"Why did he want to get to my Earth so badly? Why did he care?" Kara asked.

"He said because he wanted you back. The Earth needed a champion and since Kal wasn't going to wear the cape unless you came back he would do what was necessary. Myriad showed him that humans could not fight alien invasions on their own." Lucy told her skeptically.

"And the real reason?" Kara prodded.

"He has a thing for Alex and figured if he could get her to you she would fall for him or something. I mean he really has a thing for her. Which is ridiculous because for someone as smart as he is, he can be absolutely clueless. Anyone who spends any amount of time around Alex and pays attention can tell that she is…

"I know right? A loner? I wish she wasn't but like Max Lord would ever have a chance. He has tried to kill me before. He spied on us using her purse. Plus Alex is just so… I honestly hope that she can meet someone on this new Earth. She has just never had any interest in any cute guys I have seen. She seems so unaffected. Almost like she could care less. I think it is because she is so focused on her career and me that maybe she hasn't taken the time to try and meet anyone."

"Uh… Kara… you do know that Alex is…"

"Hey ladies!" Barry greeted them, zipping up. Lucy tried not to act surprised and failed.

"Mr. Allen…."

"Come on Lucy, call me Barry. We are old friends by this point. Just so you know I got a pic with the spaceship this time. Everyone is hanging out on the runway star gazing. Even Oliver is laid out with Felicity draped over him and I was thinking, wow it must be nice to have someone to do that with and then I thought oh yeah, I have my own awesome blonde who likes to wrap herself around me and look at the stars. How about it, Miss Zor El? Want to show me the places you have been?"

Kara rolled her eyes and took his hand, standing.

"Come with us Lucy. You can sit next to us. Kara can give a tour of the stars that puts astronomy professors to shame. Its a clear night."

Lucy laughed and took Kara's offered hand, following the two who were walking slowly outside. Seeing Kara with her head on Barry Allen's shoulder, the two of them laughing, and knowing Kara didn't hate her, Lucy felt a weight had been lifted from her chest that she didn't realize was there. She felt like she could breathe again for the first time in months. She would still grieve she knew, but the worry, the fear of judgement from others that she would be judged by her father's actions was gone. Kara forgave her, never blamed her even and that was enough to help her start to live again.

On the runway Kara took in everyone. Oliver was sitting on the asphalt, Felicity leaned back between his legs, her head on his chest, looking at the stars. Winn and Caitlin seemed to be getting along, not surprising Kara. Winn had the ability to make anyone smile and had no doubt, Caitlin and Winn would have been good friends if they lived in the same universe. Thea walked over to Lucy and smiled, shaking her hand and chatting her up. Thea had that gift of making a person feel like she had known her forever, even if they had just met. Eliza was sitting alone, arms around her knees looking up at the sky. Kara pulled Barry with her and Eliza smiled as the two sat down next to her. Kara used her vision to see Kal holding Lois… about three hundred feet in the sky. Dig and Cisco were now talking to Lucy with Thea, smiling and joking as she always seemed to be.

Where was Alex?

"Mom, have you seen Alex?"

"Her and Nyssa went for a walk. I think they may have wanted to be alone."

"Huh. I wonder why? They wouldn't be training this late, would they Barry?"

Barry didn't meet her eyes, instead humming noncommittally and looking at the stars, suddenly finding the constellations fascinating. Eliza wondered if Kara really didn't suspect what she had always suspected.

"Kara you know that… I mean have you ever thought or has Alex ever talked to you about her … dating life?"

"What dating life?" Kara laughed. "If anyone needs to get out its Alex. I worry about her a lot. I don't want her to be alone. It always bothered me but now I'm not alone and I really don't want her to be either, more now than ever. When I thought I was going to die I made her promise to find love, happiness. I hope she realizes that even though I didn't die I still plan to hold her to that."

Eliza cleared her throat.

'Kara, on Krypton, I mean people … of course there are men and women couples but were there also same sex couples?" Eliza tried.

"Of course. I know about homosexuality Mom. I swear sometimes you act like I am still some naive 13 year old. It was never a big a deal on Krypton as it seems to be here. I mean there weren't special labels like homosexual or heterosexual. People just were with who they were. What does that have to do with anything… oh! I forgot to tell you. Well, I haven't forgot but I mean I haven't really had the time but the night I got drunk, Sara was alone with me and started to make passes at me!" Kara whispered humorously.

"Say what?" Barry asked, finally bringing his eyes back to Earth.

"She was joking but it was so funny. I mean okay I was a little freaked at first, not because she was a girl or woman I guess but you know she was friends with Barry and she knew Barry and I… anyway it was kind of funny once it was over. But she used to be like, with, Nyssa! Do you think Alex knows Nyssa is gay, Barry? I hope it doesn't bother her. I know Alex isn't one to care but I don't want her caught off guard."

"Oh I think Alex has a pretty good idea." Eliza whispered to herself, Of course Kara picked it up.

"Why would you say that? You think Nyssa told her? I can't imagine why it came up, of course Alex really doesn't like Sara and since Sara and Nyssa … oh thats right, Caitlin told us all that Nyssa was Sara's ex girlfriend when Nyssa first said hi. I forgot Alex was there. So thats good. She won't be caught by surprise, not that Alex would care. Oh well. How did you know Mom? Did Alex tell you about the first time we met Nyssa?"

"No, no… just a feeling I got. Your sister and I don't really talk about things like that. I mean I would love to but she doesn't like to open up…"

"What does that have to do with Nyssa?" Kara interrupted. Barry grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"Look, as beautiful a night it is, we all have an early meeting tomorrow with this Wayne guy and it could be intense. Oliver is going to be up at dawn and he, Dig and Thea will probably be swinging those sticks they like so much way to early, waking up everyone. Oliver will be without a shirt on of course because he can't get over himself even though he acts like he isn't trying to impress Felicity. She won't even pretend not to watch. Point being we should probably all get some sleep. I'll set us all up some cots. It should take me about five seconds."

Barry took off leaving the mother and daughter alone.

"He is right, we should get some sleep. Do you think I should find Alex? I can use my X ray…"

'

"No! I mean of course not dear. She is a big girl. Who…whatever she is… doing is her business."

Kara looked at her adopted mother in concern. Something was off. Then it hit her. How stupid could she be?

"Mom, please try to relax, I promise you we are going to get Jeremiah home. I know you don't want to believe because you don't want to be disappointed but have faith, just a little. If he is there, and I don't think this is a game because there would be no point to it, then I will get him out. We will get him out and then… you still want to come with us? Right? Back to my Earth? I guess I just kind of assumed…"

"Whether he is alive or not we are coming with you Kara. And I believe you. Jeremiah is going to come home with us. You and Alex's home. It will be all our homes. Just… don't get hurt doing it, Kara. Jeremiah wouldn't want that and you have had so many close calls and I thought you were dead and I had failed you for so long… do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"Yeah, I have an idea." Kara whispered, wrapping her arms around her adopted mother.

"You really don't. I can't lose Alex or you. Thinking you were dead, I felt dead. When you were first brought to us I told you that I knew I couldn't replace your mother and I never believed I would, but I love you as much as Alex. I swore to myself I would protect you, from everything, especially the Hank Henshaws of the world. You are both my children. Please, promise me that you will not give up your life for his. He wouldn't want that and it would kill him if he found out. If he is alive I… we have no idea what he has been through, what he has been told for the last decade. I don't know if he has been tortured or experimented on or been forced to experiment on others. I don't know who we will find but I know one thing for certain. He would rather die than see you harmed. It would kill him if you or Alex died trying to free him."

"Hey, calm down. You never had to replace my mother. You gave me a second mother and that is something most kids never get. As far as Jeremiah, I understand what you are saying but I need you to have faith in me."

"I'll always have faith in you Kara. But you have been so close…"

"And I'm still here. Every time I survive something I become stronger. Lately I have become pretty strong. Lets go inside. You are right, Alex can find her way back."

By the time all had made it in, Barry had indeed set up cots for everyone. The team had packed minimal clothes not knowing how long their stay would be but assuming not long. The trip was already turning out longer than expected.

The lights in the hanger dimmed and the automatic locks on the doors banged shut. Alex had wandered in minutes before the locks engaged, although Eliza assured her that Alex knew the override code. Kara still hadn't seen Nyssa and wondered if her and Alex had been training after all. Alex's short hair was a mess and her jeans had dust all over them. Of course Nyssa would be rough on her the night before a potential big battle. Alex really needed to learn to let herself relax. Training day and night could not be good for her.

Barry moved his cot next to Kara's and did his best to wrap his arms around her but the metal frame between the two made it difficult. So instead he kept his hand on her while she lay on her side facing him.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you have had more emotional challenges in the past day than you have had in a very long time. How are you coping?"

Kara grinned at her partner. "I would cope a lot better if you would kiss me." she suggested. Barry leaned in closer and the two met in the middle. They slowly began kissing, what started as one turned into a long slow act, Kara's hand finding his waist and his hand caressing her cheek. She finally pulled back and listened.

Everyone was asleep, except for one heartbeat on the roof. Taking a look with her X ray vision, she was not surprised to see Nyssa, probably standing guard.

Kara slowly pulled her shorts off.

"Hey… uh what are you doing?" Barry whispered, eyes never leaving her naked thigh. Her t shirt was long and she had underwear on of course but something about seeing her so casually close to naked…

"I'm taking off my shorts. I'm hot."

"Since when do temperatures bother you?" agreeing that she was hot and making him very hot.

"I didn't say the temperature was bothering me." Kara took his hand and moved it to her hip where Barry started rubbing before painfully stopping himself.

"Kara! Seriously? You never been this … undressed with me before and you want to do it here? In a hangar, surrounded by everyone we know?"

"Barry I know we haven't gone far and you haven't pushed me and I love you for it. But while I know I don't have the control to do certain things, I do have the control for you to touch me. I mean there are places you want to… touch me, right?"

Barry nodded his head furiously, almost blurring his face.

"So touch me. It has been a crazy day and I want to be close to you. You are what I need when things get crazy."

Barry's hand touched her waist and traveled up, grazing her ribs. Kara started moaning quietly, biting her lip to avoid any noise. Barry's fingers were slightly vibrating and though she knew it should tickle it had the opposite affect, feeling like what she would imagine a really good massage would feel like.

Barry almost reached her breasts, his heart beat pounding and the moment he touched her…

Kara moaned, nearly bit through her lip and crushed the bar of the cot she was on, causing her to hit the floor. A quick look around and they were both relieved to see only Oliver had shot up, eyes searching everywhere. He saw the two across the room, gave them both an annoyed growl and turned back on his cot, back to both of them.

"This isn't going to work." Barry told her sadly.

"Not with you vibrating your hand like that!" she hissed. "This is going to work. I need it to work. I can be still and … but…"

"If something feels too good you can't stay quiet and if it doesn't whats the point? Let's wait till we get back and I bet Dr. Stein has been making a lot of progress…"

"I'm not saying I want sex, but Rao it would be nice to be touched. I can control myself!" she stressed quietly.

"You crushed your cot and I barely grazed your…yeah. You know I want to, my God do I want to, but I don't want you embarrassed and if everyone in this hangar wakes up to you in only underwear and a t shirt lying under a crushed cot with me on top of you, then you will be very embarrassed." He pointed out. Kara admitted he was right.

"We just need a place that is quiet and sturdy, sturdier at least." Kara told him, inspiration hitting her.

"Yeah and where would that be? You don't want to sleep under the stars on top of asphalt do you?"

"Nope. I have a better idea." Barry caught Kara's eyes and rolled over to see what she was looking at.

"Really?" he asked, loving the idea.

"I know how it works. The cockpit is sound proof and the material is stronger than any other alloy on this planet." Kara reasoned.

"You want to make out in your spaceship?" he asked to be sure.

"I really do." Before Kara could blink she found herself laid back onto the seat of the cockpit, Barry crouched over her. She knew the control well enough and leaned the seat back then entered the code to close the cockpit. Barry slid beside her on his side and the two continued where they left off. Kara's moans didn't bother him at all now. Kara for her part was happy. She had been ready to take things farther and grown impatient with Cisco's progress. While she couldn't have everything she wanted, this could help her get to the level of control she needed. Plus, she really, really wanted it. Barry leaned over her, hands on her hips, and they continued kissing, Kara grabbing anything that wouldn't break, namely anything but Barry, and enjoyed the moment.

Alex Danvers woke the next morning and immediately looked for Kara. It was 6 AM and the rest of the occupants inside were beginning to awaken but it was second nature for Alex to look for her sister or even call her in the past as soon as she knew Kara would be up just to hear her cheerful voice in the morning. It was a hard habit to break. Seeing a crushed cot, the one Alex had noticed Kara laying on the night before next to Barry Allen, she became concerned. Allen was nowhere in sight but this could mean anything. Alex hoped he had the sense not to be running around National City trying to find Kara crullers. The speedster did not need to show himself anywhere considering he was the last one to be seen with Kara and no matter how fast he was, seeing red streaks of lightning zipping around on the ground in National City was not an everyday occurrence. Still it wouldn't surprise the brunette. If there was one thing Alex had learned about the dynamics of Team Superflash it was if Kara said she was hungry, Barry delivered food. If Kara was thirsty for a frozen Slushee from the convience store across the city, Barry was back within ten seconds with the drink in hand. If Kara didn't feel like doing the dishes, Barry had them done within seconds and would be back next to her on the couch, arm around her and playing with her hair.

Kara had Barry well trained and didn't even have to try. Puppy dog eyes and a great body went a long ways for her little sister.

Now Barry was not to be found and Kara was nowhere in sight. The sound of clanging metal caught her attention. At the far end of the hangar, Thea, already suited up in her red leather costume, Diggle and Oliver were practicing with Muay Thai sticks. While Alex was impressed with the speed, she was not impressed with Oliver Queen feeling the need to fight without his shirt on. Of course seeing Felicity doing her best not to look and failing made his goal a success so who was she to judge? He was obviously only out to impress one woman and not every woman which made it better.

"Mom? Have you seen Kara?"

Eliza, who was walking away from the makeshift coffee station against the East wall of the first floor, yawned and shook her head.

"No, but she is around. Probably in the bathroom. She knows what an important meeting this is and she knows how important it is for her to remain out of sight from this Earth. It is bad enough Max Lord knows. He won't cross Kal though. He is at least smart enough to be frightened of him. Kara never scared him because he knew she wasn't a killer and had thought the same of Kal. Kal has shown him that he is a killer when Kara is involved."

Alex nodded her head in agreement. Despite Max's normal cockiness over the past few months he was much more wary of Kal El than he had ever been of Kara. Walking towards the bathroom, she was stopped by Nyssa. She doubted the woman had slept last night but you wouldn't know it by looking at her.

"So when are you going to introduce me to your mother?" the woman asked, grinning.

"Lower your voice! She met you yesterday remember? You are the one who threw a throwing star at Cat Grant!" Alex whispered harshly.

"I was playing fetch with the Flash. I don't see the big deal. If Kara is going to keep him on a leash most of the time he does need his exercise like every faithful puppy."

Alex glared at the woman. "She does not keep him on a leash."

"I know. Its those eyes of hers. Makes it hard to turn her down. She probably could have made my bastard father hug her. So I don't get an introduction to Mommy? We did have to walk three miles away last night because you didn't want your innocent baby sister to know you have a sex life…"

"Would you shut up!?" Alex whispered again, wishing Nyssa would do the same. "I have no idea where she is! I don't want her to hear!"

"Afraid she will find out you are gay? Or that you actually have sex?" Nyssa whispered, with way too much humor.

"The second one. Kara believes something like that isn't casual. She still maintains an innocence about some things despite what she has been through and I would prefer to keep it that way. We agreed this would be casual. Casual means we do not talk about our extracurricular activities within three miles of her and even then we whisper. Casual means I don't introduce you to my mother like you are my prom date in high school."

"I never went to a prom. Is it as fun as television makes it out to be?"

"I don't know. I never went either. Now go play with sticks with the rest of the ninjas while I find my sister."

"Don't forget the powder." Nyssa reminded her.

"Excuse me?"

"I figured you were going to change her diaper. Don't forget the baby powder. I understand that is important to prevent rashes. Have a nice morning Alex."

Nyssa walked off to observe Team Arrow in their morning workouts while Alex tried to keep the blush from her face. Damn her. That woman could get under Alex's skin like no other she had ever met.

"Cisco, Caitlin, have you seen Barry or Kara?"

"Nope. But considering they have superpowers and are smart enough to stay out of sight, I would imagine they are okay." Cisco reasoned.

"Can you turn their GPS chips on?" Alex tried.

"You think they wear their suits 24/7? I don't have chips attached to their skin, Alex." Cisco reminded her.

"Alex relax. I am sure wherever they are, they are fine. They are probably running or something before the sun completely rises." Cait offered.

"Yes but…"

"Alex! You weren't going to be like this. You asked me to remind you when you are acting like a bodyguard or mother with Kara and right now you are being both. She is fine, wherever she is." Caitlin told her. Alex relaxed. She forced herself to relax. Caitlin was right, Alex had asked her to point this out and call her on it, and Kara's bestie was doing exactly that.

"Thank you Caitlin. I'm going to get some coffee. I am sure she will be fine."

Alex walked to the coffee station where Eliza was grabbing herself a refill.

"I haven't seen the inside of Kara's ship in a long time. Want to show me the controls? I would love to know how you piloted this thing. You know technically in addition to being a super agent you are also an astronaut now." Eliza pointed out. Alex's interactions in the past few months with Eliza had gotten much better. The shared grief over Kara's disappearance could have torn them completely apart but instead their drive to get to her had helped them mend their differences. Alex felt closer to Eliza than she ever had felt before and could feel the pride Eliza had in her.

"Yeah, let me get some coffee first." Alex told her with a smile.

"Not going to get a search party for Kara organized?"

"Are you?" Alex challenged. Eliza shook her head.

"Not for the next hour. Her and Mr. Allen can take care of themselves."

"Fine, let me show you Kara's spaceship. Unfortunately it doesn't have laser cannons. Actually it is a good thing because Cisco would have fried everyone here and evaporated the hangar five minutes after we arrived."

The two walked over and Alex used the hidden palm reader on the outside of the craft she had coded for only her and J'onn when the craft was first brought in. The cockpit glass slid back to reveal the missing couple sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. Barry Allen was shirtless but thankfully wearing pants while Kara had a shirt that had at some point ridden up to just under her chest and pink cotton panties on which Barry Allen's hand was planted on the back of, while she was half draped over him.

"A few more minutes. Turn off the alarm." Kara whined, eyes still closed. "Barry, do you feel a breeze?"

Barry's eyes opened slowly then widened when he saw Eliza and Alex staring down at him. His eyes slowly traveled to where his hand was and he removed it faster than the two women could see but it was too late.

"I liked your hand there. Put it back. Make it vibrate again. That felt so good, especially on my lower back." Kara mumbled, snuggling closer to his neck and kissing it lightly while Barry was in a staring contest with the two women.

"Good morning Kara." Alex said with a stern look on her face, trying to hide a smile. Kara's eyes fluttered open and she smiled.

"Morning Alex. Did you bring donuts… Oh! Oh! Uh…" Kara stuttered realizing quickly where she was, what she was wearing and who was looking at her. Kara sat up and fumbled for the control to close the cockpit instead charging the ship which came to life and began to rise. Alex jumped over the side and hit the power switch before it could go very high but the bump when it hit the ground resonated in the entire hangar, causing everyone to look their way, except Thea who took advantage of the distraction and hit her brother in the mouth.

Kal El sped to the pod closely followed by Lois.

"What is going on? Who started…" Kal El stopped speaking when he saw Kara desperately pulling her shirt down to the point of almost tearing it off, on top of a wide eyed Barry Allen.

"Everything okay… oh." J'onn mentioned and then moved away.

"Could we have some privacy?" Kara asked nervously, trying to ignore her cousin's eyes lighting up.

"Looks like you have had more privacy than the rest of us all night." Alex told her.

"Barry, please tell me you did not get to second base with my daughter in the front seat of her car." Eliza asked, secretly finding the whole thing hilarious.

"A little privacy, please!" Kara demanded in a stronger voice.

All backed away thankfully. Kara looked at Barry and kissed him. "It's not their business. We have nothing to be ashamed of… right?"

"Absolutely… your cousins eyes were glowing. Seriously for a guy that was never there for you growing up he has a strong Dad vibe going on." the Flash commented, not finding his reaction funny.

"We should probably get ready for the day." Kara slowly sat up in the cockpit and stepped out, followed by Barry, who was moving slow for once. Of course when Kara lifted her eyes, everyone in the Hangar was standing around the pod. Even Oliver was smiling.

"Oh Rao, why me?"

Kara ignored everyone as best she could, moved incredibly fast to her uniform and dressed, followed by Barry who was also dressed quickly. The two moved to the coffee table without stopping and each poured a cup. The rest of the room, decided to have mercy and walked back to whatever they were doing, except Kal El who was pulled away by J'onn and Lois who reminded the Man of Steel that his cousin was 25 years old.

"So did you have fun last night, Barry?" Alex whispered sternly, when Kara had wandered away to a dark corner to hide.

"Not as much fun as you had, I would imagine. I bet you are pretty sore, all that sparring you and Nyssa must have been doing last night. I am impressed by your dedication to training." Barry told her, taking another sip of coffee to hide the smirk that desperately wanted to grace his face. Alex was not amused.

"Not a word or the next time a psychopath bomber wants to shoot you in the head I will let him." Alex warned.

"Why do you care Alex. Its obvious to everyone that you and Nyssa are … close. Everyone except Kara. You don't think she would care, do you?"

"Of course! Not because its Nyssa… okay it may give her pause, Nyssa being a professional killer and all, and not because she is a woman. Barry, on Krypton things were done a certain way and that way is ingrained in the young. There is no such thing as casual sex. You should consider your lucky to have gotten as far as you have. She has adopted Earth's… customs to a certain extent but Kara does not believe in casual sex with no strings attached. Something to think about because if you ever break her heart what Zoom did you before will seem like a walk in the park. When, if she does anything, at least anything a solar powered sex bracelet is needed for, it is because she will expect you to commit to her permanently."

"Why are we whispering?" he asked.

"Because she can hear…"

"For miles I know and whispering wouldn't stop her but… she is doing her best to melt into a corner because you couldn't be more discreet and isn't listening to anything. I need to go to her. To address your concerns what you do or don't tell her is your business but if she ever asks I will tell her what I know because we …"

"Yeah, Oliver Principle. Caitlin told me."

"Exactly but I don't think you give her enough credit. So what if you have a little fun with an assassin every now and again, or every night as the case has been lately? Kara is not going to judge you. She loves you. She would do anything for you and I think maybe it has more to do with you not wanting her to think badly of you than the actual fear that she would. As far as your other concern, I am committed to her, I won't go anywhere and I won't hurt her. You aren't the only one that would die for her Alex."

"Yeah but how far are you willing to go? On Krypton a girl didn't leave her family home until she was bonded … what we consider marriage… and then and only then would her and whoever have sex. This was serious. They had one religion on the entire planet and it made our strcitest religion seem like Woodstock. She isn't naive,,, okay maybe a little or okay a lot, but a large part of her heart is still there."

"Are you seriously telling me I have to marry your sister before we can have…" Barry didn't finish. Alex knew.

"No, what you two do is your business. I'm just helping you be prepared. Just remember, you may run faster than Kal but unless you are faster than the speed of light, and I understand you aren't there yet, you can't outrun lasers, specifically the kind that come from his eyes. Keep your mouth shut Barry, and the next time you want to grab my sister's ass find a better hiding spot. There is a second floor here. Have fun trying to pull her out of that wall."

Alex walked off, a bit worried. She didn't think Barry would volunteer anything but if Kara even suspected and asked, then Barry would tell her what apparently he had already suspected and she just confirmed. Kara would not approve of casual sex. Barry would find that out soon the hard way, Alex would bet. Her little sister was experimenting for the first time in her life but there will come a point she will stop. Alex hoped Barry did the right thing at that point.

At ten till eight AM, the group decided on who would meet with Mr. Wayne. After much deliberation, it was decided that of course, Eliza, Alex, Kara, Barry and Kal El would be there. In addition, Felicity, and after much debate, Oliver would also sit in. Oliver was good at reading people and Felicity was good at keeping Oliver from doing anything too stupid, like torturing this Bruce Wayne for information. Kal El, would do the majority of the speaking since he was the one that seemed to be the point of interest of this Oracle and Wayne. No one was suited up, as it was agreed that he may be easier to read without seeing hooded and masked individuals surrounding him.

At 8 AM sharp Winn announced that a Lamborghini had pulled up. Since Oliver doubted Wayne drove a sports car of that caliber from the East Coast he assumed he rented the vehicle nearby in some show of power or idiocy. Wayne had no need to show power since he knew the man held all the cards.

Winn opened the door for the man who walked in and to Oliver's lack of surprise was wearing a dark blue Armani suit that probably cost in the five thousand range. Thea would probably know more. He was also wearing dress shoes, no heels with pointed toes, a perfect place to hide a blade if one wished. His neatly cut dark full hair was perfect without one hair out of place and while he had a confident smile his eyes were assessing everyone in the room shrewdly. This was no billionaire playboy. Oliver could tell by his gait that the man was in phenomenal shape and while his hands appeared to be relaxed he had them in his pockets but was standing straight, not relaxed as he hoped to convey in his appearance.

"Hello, every one. Bruce Wayne."

No one greeted him.

"Mind if I have a seat?"

"You claim to have information on my husband who has been kept against his will for the past decade and you will only provide this information if we do something for you. Can we please cut the pleasantries?" Eliza asked, shocking everyone. She had indicated she did not want to speak but apparently the site of the arrogant playboy had angered her.

"I assure you Mrs. Danvers what I wanted was simply a chance to meet with all of you." Wayne said smoothly.

"Do you have any idea what my daughter can do to you?" Eliza asked.

"I am well aware of our daughter's powers."

"I was talking about Alex. But yes, once Alex is finished with you, Kara can literally tear you limb from limb. Start talking. What do you want?"

Bruce smirked, impressed with the woman, but also recognizing she was not bluffing. One look at Alex and Kara Danvers told him they would do whatever she asked without hesitation. The big guy wasn't looking to pleasant himself. The blonde with glasses was appraising him but not near as much as the man next to her. Bruce recognized the look in his eyes. He had the same look in private.

"I am simply wondering when Superman will be back in business? I understand you were upset after you believed Miss Danvers to be dead, but as she is not and the world has risen to your defense what is holding you back?"

"Why do you care? Everything I have read about you Mr. Wayne tells me you do not care about much." Kal told him.

"You shouldn't believe everything you read Clark Kent." Bruce responded. "By the way, before discussions go any further I would like to thank you Kara. A few months ago I had a terrible headache and I understand you are the one responsible for making it go away."

Kara said nothing nor did the thin man standing behind her, rubbing her shoulders. Bruce had been watching this hangar with his own telecommunication satellites , at least that was what NASA believed them to be, for months and yesterday saw the red lightning bolt phasing through walls, fast enough that enhanced slow motion could not even obtain a clear picture of the man. Video Barbara had hacked into told him this was Barry Allen. Bruce was concerned about him. He was a wild card, obviously Kara Danver's boyfriend, and devoted to her. If he even suspected that Kara was in danger, Bruce suspected he would feel something unpleasant and fast, most likely fatal, happen to him. While the Batman had no intention of threatening or harming anyone, whereas the Oliver Queen fellow obviously had the blonde next to him to keep him calm, Allen may jump the gun. Wayne would have to approach this just right.

"Fine. I can tell no one is in the mood for coyness today and I did not fly across the country to waste time . What I want to know is when you plan to get back to work. I actually fund the exploits of quite a few heroes. I consider it my civic duty. Since you have been out of action, not only has crime in Metropolis gone up 40% in the last few months since Supergirl's supposed death, crime across the nation has risen, mostly violent crimes and property crimes. With you out of business, criminals are more emboldened. Drugs are flooding the ports of Gotham and Metropolis at an alarming rate. The body counts from natural disasters has tripled. 900 died in an earthquake in Japan last month. An earthquake you could have been to in an hour, pulling people from rubble, finding and saving those who were missing, with your X ray vision and super hearing. How many innocents are going to lose their lives because of the death of your cousin who I see sitting right here?"

"Why is it my responsibility to save the world? This planet would be dead if not for my cousin…"

"Kal El! We talked about this." Kara reminded him.

"I apologize. Tell me Mr. Wayne…"

"Call me Bruce."

"Mr. Wayne, who are these heroes you fund? This Oracle that spies on us? She seems like a glorified spy. Or are you talking about the Bat?" Kal El asked.

"The Bat is a …" Kara began.

"Very real." Superman interrupted. "A vigilante who takes the law into his own hands. I had planned to look into it before I stopped caring any longer."

"The Batman, as he is called in Gotham, is fighting a very real war on crime, not aliens but violent humans, intent on harming others. He is not a superhuman, he can't be everywhere, not the way you can." Wayne calmly told the man.

"He is a killer." Kal El countered.

"And I suppose General Lane is still in hiding Superman?"

"I haven't denied that I have killed. But I also don't pretend to be a hero. I killed to defend my cousin and then I killed for revenge. You are the one holding a man's life over our head, asking me to be a hero, when you fund a vigilante."

"The Batman does not kill unless it is necessary and he has no other choice. He isn't blessed with amazing abilities that allow him to catch bullets and fly the criminals to the nearest precinct."

"Mr. Queen is a hero in his city. He doesn't kill."

Kara, Barry, and Felicity suddenly found the walls interesting to look at. Oliver could have cared less. His eyes had not strayed from Bruce Wayne since he walked in.

"Is that right Mr. Queen? Have you never killed?" Bruce asked, already knowing the look.

"Like Kal El I have never claimed to be a hero. That isn't the point. You fund a psycho who dresses like a bat to be your private police force in Gotham City. What does that have to do with him? You expect him to join your payroll? I don't think he is interested."

"I want him to see that the vigilantes of Gotham City aren't all bad. There are others in the world, people with some of the powers you have, not aliens, who help as well but remain in secret. No one is as high profile as you. Meet with Batman, let him help you, give him a chance to show that he isn't a bad guy, maybe the two of you could be friends?"

"Tell me where Jeremiah Danvers is or your ashes can blow away on the same wind as Samuel Lane's."

"But then Oracle would spread a video of a very alive Supergirl. I don't think anyone wants that. She seems happy in another universe. She has made friends with heroes who never kill anyone, like Mr. Queen, she has a boyfriend who can break the sound barrier and now she has her sister and mother. But if you want Jeremiah Danvers you are going to need the Batman's help. When Operation Clean Sweep occurred I had Oracle break into servers she had never accessed before. We didn't know Project Cadmus existed. Jeremiah Danvers has been working for them since his supposed death, motivated by pictures taken through sniper scopes of Alex and Kara over the last ten years, to remind him that they could kill those girls at anytime. He has had to do horrible things but he was too valuable for the real players behind Project Cadmus to lose. He and his experiments were moved to another location days before the Operation, because the powers that be knew if things went South, Project Cadmus could be blown. They left the idiot Harper there to take the fall. You Superman cannot reach him. Neither can your friend the Flash or Supergirl or the Martian for that matter.

The compound is in upstate New York. There is an old Victorian House in the country and under it is a series of tunnels that lead six stories under ground. At the bottom is a control room. This control room is responsible for prisoner containment and defensive measures. One of the defensive measures is a DNA scanner. Very state of the art, actually advanced beyond anything the public knows about. If an alien or anyone whose DNA has been altered, like I suspect Mr. Allen's has, enters the compound tunnels a biometric field will identify the person as human or other. If other is detected, the corridor immediately fills with a gas made of concentrated cyanide mixed with Kryptonite particles. This last for ten minutes at which point torches are activated, filling the tunnels with fire. I would imagine your Martian friend would have difficulty with that. I doubt he is as invincible as you are "

"I can wear a gas mask." Kara said immediately.

"No you can't. The gas will go through your pores, you will be weak and then ash. Mr. Allen may make it to the end of the tunnel until he runs into a four foot thick steel reinforced door."

"Not a problem." Barry said immediately.

"Really? You can walk through walls?"

"No but I can run really fast through them."

"And I suppose you can carry Dr. Danvers through it as well, while avoiding a barrage of bullets from the guards on the other side of that door while carrying Dr. Danvers."

Barry said nothing, Kara reaching to her shoulder and holding his hand. She would be damned if he went in alone.

"Barry can create a vortex and clear the tunnel of the gas." Kara tried.

"There are no vents. I have seen the plans for this place. It is alien proof. Once the base is released the air compressor shafts close. There is only one way to get in. Humans must get to the first door, someone must break the electronic lock and humans must fight there way to the control room. Once there it is possible to install a wireless signal that will allow Oracle or your Overwatch if you prefer to shut down the defensive measures and the two Supers, the Martian and the Flash can have free reign to cause as much havoc as they wish. The Batman and his team is willing to go with your vigilantes… excuse me, heroes, and take control of the compound. He is capable of getting through the lock and hijacking the control room for Overwatch if she wishes. I have given my so called vigilante the layouts, schematics, codes, and even the shift schedules of the guards. Oracle even knows the cell Dr Danvers is in. Do you want his help or not?"

Kal El looked at Kara and Barry who looked at Oliver.

"Oliver you guys didn't sign up for this. Your city needs…" Kara started.

"There is absolutely no way we are going back to our Earth without Jeremiah. Nothing to discuss Kara. Deal with it."

Bruce Wayne smiled.

"So I suppose we are all game? Superman?"

"I'll meet with this Batman." he agreed.

"Excellent. I will have my private plane fly from National City Airport to this… place. Say two hours would give you and your team enough time to prepare? An associate of Batman will give you a lift when we land to our base of operations. I paid for it myself. I think you will be impressed. Kara, I would suggest a wig and leave the cape off until we reach the actual location of the compound.

Bruce Wayne got up and moved towards the door. Oliver nodded at Barry how moved quickly to the Arrow's bow on the other side of the hangar and had it in his hands in less than a second with an arrow.

"Bruce?" Oliver said calmly. Bruce turned around and caught the arrow just before it struck his chest. Oliver jumped over the table and swung, not surprised to see his blow blocked and returned. Alex prepared to jump in before Barry held her back and shook his head. Kara moved Eliza behind her and shook her head at Kal El who was prepared to jump in.

The group watched Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne battle for at least five minutes. Bruce was every bit as fast as Oliver Queen, something Barry was not used to seeing. The two struck blow after blow until both attempted a takedown, hitting the ground and wrapping their legs around the others neck.

"Now Mr. Wayne, can we be straight? I'm not going into a battle with a man who plays games. You prefer Bruce or Batman?"

"Bruce is fine." Wayne replied, smiling.

"Who are these people, the rest of your supposed team?"

"A man named Nightwing, Oracle of course and two of her friends. One calls herself the Huntress and the other Black Canary. They are good at what they do."

Oliver froze, unwrapped his legs from Bruce's neck while the Dark Knight did the same.

No one said a word and the Batman was not sure why.

"Is there a problem?" he finally asked. Felicity answered.

"One of those women we would very much like to meet. The other better stay the hell away from us."


	21. Chapter 21

**Do not own CW or DC characters**

 **A/N thanks for the continued love and support. Hope you guys are still enjoying. This visit to Earth 3 is taking so long but there is a lot to do and characters to meet. I didn't get near the conversations I wanted to in this chapter but some things will have to be left off screen because to get them all in would take 20K words and distract from where we are going. A lot of action in the next chapter after this one.**

 **Chapter 21**

"I'm going to be sick."

"I thought you couldn't get sick?" a very concerned Barry asked very pale Kara. Since they had all boarded Bruce Wayne's private jet, except for Lucy and Winn who stayed behind to watch Max Lord, she had been quiet and very still. Thirty minutes into the cross country trip and Superwoman definitely looked sick.

Before Kara could explain what exactly she was feeling, she covered her mouth, prepared to vomit. Barry recognizing this made it to the bathroom and back with a trash can before the contents of the preflight pizza she had eaten made a reappearance. The Flash having no idea what to do, did what he usually did in an emergency.

"Caitlin!"

Dr. Snow had been sitting with Alex, the two chatting about what to expect and how to handle any possible alien threats that might be in the subterranean base. Alex was concerned that in a breach situation the aliens being experimented on may not be in a right frame of mind, even if they were friendly before arriving at Project Cadmus. There was also the issues of aiding those in escape and treating them if they were innocent victims. Alex had not forgotten her and Hank had nearly been sent there, if not for Kara and Lucy and unlike the DEO of before, not every alien in captivity was hell bent on world domination.

Cait's head popped up at the sound of Barry's panicked voice. Running towards his seat she was met by Dr. Danvers, Alex following swiftly behind. Eliza began rubbing Kara's back while Barry held her hair back.

"Why is she losing her powers? This is a bad time. She is going to have to stay back." Barry told the three women, close to freaking out.

"I haven't lost my powers." Kara mumbled.

"How long has this been going on? When did you…" Caitlin started, before Eliza stopped her.

"She isn't sick, at least not in the way you are thinking. Kara has immunity to illnesses like stomach viruses, but she isn't a machine. She gets motion sickness and it causes nausea." Eliza explained, catching the attention of Caitlin and Barry.

"She gets motion sickness?" Caitlin asked to be sure she heard what she thought she had heard.

"Yes, she has vomited a few times. She doesn't like to be in cars but can handle it as long as a window is down but she absolutely hates flying. She also vomited once after eating some bad shrimp. Expired Shell Fish can take down the strongest Kryptonian." Alex told the group.

"How can you get motion sickness when you fly all over the place?" Barry asked Kara, who was holding her head in her hands. None of the teams had their uniforms on,all dressed casually in jeans and tee shirt, and Kara with her hair in a ponytail, making it easier for Barry to keep it out of the line of fire, so to speak.

"I don't like being trapped in this tube, not in control. When I am flying I control what is going on, now I just have to sit here and deal with turbulence and the engine sounds and the smell of jet fuel and the turbulence. Did I mention the turbulence?" she moaned.

"Let me get you a wet towel, honey," Eliza moved towards the bathroom while Caitlin looked on in concern.

"How do I fix this? Kara, do you feel up to putting your suit on so I can have a look at your cells? I also need to get a reading on your electrolyte levels so ou don't become dehydrated."

"Whats going on? Oh my God, did that used to be pizza?" Felicity asked, having heard the commotion from the back where she had been sitting with Oliver and Dig. Bruce and Kal El were in an office at the back of the plane, discussing matters of some sort.

Eliza hurried back with a towel and began wiping Kara's forehead.

"Here you go. Lean back." Kara did as her adopted mother instructed, Barry feeling completely useless. "She doesn't need her suit, Caitlin but thank you for offering. The first time we flew cross country this happened. It scared all of us, especially Kara who was convinced she was dying. We had to drive back while she sat in the front with a window open."

"Wow. So aliens can get air sickness." Felicity mumbled, feeling bad for Kara but also amazed that the Woman of Steel could be brought down by something so simple.

"This is exactly why I will be coming with you all to this secret location. Caitlin will need help and if Kara is injured there is no one who knows her physiology as well as I do." Eliza explained.

"You aren't going! You are going to stay at wherever this base is! Dad would not be happy if you were killed while we were trying to rescue him. Who knows how many guards will be outside the property. You won't be safe and I guarantee they all know exactly what you look like." Alex told her… again.

"Besides, no offense Dr. Danvers but Caitlin knows Kara's body better than anyone." Felicity told the woman, earning a shape glare that had her backtracking.

"I just mean they live together and Kara has blown out her powers while they lived together and if any one knows Kara's body it would be Caitlin. I mean she has been inside Kara… I mean, not that… Alex… I'm just saying Caitlin has had her hands inside your daughter… no wait, why can't I… this is all Nyssa's fault, damn her, three, two, one…"

"What Felicity means to say is I have performed surgery on Kara and have a knowledge of her physiology that you may not have, because thankfully you never had to do that. Plus I have been able to study her body using infrared and three dimensional UV spectrum sonar and learned how her cells react, how her DNA…" Caitlin began, hoping to shut Felicity up and convince Dr. Danvers to stay behind. She had no problem going into the danger zone. It wouldn't be the first time, and with luck it wouldn't be the last.

"I am going to be there."

"No you aren't." Kara told her, taking the towel off her forehead. "We are all doing this, everyone on this jet, so we can have our family back together. You getting killed isn't going to help that. Someone having to protect you is going to be too much. Caitlin knows how to keep her head down. She has been through this with metahumans before and normal pretty bad people for that matter. You have been in a lab. I love you, but I am not going to sugarcoat this. We take the chances. You won't be able to help any of us if you are dead. Stay at this base of operations we are going too, prepare what we need for emergency surgeries or whatever else we might face and help us out the best way you can. I know you want to be there, Mom, I would love to have you with me always but I need you safe or my attention, Alex's attention, everyones attention is going to be focused on getting Jeremiah and protecting you. We can't be all over the place worrying about both. Please, this is a team and the team needs you safe and prepared to help us if we need it. At Wayne's place you can help save lives. Out there, you just don't have the experience. There is nothing wrong with that. We all have our area's of expertise. Mine is punching things really hard, Barry's is running through or around things really fast, Oliver and Speedy shoot people with arrows and Dig and Alex shoot people with guns. You save lives. Cait will be watching out for us in the field and you will be prepared for anything that happens to us. Felicity will be in the control room taking control of the base and Cisco is going in, in the event that Jeremiah needs to get out quickly and there is no other way. He will open a breach to Earth 1 and take him through it, then come back for us at another location. This will work, okay? You think I like staying outside until the base is taken over by my sister and friends? I don't. It makes me angry. I want to storm that place and destroy everything, Kryptonite be damned, but I can't. We have to be smart. Smart is you preparing to help out anyone we have close to death."

Eliza dropped her head, not saying a word. Kara noticed a tear rolling down her cheek and reached over to lift her face up.

"I'm sorry. I just want… I don't want you or Alex…" Eliza started. Kara leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"I know. I wish we could just walk up to the door and pick him up. But it won't be that easy. I'm scared, we all are and anyone who says they aren't is a liar. But we will do this. Trust us and be ready to help us. If something happens to anyone, whether it is me, or Alex or Kal, Caitlin, Cisco or Barry or Thea, anyone, there is no one I trust or want more to take care of us. I can't stress this enough. You are important and we, all of us are going to work as one unit, doing what we do best to pull this off. Okay?" Kara asked her in a gentle voice. Eliza nodded her head.

"Just please come back to me. Both of you please come back." she whispered, pulling Alex closely to her and Kara.

"I swear to you, they are coming back." Barry told the woman, who recognized the sincerity in his eyes. She didn't know much about Barry Allen, except for the fact that he saved Kara's life, would die for her, and when faced with a sick woman was more concerned about keeping her hair away from her face than the smell of regurgitated pizza. That was pretty much all she needed to know. She wished Alex had someone like that … someone who didn't have a body count larger than most mass murderers, but she was willing to give this Nyssa a chance, even if Alex was bound and determined no one find out.

Kara wanted to keep hugging Eliza, until she vomited again.

"Okay, since there isn't anything I can really do for Kryptonian motion sickness I'm going back to my chair. We will be landing soon sweetie." Cait told her.

"Yeah in like 4 hours. Just keep holding on." Alex encouraged. Barry and Eliza had this. She didn't want to be overbearing, yada, yada, yada. All good excuses to not listen to her sister barf. That was Barry's job now.

Kara stopped vomiting an hour before landing, having ran out of pizza, and instead just dealt with vertigo.

"I'm flying back to National City myself. I will stay under the plane so I won't be seen but there is no way I am getting back onto that thing." Kara grumbled. All walked out under cover of darkness into three limos waiting on the tarmac. Bruce Wayne had spent the second part of the flight speaking with Kal El and Oliver Queen but Kara's physical predicament had erased any concerns she had about what they were talking about. Kal was still quiet but seemed more relaxed when he stepped into the limo with Lois. Lois had called Cat before they left and informed her of what was going on. The two really had no secrets. Cat promised if she did not hear from Lois by tomorrow, Catco would break the story of another clandestine Alien concentration camp. Bruce Wayne's identity was not revealed but Cat was not an idiot. She would know who they left with and what city they landed in.

Barry, Kara, Cisco and Caitlin sat inside one limo followed by Alex and Eliza. Kara used her X ray vision and saw Oliver, Felicity, Dig and Thea had gotten in another. Bruce rode with Nyssa Kal, J'onn and Lois. Kara tried to make out what was being said but was surprisingly unable to. The limos were very soundproof, not that this would have stopped her normally but Cisco would not shut up, ranting about how cool it was to be picked up from a private jet in a limo.

"This is strange, Barry. We are putting a lot of faith in this guy. I know back in National City I didn't feel like we had a choice but now that we are here… what if this is a trap? Oliver is right, he didn't reveal himself until we arrived." Kara whispered in Barry's ear.

Barry shrugged, he too had trust issues with the entire situation but Kara had been intent on it so he followed.

"It doesn't matter. I haven't seen anything yet that makes me think he can outgun us." Barry whispered back.

"That doesn't mean it isn't there. He obviously knows about me and Kal. That means he probably knows Kryptonite can harm us. Never mind, of course he knows. He knows I was shot, the whole world does. He could drive us into a warehouse full of armed guards carrying Kryptonite bullets."

"He could have attacked us in National City if he wanted to Kara. He wouldn't need to fly us cross country for an ambush. Besides he knows nothing about me. He may know I can move fast but thats it."

"Exactly. You are a wild card and that may put him on edge. We already know he likes to play games. Once we get to wherever we are going, if we aren't fighting for our lives right away lets suit up." Kara told him, Barry nodding his head in agreement and deep in thought.

After one hour in the limo, during which no one spoke much, the caravan slowed and turned. Kara turned toward the front of the car and looked with her X ray vision.

"Unbelievable." she muttered.

"What?"

"The side of the cliff we are driving towards." she answered Barry. "Its a giant door, like an airplane hangar. Its about to open up. I can only see darkness on the other side but there is dim light from somewhere far in the back."

"Great, he is taking us to a secret lair straight out of a James Bond movie. The suits are in the trunk guys. Grab my laptop and we can be fully operational in twenty seconds." Cisco recommended. The group was distracted however by the sounds of the cliff rising up, the waterfall beating briefly on the roof and the cars descent into darkness. The already tinted windows which were difficult enough to see out of, now may as well have been painted in black.

After 92 seconds by Barry's count, the limos stopped. Barry jumped out, grabbed the keys from the limo driver, opened the trunk, removed the bags and was back in the backseat in less than two seconds with his and Kara's suits. Both were suited in less than a second, surprising the other occupants. No one had seen them change except of course when Barry almost put his leg through an arm sleeve, momentarily distracted by Kara's black bra and panty ensemble. She knew he was the only one fast enough to see and winked at him behind her mask.

"Alex, you got Mom, right? Cisco and Cait stay down and hit the floor if you hear gunfire. You ready?" Kara asked Barry, her senses on high alert. Barry took off without another word and Kara followed him out of the car flying to the very high roof of the cavern they had arrived in while Barry ran around, taking in everything but mainly looking for the presence of armed guards and Kryptonite. Kara covered him from above, eyes already on fire. Both saw only four others present, a woman in a wheelchair, sitting in front of three large computer screens, a woman dressed in a tight purple bodysuit, with a long black jacket and black mask. Under her coat was a crossbow pistol and a handgun. Next to her was a man, wearing a simple form fitting white tee and stone washed denim jeans. He had very dark hair and eyes and was built quite a bit like Oliver. Next to him was a blonde haired female, wearing all black leather from head to toe. Like the man she did not appear to have any weapons on her and this concerned Kara the most.

Oliver and the rest of Team Arrow stepped out of their car along with Nyssa from the other car, the assassin looking up at the ceiling, grinning, Oliver taking in the red lightning streaking around the cave with a huge smile. Barry stopped in front of Oliver and Thea.

"Clear below." he told Kara. She took one last look around and drifted to the ground. Oliver patted Barry on the shoulder.

"I'm not an emotional man Barry, but right now I want to cry due to the pride I am feeling. Excellent work."

Barry shrugged it off. Before he may not have been worried, figuring his speed could get him out of anything. Here he had people to take care of and one lesson Kara had taught him unfortunately was no matter how powerful you might be, you can still be hurt.

"Everything to you and Kara's liking Mr. Allen?" Wayne asked, exiting the car, Kal El, J'onn, and Lois behind him, Kal stoically silent but his eyes never leaving Kara. All the new arrivals took in the cave in quiet awe.

Except for Cisco.

"Damn! They do have a … please tell me you call this the Bat Cave?" he asked Bruce. The man smirked a bit and nodded.

"I knew it! Its a freaking bat cave. Oliver refuses to call his lair the Arrow Cave even though it is so cool sounding am I right? Of course I'm right. Look at the freaking toys! Whoa… whoa! No, no, no, no… what is that tank?!"

"That is a prototype vehicle my company designed for the Military called the TUMBLER. It is made for crossing difficult terrains and reaching the other side so bridges may be built for advancing forces, and also functions as riot control vehicle. The armor makes it as a strong as a tank but the curves and engine make it as fast as a Lamborghini." Batman explained.

"So you call it the Batmobile right? I mean you have to. You just have to!"

"Cisco, would you calm down?" Barry mumbled to his friend.

"I'm sorry man, but look at the toys."

"Hi, I'm Dinah Lance."

All smiles were gone when the blonde stepped up to the newcomers. Eliza and Alex had just gotten out of the car, followed by Catilin and though Eliza and Alex had no idea they recognized the change in the air.

Barry, Cisco and Caitlin thought they may have been better prepared. They had by agreement never told Oliver or his team about Black Siren. There was no point. That woman was a travesty and insult to the memory of Laurel Lance. Cisco opened up a breach in her cell and sent her back to Earth 2, since Joe was informed there was no way Central City could prosecute a woman who had no identity except that of a dead woman. The legalities would be a nightmare. Earth 2 had their own heroes and could deal with her. She had no business on Earth 1.

Still the shock of seeing someone who not only was identical to the Laurel Lance they knew in appearance but most likely spirit considering she was here, was a bucket of cold water.

Bruce noticed the confusion on Dinah Laurel Lance's face and the shock on Team Arrow's faces. They knew what to expect when coming here but seeing her in person was another thing.

A tear dropped from Felicity's eye as she struggled to remind herself that this was not their Laurel.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

Dig cleared his throat. "Yes it is Miss Lance. You look like a friend of ours, one who is no longer with us. She was very dear and … I guess your resemblance to her is a bit shocking."

Dinah looked down, understanding what was going on. "Bruce explained to us about the multiverse. I suppose I was a part of your … team?"

"Yes you were." Thea choked back, "A huge part." Nyssa looked at Dinah Lance with pain etched on her face. Although her feelings for Laurel were never romantic, Laurel was the one who accepted her as she was and showed her there was more to life than what she had been living. Laurel made her smile and laugh more than anyone else ever had. She made Nyssa feel normal and believe that she could be more than she was. Laurel Lance saved people in more ways than one.

"And you look like Oliver Queen, if Oliver Queen wasn't a balding, out of shape, cocaine addicted, trust fund baby." she told the Arrow. That broke him out of his silence and a laugh surprised him.

"Thats what I keep hearing." Oliver told her. Even her smile was exactly the same.

"Don't believe me? Take a look." Dinah did a search on her phone and held up a picture from Google images. Thea, Dig, and Felicity crowded around when Oliver took the device.

"Oh my God." Thea whispered.

"I never thought I would be grateful for being stranded on Lian Yu." Oliver agreed.

"Me either but I suddenly am. Something tells me the you from here has never met a salmon ladder." Felicity told him, the shock of seeing this Earth's version shaking her from the emotions seeing Laurel alive, at least this form.

"I knew him when I was a teenager. We dated for a time. Of course he cheated on me with my sister no less. I got off lucky. He has turned out to be quite the loser. No offense."

"None taken. Is your sister still around?" Oliver asked, wondering if this Earth's Sara could be any help.

"No, unfortunately she was caught up in the Ollie Queen lifestyle. She overdosed ten years ago."

"Oh thats too bad." Alex said as sincerely as she could. Nyssa looked at her frowning. Alex shrugged her shoulders unapologetically. Nyssa could deal with it. Sara wasn't Alex's ex.

"Hi. I'm Helena…"

"Bertinelli." Lois finished. "You're supposed to be dead. Or at least missing. You single handedly killed all the mob bosses and captains that killed your family and then disappeared. Everyone assumed you finally got hit."

"And yet here I am. I didn't kill every one of them. Some killed each other. The fun we have in our youth I guess. So you are the Big S huh? Hotter in person."

Lois indignant at the casual tone and comment about her husband's appearance opened her mouth to tell the woman off but before she could say anything Felicity was in the woman's face.

"Back off Huntress! I've had to deal with you in one universe, I don't feel like dealing with you in another."

Helena held up her hands and backed away with a smile. "This one has fire, Bruce."

"You're alter ego has a history with them Helena. Not as fond a one as Dinah's I'm afraid. Alfred, my friend and partner, will show you all to rooms. The elevator is over on the North end. My headquarters is below my mansion so please make yourselves at home."

"This isn't home and we aren't on a vacation. We are here to do a job. I for one would like to get started as soon as possible." Oliver reminded the man.

"Perhaps the ladies would like to be accompanied to a room?" A well dressed man, asked, seemingly materializing out of thin air. Only Barry and Kara knew he was there, standing by a wall in the cave.

"The ladies are going nowhere. We have our own tech to set up so if you could show us to your wifi modems and secure satellite feeds then…" Felicity began.

"You want into our satellite feeds? Why should we do that again?" the woman in the wheelchair, Felicity assumed to be Oracle, asked.

"Because as I am sure you keep track of your team, Caitlin, Cisco and I keep track of our teams. I need a satellite system and I can use my NASA one but if your network is faster and has more coverage and we are going to be one big happy team then my team needs to be happy."

"Give her what she needs Barbara." Bruce directed the woman who only smiled in return.

"I need to know where your med bay is." Eliza told Alfred who half bowed and led her away.

"If we aren't going upstairs for dinner perhaps we could have the meeting I requested now?"

"Wherever you wish Mr. Wayne." Kal agreed. Batman, J'onn and Superman walked off, with surprisingly, the Green Arrow following.

"Why is Oliver going?" Barry asked Thea. The girl shrugged her shoulders. "You know Oliver. If there is going to be a secret meeting anywhere around he is going to listen in on it. I guess they figured they may as well let him listen so he doesn't break anything trying to sneak in. I'm getting suited up. Any Helena makes me nervous."

Everyone dispersed, walking through the immense dark room lit up by computer screens and glass cases similar to the ones at S.T.A.R. and the Lair that held the costumes. Cisco stared at the Batman custom for five minutes, beginning to understand the appeal of a cape.

Kara and Barry stood side by side, watching everyone, except the meeting between the four guys in a room at the South end. The room was the only area separated from the rest of the cave and Kara could tell there was only a small rectangular table and a flat screen monitor mounted on the wall. Kara tried to listen in but was interrupted by the dark haired young man.

"Hi, I'm Dick Grayson." he introduced himself pleasantly, offering his hand to Kara and Barry who took it.

"Barry Allen."

"And I'm…"

"Supergirl. But you don't go by that anymore. Looks like the uniform is gone too. I like the new look. I go by Nightwing. You are the Flash?"

"Yeah…"

"And what do you go by now Kara Danvers?"

"Kara Zor El." she replied. "but I guess where I live now the media calls me Superwoman. Cisco couldn't come up with anything more original."

"Don't worry about it. It fits you perfectly. I'm glad I have the chance to meet you. I was afraid I never would."

Barry tensed. "Any special reason you wanted to meet her?"

"Yeah, I think the whole human race owes her a pretty damn big thank you. I know that brain washing Myriad machine was only starting in National City. Bruce, Barbara and I were working on neural blockers but we weren't going to have 3 billion of them. I caught your speech to National City. Never thought I would see an evil brain washing device defeated by a speech about the power of hope but you pulled it off. I gotta tell you at the time I was in a pretty low place and considering hanging it up. I was beginning to wonder if any of what we did even made a difference, especially when there were super powered aliens bent on world domination. How could we stand up to that? But your speech? Yeah it got to me. Its what has kept me going, kept me fighting back, I guess you could say."

Barry relaxed, recognizing the sincerity in the man's words.

"And of course after that little headache problem the whole world had was over, we checked for the source. Our satellite video feed caught the battle between you and J'onn with the Kryptonian general and the blue lady. Taking him out like you did, overpowering a guy who had probably been in a lot more battles than you? Then lifting that damn space ship into space? Wow. I wish you were staying on this Earth, Kara Zor El. The world sorely needs people like you."

"Uh… thanks?" offered a blushing Kara.

"Thank you. The ex president what she did, she not only almost killed you but also killed the hope for a lot of this world. People who looked and still look for that symbol on your chest to inspire them. People like us, we fight in the dark, do the dirty work that has to be done to help the everyday person and save a couple thousand if a psycho actually concocts a plan that could do some real devastation. But people like you and your cousin? You two are the inspirations. You are the ones who make people see that not everyone who has great power is out for themselves. Its why Bruce is so focused on getting Superman back in the game. That symbol means something to a lot of people. Anyway, thanks, for me being… still alive and stuff."

Barry wrapped his arm around Kara, pride in her warming him. He was lucky to have her, not just him but his whole world. He could understand Bruce Wayne's desire to have Superman back in costume. The world needed a champion who could operate outside of the shadows.

"Is your costume the one without the cape?" Cisco asked, practically running up.

"Yeah, that would be me."

"What is your superhero name?" he asked quickly. Barry felt like he should get Cisco an autograph book.

"I go by Nightwing when I am in the field."

"That is soooo cool. Your suit looks like it has a lot of tech on it. Does it? What does it have? The mask, the eye lenses are white. Let me guess, some sort of optical targeting system? What about those metal bird things attached to your belt. What are those?"

Dick chuckled a bit.

"I thought you were the fast one?" he asked Barry. "Whats your name man?"

"Cisco. I go by Vibe though… sometimes. I'm a meta… forget it, can I look at your suit up close?"

"Follow me Cisco. I'm about to get suited up so Oracle can do a systems check on it. Wait till you see the electric impulse emitters in the gloves. Gives it a little extra kick when I hit someone."

"Sweet! Come on Bar."

"Uh…"

"Barry and I are going to this meeting. We weren't invited and its starting to get on my nerves. If Oliver Queen is in there we will be too." Kara told her friend.

Barry and Kara zipped off, leaving Cisco and Nightwing alone. Cisco followed Dick to the glass case and watched as he entered a number code on the lock and it slid open. Although not as terrifying as the Batman costume this one just seemed so much cooler.

Dick pulled off his shirt and reached in for the costume when Cisco's breath caught. Dick stopped and turned, already guessing what the man was seeing.

Cisco took in Dick Grayson's torso. Two matching scars started at his shoulder blades and met in the middle of his chest. The scars were thick, jagged and the wounds had obviously been deep. Also his back and front were covered in burn marks, a couple of knife wounds and multiple bullet wounds.

"You think this is bad, you should see Bruce's scars." Nightwing laughed lightly.

"Where did you get those two big ones across your chest?"

"A guy name Slade Wilson. Called himself Deathstroke."

"Oh my God, he is an asshole in every universe." Cisco whispered. "You said called? So he is…"

"I killed him. I didn't want to but… yeah. We fought, he had a very real Katana and I was on my back on top of this roof. He was coming towards me so I tossed one of those metal birds you were asking about into his throat. It worked, He dropped the katana, grabbed his throat and I kicked him off the roof. Sixty floors later he was dead. Not my proudest moment but it was him or me and at least I am here to regret it."

While Cisco fanboyed and the rest of the women walked around the cave, Nyssa talking to Laur… Dinah, and Alex watching over Cait and her mother, Diggle and Thea checking out the workout stations, Felicity decided it was time to make nice with her new friend Oracle.

"So, it's nice to put a face to the screen." she offered. "Felicity Smoak."

"Barbara Gordon." the two shook hands and the smile on Oracles face put her more at ease. "I apologize if I came off as a bit cocky. Probably because I am but I haven't had a challenge like you ever. It was just to fun. Too bad they haven't developed multidimensional wifi. The two of us could have a blast."

Felicity smiled, happy that her first impression of Oracle was very wrong. The woman was beautiful, small in stature and wore glasses that enhanced her face rather than took away from it. She had beautiful green eyes.

"So what happened that you are in a wheelchair?" Felicity asked then slapped her hand to her mouth. "That was so rude. I am so sorry. I just have this tendency to verbalize whatever thought crosses my mind without …anyway not my business, sorry I asked."

"It's fine." Barbara laughed. "I've been in it now for four years. I actually used to be one of these idiots. Batgirl. I miss it. There was this guy, a psycho, he's dead now, we think. Anyway he called himself the Joker. Real sadistic, murdering bastard, liked to dress up like a clown. Anyway he had this obsession with hurting Bruce. Bruce had stopped him quite a few times, gotten him thrown into the local insane asylum but he kept escaping. For a madman he really was brilliant. He found out my identity and decided a good way to hurt the Batman was to kill his partners. He killed a man, a boy really, he was only 17. His name was Jason Todd and he worked… the Joker had killed his family and Bruce tried to focus him, keep him back but he let himself get baited and the Joker killed him. Later that night, he visited me at my apartment. I opened my door thinking it was Dick and there he was. He shot me and left. I survived but my spinal cord was injured, irreversible damage. I've been in this chair ever since. Although you got to admit, its a cool chair. I designed it myself."

Felicity felt ice in her veins, listening to the woman describing her paralysis and the similarities in the two women's lives.

"Technically since we are from different universes my company doesn't compete with Wayne Corp. I have so tech you might be interested in."

"What would that be?"

"Six months ago I was shot and spent the next three months in a chair after being told I would never walk again. My company developed an implantable bio stimulant that when inserted into a person's spine allows them to walk again. The problem we had was a power source but using a nano tech powered battery cell Curtis made it work. I can give you the schematics to the chip. I would bring you back one but the only one in existence is in my spine. We are still going through clinical trials but hope to have them rolling off the assembly lines in three years. Wayne tech will have to develop the miniature power cell. We got it off Ray's suit and after this is all over, I can send one back here. That way you could at least have one. It doesn't work right away, it took me a few weeks but you will walk again."

Barbara listened shocked silent at what she was hearing. This woman was in the same situation she had found herself to be in not long ago?

"This worked for you? Its working right now?"

"Yes. In fact if you want, Caitlin can run a 3D scanner over my spine. It will give you the exact dimensions and I can provide specs on the power source. I'm sure a man who can afford all this can build on small little power source right?"

Nigthwing walked up, interrupting the two women, fully suited up, Cisco following him.

"You ready to play doctor with me?" he asked, bending down and kissing a still shocked Barbara on the mouth. He noticed she was off and straightened up. "You okay?"

"I will be. I think I actually will be." Oracle whispered then shook her head. "Okay Grayson, lets see what knew ways I can observe you getting beat up this time." Dick smiled and kissed her once again before she turned back to her keyboard, pulling up the live feed from his suit and feeling hope for the first time in since she had woken up from surgery.

While sightseeing and introductions were going on in the Batcave, Kara Zor El and Barry Allen crashed the meeting room where Bruce Wayne, J'onn, Kal and Oliver Queen sat. All four men looked surprised to see them.

"Everything to your liking? If there is anything you need please don't hesitate to ask Alfred…"

"We are sitting in on your meeting." Kara told him.

"We weren't talking about anything to do with the rescue of your adopted father just yet…"

"Exactly. Why is that? You wanted to meet Kal El. You have had a plane trip and a limo ride to do this. Six hours you have spent with him. You got what you wanted and now we are getting what I want. If you don't want to help, give me the location and Barry and I will figure out a way to get him out, but enough wasting time. Why in the hell are you having a meeting without us anyway? Are we not hero enough for you Mr. Wayne?"

"Of course not, Kara. I hold you in the highest regard as I do Mr. Allen. We cannot attack the compound tonight so I wanted to discuss some ideas with Superman and possibly Mr. Queen as a representative from your universe. It was not my intent to hold a secret meeting…"

"A representative from my universe? You wouldn't even be alive right now, _Bruce,_ if it wasn't for me, so do not walk around deciding who you think deserves to be an ambassador. What the hell do you want with our universe anyway?"

"Nothing I am interested in Kara. I was just about to leave." Oliver explained, standing up. "When you gentleman are finished playing around my team and I will be ready to go."

"No stay Oliver. I want to hear what is being said and Mr. Wayne is going to tell me." Barry pulled out a chair for Kara and sat next to her. J'onn kicked back with a smirk, Kal was not smiling though, having already been on the receiving end of her tongue lashing.

"Fine Kara. I meant no offense. I assumed you would be more focused on finding…"

"Everybody here, at least my friends, are focused on getting Jeremiah back. Talk Bruce."

Bruce nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"As I was explaining to your friends and relatives before you came in, when I first started doing what it is I do, it was because I had a personal mission. A mission to rid my city of crime, the kind of crime that led to my parents being murdered in front of me on the street during a lousy mugging. I started on a journey to turn myself into a weapon, a journey that eventually led me to Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Assassins."

"Did your league have a hot tub too?" Barry asked. "And a real dungeon? Because those guys were completely evil but their set up was sick."

Bruce stared at Barry for a moment while Oliver rubbed his forehead, before continuing.

"I recognized Ra's Al Ghul's style, at least certain elements in Oliver's fighting style. We were simply comparing notes. I was close to this daughter Talia. Oliver of course knows his Ra's daughter, Nyssa who is with us. She is very similar in appearance to Talia, easy to imagine that the two could be half sisters. I have not seen my Talia in a very long time and Oliver has told me Nyssa nor Ra's never mentioned a Talia, though as old as Ra's was, she could have been born before Nyssa. None of that is very important right now. What is important is when I started out I was convinced I could do this on my own. I wanted no one else involved. This world would only lead to their deaths. Mr. Queen started out alone as well. Mr. Diggle joined them, then Miss Smoak now his sister, Thea. Before that Sara Lance, the Black Canary and then recently Laurel who tragically Oliver and I have both learned is that in a war of this magnitude, no man or woman can fight alone. You need friends. You and J'onn made formidable team Kara. You defeated Non, and lifted an amazing amount of weight into space with no way back to save the world. You may not have been as successful without J'onn fighting Indigo. You may have but time was of the essence and her being in your way, would not have helped matters."

"I know. I never claimed to be alone. I know I needed J'onn. I needed Alex, I needed the DEO as much as I hate to admit it now, I needed Winn and James and I needed Kal to keep me alive once. Barry and I are much better together than alone. What is your point Mr. Wayne?"

"My point is I was wrong. I needed help. I took a kid in who's family was murdered and he wanted justice. I had to train him to be disciplined, to give him a code and not allow him to turn into a mindless killing machine. That young man is the one outside who calls himself Nightwing. I met Huntress and while we had a rough start we became staunch allies. Black Canary was fighting crime in this city the same time as I was. From what I understand the Laurel Lance in your universe used a sonic device. Laurel's is quite real and can kill a person easily if unleashed in an uncontrolled fashion. She isn't metahuman, her DNA is completely untampered. From what I understand Kara, you and Mr. Allen faced a similar foe in National City not long before Myriad?"

"Shrieky? Yeah, couple of ear plugs and she was pretty much harmless." Barry remembered. He had been more concerned about LiveWire.

"I would bet her abilities come from some sort of magic. I would guess Laurel's do as well. We do have magic here as well as aliens and metahumans. The only thing missing from your universe as far as potential enemies is visitors from the stars and it is a matter of time. What I have brought you all here is to suggest the forming of a league."

" A league?" Kal asked, amused. "And what would be the point of this League, Wayne? We could have matching bowling shirts? I work alone, or with J'onn. If Kara and Barry lived here I would work with them but outside of them what would I be able to do working with you that I couldn't on my own? No offense, but you have a lot of tech out there and braves people but you can't exactly defeat the enemies I have taken on. Non would have put you in the morgue. Zod? You wouldn't stand a chance, I don't care how many heroes you have out there with fancy cars and trick toys. I have watched Mr. Queen train in the mornings the last two days and watched him in action. He is a dangerous and capable individual. Mr. Queen could you win a fight against my cousin?"

"No I could not. When she is fully powered I wouldn't stand a chance nor would anyone else on my Earth. Trust me, somebody already tried and he is space junk now."

"Exactly. The Green Arrow has done a lot for his world but against superpowers, he doesn't stand a chance." Kal finished.

"I wouldn't say that. I beat Barry on a regular basis." Oliver told the room. All looked toward Barry.

"How any times has he beat you?" Kara asked. Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"I've always thought of them more as draws."

"If by draw you mean you wind up on the ground then yeah, I guess we can call it a draw."

"Nyssa has taught me some pretty cool tricks. We are going at it once more and there will be no doubt."

"I'm sorry, how can you move as fast as you do and get taken down by him?" Bruce asked.

"He cheats." Barry explained. Oliver shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't believe in cheating when it comes to fights I believe in winning. Can we move on please?"

"Fine, you want to know what you can get from us? What about real time satellite feeds from anywhere in the world, without having to rely on the government or the Daily Planet news briefs? What about back up when you are facing two or more opponents of Non or Zod's caliber and J'onn is not around or more help is needed? You say this tech does not help but you might be surprised by what it could do in the hands of the right people, especially the fighters I have. What if you need someone as strong as you to help in a fight? I happen to know of a hidden island called Themyscira…"

"I've never heard of this island." Kal told him immediately.

"Thats why I said hidden. Anyway there is a race of immortal women who live on this island. Superhuman warriors. They have an ambassador whom I have met in secret. She is willing to fight. I know a man who is half machine, strong, fierce and not afraid of battle. I am not proposing that we live together Superman. I am proposing that we join, so that when one of us needs help, all of us will come."

Kal sat back and thought before meeting Kara's eyes. In just the couple days she had been back he felt some of the darkness that had engulfed his recent life lift. Her bright beautiful blonde hair, innocent smile and dark blue eyes made his heart less heavy. It was hard to feel sorry for yourself when you knew what she had lost.

"Kara?" he asked. If she thought he could trust this Wayne then he would. If she said no, he would beat Wayne until the man gave up Jeremiah's location and then they would leave. Bruce seemed to sense the power in the room had shifted. He had assumed it was Superman he would have to convince. No team of superheroes could engender the public's trust without the greatest of superheroes on the team, front and center. Now the decision he thought he was giving to Clark Kent was going to be made by his young and potentially bitter cousin.

"El Mayara." she told him'.

"Stronger together." J'onn agreed.

Kal took a deep breath. "I suppose it is settled. I will work with you on this, provided we get Jeremiah free."

"Excellent. I would also hope that you Mr. Queen will consider doing the same."

"We work together fine already." Kara told the Batman. "Recently we had a little impromptu battle in the middle of Central City and all of worked together fine without any planning needed before hand." Kara told Wayne.

"Actually…" Oliver started. "You nearly died, so did Barry and if you two had not been there, Thea and myself would have definitely died. It was luck that we all happened to be in the same area at the same time along with Sara, Ray and Firestorm. I have met others in my travels. Organizing something a bit more formal would not be a bad thing. Bruce definitely has a point. I'm not the one to do it. You and Barry, Kara, you can inspire others to join together. You inspire me. If you ask others will follow. None of us would ever have to rely on a government again for help. We would always have each other."

"Good idea Mr. Queen. Besides one day our universes may need to face the same threat together. It would help to be familiar with each other." Batman commented.

"Why? We take care of our universe, you take care of yours." Barry told him.

"You think your friend Cisco and you are the only ones who can jump dimensions? There are others. I have a friend named John Stewart who can set you straight in regards to dangers from alternate universes and what dangers are out there in regard to all universes, not just yours or ours. I would imagine he has friends in your universe as well. I am betting someone named either Hal Jordan or Guy Gardener. There is more out there than you realize. Like I said, in the past years I have met many dedicated to one cause. Justice. Now since Superman's involvement is contingent on the rescue of Jeremiah Danvers, why don't we meet around Oracle and go over blue prints. We strike at sunset tomorrow. Thirty minutes after shift change. They will be relaxed, no help coming and we act. Anyone have any objections? I would love to get some sleep before tomorrow night, so lets get started."

After a night of planning that did not have Kara feeling better, her and Barry walked up to a bedroom in the huge mansion and changed quickly. It was 3 AM and Kara was tired and hungry. The food she had eaten before they left was in the trash can on the private jet and she needed more but was too tired.

"Is this going to work?" Kara asked, having her doubts about this assault.

"You sleeping in our uniform? No, it is not going to work. Look we even have a door that we can lock."

Kara rolled her eyes and moved towards her bag that Barry had brought up. Changing into Barry's longer tee shirt she decided to forgo her shorts and moved straight back into bed.

"You are seriously going to expect me to sleep with you like this?"

"Yeah." she sighed. Barry groaned and took his shirt off changing into a pair of shorts from his bag and slid under the covers with her. Pulling her closely to his body from behind, hand on her rock hard abs and smooth were both tired, both worried and he didn't give a damn who knew they were sleeping together.

"Barry?" Kara whispered, grinding into him a bit more.

"Yeah?" The Flash leaned over and kissed her neck.

"I'm really, really hungry."

"Oh… okay. You want me to get you…"

"Sandwiches? Yeah. Did you see the kitchen? Whatever you can find is fine, as long as it is turkey with Swiss Cheese with mayo, mayo on both sides, wheat bread…"

"I know how you like your sandwich, Kara." Barry chuckled.

"I know. If you could just make me four… no five and bring back the biggest bag of chips you can find, as long as they aren't barbecue. Also see if he has any cookies? Wayne doesn't look like the cookie type but if that Dinah lady hangs out here and Barbara does I can imagine Alfred keeps cookies around here somewhere. He is pretty cool. I like his accent. Also Cisco was just being an ass. Nightwing does not have a cooler uniform than you."

"I'll be right back." he told her.

"Barry? If they don't have what I want, don't run back into Gotham."

"Okay…"

"Unless you really want to make me happy." Kara finished. Barry moved before she could ask for anything else and within ten seconds was back, Alfred still trying to come to grips with the lightning storm that had just entered his kitchen opened the fridge and cabinets and left.

Midway through her third sandwich, Kara asked again. "Do you think this will work?"

"If what he has on this base is true, it could be the only way. I can go in myself."

"Once you go into the tunnel the traps will be activated and no one could follow you through, humans or cool people like us. But I really don't like us having to wait until Felicity gets to the control room to shut down the defenses. There are going to be at least thirty guards who are trained to deal with Aliens inside. They won't be lightweights."

"And they could be carrying Kryptonite bullets. In fact I would bet on it. I wish Cisco had made an alternate suit and kept the lead lining and kevlar."

"If the radiation blocker world, the Kryptonite shouldn't be a problem. Without the radiation its just a rock."

"It will be through your suit in less than a hundred thousandth of a second. Cisco thinks that is enough to sap the radiation. I'm not doubting him but I don't trust it either. Stick to the plan. Felicity can hack the security cams outside and follow the signal. Those are the only weak points where the system is not completely inside the base. Oracle makes the cams repeat on a clear tunnel, everyone goes in. Batman breaks the code on the door, Canary goes in and shatters a few eardrums, disorienting anyone on the other side and the best non super powered warriors in two universes go in. Oliver and Diggle get Felicity to the control room then we come in and take control of the base. We get Jeremiah out, check on the status of the experiments and decide what to do with the base next. If Jeremiah says blow it, we blow it."

"How can you always be so calm?" Kara asked. Barry had this sureness about him, a confidence that wasn't bragging but a simple belief in himself and those around him.

"I'm calm because I have the best friends, the best team and the best woman I have ever known, with me. I know anything can happen but I will take my chances with the people we brought any day. Even if we didn't have Batman and his people, I'm confident we could pull this off. Bruce Wayne seemed like a different person when he was discussing the assault. He wasn't trying to hide who he was behind a suit and a smile. Dick Grayson seems like a really good guy. This Dinah Lance seems a lot like the Laurel we knew and, while I'm not sure about this Huntress woman being much different than the one Oliver knows, she isn't a bad person or she wouldn't be risking her life with us. Besides I have you. I'm always confident when I'm with you."

"I love you so much." Kara whispered touching his cheek, in a soothing fashion but also checking if he needed to shave.

"I love you too. Get some sleep. When you wake up, breakfast."

"No, give me a back massage, please?"

"Uh Kara… you know if you want me to do that I am going to have to vibrate my hand and you are most likely going to break the bed."

"Barry, did you see the Bat cave? He can afford a new bed."

"Good point Miss Zor El."

Barry rubbed her back gently then with a bit firmer pressure. Instead of getting excited like she often did Kara seemed very relaxed. He stopped and heard her soft snoring.

"Good knight Kara. Don't worry about a thing. I will get him out and I won't let our friends be hurt, no matter what. I'll be fast enough to protect you all."

 **A/N Next chapter we have the assault on Project Cadmus secondary location and all hell is going to break loose. I hope to have it up in the next couple days.**


	22. Chapter 22

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Thank you so much for the reviews. You guys are blowing me away. This and one more chapter of Earth 3 for a while. We probably won't be back until chapter 40 or 45, somewhere around there. This story is turning into quite the monster for me and I am having so much fun. I'm not sure I really like how this chapter turned out but it is what it is. I hope you all enjoy. Keep the reviews coming and thank you. I am having so much fun corresponding with you all!

Chapter 22

"He has a point."

Oliver looked at Thea, who was sitting on the ground propped up by a tree. His entire team and Wayne's team had arrived at the site of the secondary location of Project Cadmus. All were in the woods surrounding the creepy two story run down Victorian home in the middle of a large forest. Oracle had reported six video cameras ahead in trees that the Bat promised he would take care of. While the Earth 3 crew, including to his great discontent, Superman, were on one side of the house, Oliver's friends were on the other. Oliver felt certain Kal El belonged with them, Earths be damned, he was Kara's family, but let it go. He had no doubt as soon as they moved, Kal would be here with Barry and Kara. At this moment, Kara and Barry were off together who knew where, hopefully staying quiet and Alex and Nyssa were off somewhere, hopefully keeping clothes on while staying quiet. Considering Kara was within three miles of Alex, Oliver was sure the two were behaving.

Felicity, Thea, Dig, Cisco and Caitlin were all sitting on the ground around him, waiting for the signal. No one had spoken a word until Thea broke the silence.

"Who has a point?"

"Bruce Wayne? Bat dude? He has a point about working together. We could be better at it."

"Something wrong with the way we work together, Thea?" Diggle asked, not upset but curious.

"Not the way our team works and not the way their team works, " she pointed to Cisco and Caitlin, "but the way we work together. We don't. Sure we team up sometimes but its not like Central City and Star City are on the other side of the world from each other. Barry could have really been a huge help against Darhk. We could have helped Barry handle Zoom and maybe he wouldn't have taken the beating he did. Maybe Caitlin never would have been kidnapped by the maniac. Maybe … maybe a lot of things. Darhk could stop bullets with his magic but Barry can stop them with his hands. I just wonder if we had taken time to help Barry out, how much sooner we could have taken down Zoom, then he could have helped us take out Darhk. We both fought these battles for months, at a great cost of life to those we knew, cared about, loved and ten thousand lives we never will know because of that bastard. A little more organization would be good. Maybe we can't help each other all the time but more than we all have been."

Oliver thought of this before as well. Still there was a large part of him that did not want to involve Barry in Star City problems for one of the same reasons he guessed Alex didn't want Kara becoming involved in the hero business in the first place. It was a brutal game that changed people, permanently.

"Barry … Thea, our problems in Star are more of a … nastier…"

"Shove it Ollie. I've heard that excuse from you. You don't want Barry to have to deal with the darkness we do because you are afraid it will blacken his soul or something. Yeah, yeah, we have all heard it. I'm not sure if you noticed but the battles he has been fighting are just as real as ours. Caitlin, Cisco, you know him best. Is he the same guy he was when he started? Are any of you?"

Cisco said nothing, playing with the visor in his hands. Caitlin met Thea's eyes and the look on her face was all the answer Thea needed.

"I know what you mean, Thea. We have all changed." Dig agreed. "When we first started Felicity would jump every time Oliver spoke in a harsh tone around her and now she has him rolling over and doing tricks."

A few seconds of silence before Thea, Caitlin and Cisco began quietly laughing. Oliver even smiled a bit when Felicity bumped his shoulder.

"Very funny."

"Ollie, you know you can't fight darkness without some of it getting on you. Barry killed Zoom. He stuck his hand into Zoom's chest and stopped that monster's heart. He had no choice. Cisco didn't you say you have a memory of Thawne killing you?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, thanks for bringing that up before we are about to raid an underground alien experimentation facility, Speedy."

"Caitlin, you have seen, we all know…" Thea told her, not wanting to talk about Ronnie's death or her kidnapping by Zoom. Felicity had told Thea that Cait had constant nightmares about Zoom until Kara had moved in with her.

"You can't protect us all, Ollie. We aren't saints. If Barry had reached out, things may have gone easier for him, maybe not but we could have helped some. Maybe gotten ourselves killed but thats what we do right? Remember all the times we searched for Darhk, trying to find a location? Barry could have literally scoured every inch of the city in an hour and taken the totem before Darhk knew what happened. Maybe we couldn't have stopped Zoom but if Firestorm and Ray had been around, with us, yeah we could have taken him down quicker. Now we have Kara and Alex, and I think its the worst kept secret in two universes, at least to everybody but Kara, that where Alex goes, Nyssa will follow. We can keep fighting battles alone but if we didn't, if we stopped this whole this is city my, my fight, pride thing you and Barry seem to have, things could go a lot easier. Lives could be saved."

"She has a point, Oliver." Dig agreed.

"Oliver, you told us about that first fight with Ra's." Felicity reminded him, "you had to climb that cliff and then fight him which gave him a really unfair advantage by the way. Can you imagine if he was waiting for you and Kara in all her sunny blondness just kind of floats up? The first time he tries to stab her the sword breaks on her stomach? God I would have loved to seen that bastard's face if that had happened. We probably could have talked her into wearing a green hood!"

"I know, right?" Thea agreed, "Do you think Darhk could have used his magic on her?"

"Yes." Oliver answered immediately. "And if he figured out what Barry could do he would have used it on him eventually as well."

"True, if he could catch Barry. Of course telekinesis only works on solid objects so if Barry vibrated at the same frequency he uses to phase through walls he wouldn't exactly be solid would he?" Thea continued, "but he wasn't going to stop Kara's heat vision. Savage's staff couldn't overpower her, I doubt Darhk could handle her." Thea argued.

"Exactly. He would have put his pasty hands in the air to stop her and his hands would have been incinerated in less than a second." Dig agreed. "He sure as hell wasn't using telekinesis on a woman who can lift a million tons. After most of you retired for the evening, I made friends with Alfred. He took me into Wayne's massive library and showed me some video of Kara, some from the news and some from Wayne's satellite network. That speech she broadcast to break the Myriad signal, man Oliver, if your speech gave the people of Star City their hope back and countered Darhk's magic, her speech would have made flowers grow out of his ass. And then that battle her and the Martian had against her uncle and the blue computer lady. I really didn't have any clue what lifting an alien prison would look like but it seemed like that thing just lifted off. It was so big I couldn't even see her until Alfred zoomed she was, lifting it up and flying off with it. That was after she took out her Uncle, forced his own beams straight back into the man's brain. Sunshine Danvers don't play around. She was fierce before Savage. He wasn't her first rodeo. She may not be strategic but they are both getting better. You didn't ask them to check out that cave, those two did it on their own."

"So you are saying I shouldn't try to keep Barry out of Star City business?" Oliver clarified.

"We are saying that together we could all be stronger." Felicity told him.

"I wish she had been here against Thawne and Zoom." Cisco mumbled.

"Why?" the Arrow asked, beginning to get annoyed at how they all seemed to be taking Kara for granted as invincible. He knew no one and nothing was invincible and he didn't want her to ever find that out. "Are you saying either of those men couldn't have phased a hand through her chest, Cisco?"

"No, they could have. But Kara's reflexes are as fast as Barry's even if her speed isn't. The opposite of speed is cold. Its why Snart's cold gun has worked on Barry so effectively before. We haven't even begun to really test the limit of her freeze breath but man, its freaking cold. If Zoom or Thawne would have tried to reach into her chest she just would have frozen their hand until it stopped vibrating and broken the thing off. I know what you are getting at Oliver. She isn't invincible and don't think we don't know that. You weren't there the first time we saw her but she died for a minute in front of us. I've never seen someone look so… dead before. I've seen dead people but she was just pale and looked so small and the blood…but she doesn't use her gifts to live a long life. She uses them to save lives, even if it means losing her own. If any of us played it safe we wouldn't be here now. Maybe if we did work together better, then life would be easier. We all have our strengths and weaknesses." Cisco reminded Oliver.

Oliver sat quietly for a minute watching the few remaining rays of the sun dim away into darkness.

"Until we get this done and get back home, nothing else matters. Kara!" Oliver whispered. He knew she would hear. Like magic her and Barry were in the middle of the group.

"We ready?" Kara asked. Wherever her and Barry had been they definitely had not been making out. Both looked tense and ready for battle.

"Kara, could you find Alex? I would like to talk to everybody before we go…"

"No!" Barry whispered harshly, glaring at Oliver. "Kara, let Caitlin look at your suit and make sure you are online. I can find her faster. Just look at Cait and Cisco, make sure they are doing what they do with the… computer stuff, correctly."

Barry zipped off leaving a confused Kara behind.

"I could have just looked and pointed them out. I heard them before we came over."

"You did?" Cait asked, relieved that the two must have just been talking.

"Yeah they were stretching. I suppose Nyssa isn't as flexible as she seems. She kept moaning and Alex kept telling her to shut up. Its probably the tension. My muscles feel like they could… what?"

Thea, Felicity and Caitlin all looked away from her, while Dig started checking his gun, Oliver checked the tension on his bow and Cisco started playing with Caitlin's tablet.

Barry did find Alex in only a couple of seconds. Alex was on the ground, split legged and leaning over to one side stretching, while Nyssa stood on one leg away from her, pulling her other straight leg up against her shoulder. She wasn't even wobbling. The woman was a damn contortionist and gymnast in addition to being a ninja assassin.

"Mr. Allen…"

"For God's sake Nyssa, since you won't be going anywhere for a long time, meaning we will see each other daily for the foreseeable future, could you just call me Barry? I don't walk around calling you Miss Demon, do I?"

"I apologize Barry. Is it time to attack?"

"Uh, what are you two doing?" he asked. Alex had now leaned over to the other side, touching her other knee.

"Stretching Barry. Not all of us have superhuman reflexes and are able to heal from pulled muscles immediately. It's pretty obvious we are going to be in a fight soon. It is best to be prepared." Alex explained. Barry let out a breath. Of course that is what they were doing. He didn't think anything else. That would be… crazy. Relieved they were both dressed and actually stretching… not that he doubted they would be… Barry remembered the reason for his visit.

"Oliver wants to have a team meeting. The sun is almost completely down."

"I am not a member of any team." Nyssa told him quickly. "If I were, I would be in charge and leading the assault."

"Okay… Oliver would like everyone who is about to take part in an assault on a black site, alien experimentation laboratory to have a chat before we do this." Barry tried.

"Tell your heterosexual life mate we will be there in a moment." Nyssa told the man. The mask couldn't hide Barry's confusion at that title so he shook it off and moved back to his friends.

"Heterosexual life mate, Nyssa?" Alex asked, eyebrow raised and a slight grin.

Nyssa dropped her leg from her shoulder and rolled her shoulders.

"If you had heard the stories I have, you would understand. I've never heard of two men who wanted to be the other so badly. They are each other's biggest fans. It's a bit sad really. If Oliver and Barry were bisexual, Felicity and Kara would have no chance. Are you ready for this, Alex?"

Alex nodded her head. "As ready as I will ever be. Look, I appreciate you coming with us."

"Your sister is dear to me as well as you. I wouldn't let either of you come alone." Nyssa told her quickly. Kara Danvers Zor El has made an impact on Nyssa that she did not expect or want but could do nothing about. The woman smiled, even after being kicked in the teeth,literally. It was hard to not be affected by the brightness in her soul, especially for one like Nyssa who had grown up around so much darkness.

"I know and…"

"And this is your father. There is nowhere else I would be. I do not like these other people being involved though, especially the man with the strange fixation on bats. Stay close to me."

"Nyssa … I don't want you getting hurt. You don't owe me anything. We … what we have is casual. We agreed…"

"You agreed." Nyssa told her and walked up to Alex, kissing her gently. "I take love seriously. I don't do casual. I have not had much love around me in my life. I let you call it this because you need time to deal with what you are feeling. I realize I can be… strange to someone who has not grown up in the manner I have. Alex, I do not do one night stands or casual sex. That is not who I am. If I am with someone it is because I want to be with that person and consider her a warrior of my fortitude and someone I hold dear to my heart and soul. I've only deemed one person worthy of that in my life and you are more important than that one person. The first time I saw you, I knew I had met my equal. You have my word, if your father is indeed in that place, I will get him out and kill anyone who gets in our way. Now let us go listen to the famous Green Arrow speak. I'm sure he has words of wisdom that will change our lives. With luck he will use that voice modulator he loves so much. We can only hope once inside the complex that he has the opportunity to tell someone they have failed this planet."

Alex stood speechless for a moment before following Nyssa. She wouldn't deal with what Nyssa had just told her, before the confusing part about Oliver's strangeness. She had to focus.

But she was pretty sure Nyssa just told her that she was more important than Sara Lance, the woman Nyssa said herself that she once loved with all her soul. Alex had no idea how to process that, so she wouldn't right now.

Still if she didn't make it out alive tonight, it was nice to know one person loved her like that before she died.

When the two had reached the circle, the final rays of light were gone. Complete darkness fell on the moonless night.

"Everyone ready for this?' Oliver asked. No one spoke, but the mood was obvious to read. They were all ready, even Felicity in her black bomber outfit, this time she had made sure the eye holes lined up correctly.

"We lose no one tonight. The men in there guarding this facility are obviously highly trained. They are most likely every bit as dangerous as we are. Our objective is to get one man out at all costs. Any other objectives can be determined onsite but we will not take any more risks than necessary. We have no idea what the cover will be or even if there will be any. Batman says he can get us through the first door. We are going through the basement. At the end of the basement is a hallway. This hallway will be triggered if any alien or metahuman DNA is detected. Until we can get Felicity to the control room, Kara, Barry, Cisco, stay out. No matter what you hear, stay out. Barry you may be able to beat the traps but once they are activated we won't be able to go back that way out. According to Oracle this is the only entrance and exit, meaning those who are inside are not planning on letting anyone or anything leave, including themselves if things go bad for them.

These men know by now that Cadmus was shut down and they know they are operating without the governments approval. This means they are worse than special forces, they are true believers. There could be self destruct measures inside. When you see a guard take him down. If you want to shoot to incapacitate rather than kill make sure whoever it is, is knocked out or put out of commission. Keep your coms open. Oracle is certain these will work underground. I'm not. If we are in a position where someone is going to die, them or us, make sure it is them. We have no idea what is down there, only that there are thirty two moving objects and other heat signatures indicating life, not moving, probably in cells. Whatever they deemed important enough to keep must be pretty dangerous or very valuable.

Once we take control of the base, Kara, Barry, light the place up but please be careful. Kara we both know those are going to be Kryptonite bullets they are carrying. Understand?"

"I understand."

"I'm hoping if this Bat team is as good as they seem to think they are, you won't have anyone left standing by the time you get to us but be careful. All it takes is one guy waking up and firing a shot. Dig?"

Diggle stood up and offered a gun to Caitlin who took it with shaking hands.

"You are going to be staying out here. Keep this with you at all times. You know how to use it right?" Dig asked, wishing he had spent a little time with the doctor going over basic handgun skills.

"Flip the safety off, aim and squeeze the trigger right? So if I get in trouble just shoot in the air and someone will come, right? But how are you going to hear me when you are down there?" the woman asked, realizing shooting in the air wouldn't do the trick.

"This is loaded with the bullets I use on the street in Star. Tranq darts. Do not hesitate to fire. Any shot anywhere will take them down but not right away so keep firing until they are down." John explained. Oliver glanced at him but didn't say a word. Dig wasn't much of a liar but he understood if Caitlin knew those were real bullets she would hesitate to fire and that could cost her life. He would rather she be around so he can apologize for lying to her later.

"Thank you John." a relieved Caitlin told him. He felt a bit of guilt about lying but it was her best chance at staying alive.

"Cisco, when Barry brings you in no matter what, you keep your head down."

"Thanks for caring Oliver." Vibe told him gratefully.

"You are our ride home and Dr. Danvers escape route if things go bad. You need to be at the top of your game. You feel strong today?"

"Yeah." Cisco confirmed. He realized if he was killed they were all stuck.

"Okay, Dig and I go first with Felicity. If we come to a fork, we separate. Once Lau… Canary goes through the door and disorients whoever is on the other side, we move."

"Attention superheroes, vigilantes, former secret agents, scientists, computer nerds and former heads of the League of Assassins. This is your Oracle. The time we have been waiting for has arrived. I have launched the drone and am receiving thermal images of the base in real time now."

"Ten bucks says the drone is shaped like a bat, That guy has a weird fetish." Barry whispered to Cisco.

"This is an open line Flash and yes, Batman does have a weird fetish and yes the drone is shaped like a bat. We were all goth before goth was cool. The last guards from shift change have gone. J'onn just took out the roving patrol and has taken his form I guess. He looks like him I am assuming he means. Caitlin if you see a guard don't shoot. I will warn you if anyone other than J'onn arrives or someone is around after our residential aliens and metahumans go in. Time to move everyone. Bat team, you copy?"

"We are moving." Bruce said, his voice deeper than normal.

"Team Arrow?"

"We don't call ourselves that." Oliver told her quickly.

"We do." Felicity and Thea both corrected, causing him to roll his eyes, but the gesture was lost in the darkness.

"Whatever, the time is now. Meet in the large greeting room in the middle of this creepy haunted house. I have the outside security cameras on a loop as well as the ones inside. Once you are in the basement you are on your own with the cameras. Good luck."

On the other side of the clearing, Batman, Nightwing, Huntress and Black Canary walked slowly towards the backdoor of the house. Batman and Nightwing stepped quietly inside, their feet making no sound, even on the creaky wooden floor. Clearing the kitchen the two entered a large foyer. Just as silent, the Green Arrow, Speedy, Nyssa, Dig and Alex entered the foyer from the other side. Bruce looked to a door under the old winding staircase.

The door was not locked, and Batman pulled out a device from under his cape, the size of a cell phone, and pulled a very long antenna out. Sticking the thin antenna into the hallway under the staircase, the screen on the cell phone like device lit up.

"Infrared imager. Helps me see around corners in the dark." Bruce whispered to Oliver who was looking with interest.

"I can't believe its not shaped like a bat." he muttered.

"That one is in the shop. I can have one made for you that looks like an arrow if you like." the Dark Knight offered. "Above us are the sensors. I would love to have a look at it if we don't have to destroy this place. The technology is incredible if it can use laser scanning to check for human DNA and trigger alarms if anything unusual comes walking in."

Satisfied no one was in the hall, Batman and Arrow entered, Felicity behind Oliver and Dig behind her. Nightwing and Thea moved next followed by Nyssa and Alex, who already had her 9mm, silencer in place, in her hand. Canary and Huntress followed them, to Nyssa's displeasure. She was not crazy about anyone being behind her but reasoned if her and Alex were attacked from behind those two would make good body armor. She was also grateful the Canary's mask covered more of her face than Laurel's had. The woman's resemblance to her friend set them all off balance, even Oliver though he would not admit it. She was not fooled however. This Dinah Lance seemed like an exceptional warrior but she was not their Laurel. No one would ever be.

No one could see the walls of the spacious hallway but they were obviously metal and no one had any doubt the hundred foot long tunnel would be a death trap for aliens trying to get inside.

The line of heroes stopped in front of a large black wall. In the dark it was hard to make out but Alex assumed this must be the metal door. Wayne felt the wall next to it and flipped open a metal cover. He pulled some sort of device from his belt and Alex saw a dim light. Seconds later Wayne was entering a code and with a hiss, the door began to rise. It was not as quiet as any of them would like. Canary stepped up to the front between Oliver who had an arrow already nocked and Batman who was holding some sort of curved blade in his hand.

"You're late." someone said on the other side. As the door fully rose, exposing the well lit room, two guards were sitting, both holding rifles.

Canary screamed. The force of the sonic blast hit both men who dropped to the ground, ear drums rupturing immediately, both passing out from the pain.

"I am assuming the time for silence is over." Oliver observed, All rushed into the room and out the other side. Three staircases were in front, announcing the different sections.

"Oracle?" Nightwing asked.

"All three will end up at the control room at the bottom level. The middle one has the least resistance, more of a straight shot, only two rooms in between the stairwells and the control room at the bottom. The other two wind down into descending hallways going past what look to be cells. We have movement. Three teams are moving up from different levels on three sides. Choose wisely."

"NIghtwing, Huntress, Canary and I can take the right. Can your team…" Batman started.

"Alex and I will take the left. Speedy come with us." Nyssa told her. The three women marched to the left stairwell and moved down.

Oliver, Dig and Felicity moved towards the center quickly while the Bat team moved to the right.

Nyssa, Alex and Speedy made it to the first level that curved to the left. The hallway was cramped and there were indeed cells lining one side, The doors were bare, not even a small window, just a slit for food they supposed, and number letter combinations.

As they continued moving forward, the sound of running feet caught their attention.

Alex aimed at the curve in front, as did Speedy but Nyssa lowered Alex's gun with her hand.

"Save your bullets and arrows. We may need them later."

Nyssa took off around the curve at a run. The sound of running boots stopped, followed by brief silence then screams which were also brief. Alex looked wide eyed at an equally wide eyed Speedy. Both ran around the curve and saw Nyssa standing, swords in both hands, looking down on the remains of four men in black uniforms. None were breathing and judging by the pools forming underneath them, none ever would again.

"Nyssa…" Speedy started, before being interrupted by the Assassin.

"This is not a field trip, Thea." Nyssa hung her swords back on her sash, took her bow from her back and moved. Alex and Thea followed, unable to not stare at the bodies as they walked by.

Arrow and Spartan had reached the first room, what appeared to be a break room, complete with vending machines. No one was present but that quickly changed. Three men entered guns raised, but before they could take in the site of the three interlopers, Oliver fired an arrow striking the side of the doorway. All looked at the arrow, just as it exploded, slamming the three men into the ground. Felicity had been thrown to the ground by Dig when the explosion occurred but he did fire his weapon at a straggler, hitting the man in his chest. He was wearing body armor, so Arrow kicked him in his head as he walked by, knocking the man out cold.

Batman and Nightwing had walked into a union meeting for minions. The ten men were all armed but in such close quarters, unable to fire at will. The two vigilantes waded in, striking out at each one. As soon as one would attempt a strike from behind, Huntress would fire a bolt into the man's shoulder. Having enough, Canary and Helena both jumped into the fray. Five more guards joined in, but none stood a chance. A particularly large man grabbed Dick by his neck, only to be hit with a couple hundred bolts of electricity when Grayson struck his jaw. All teams had cleared the first level.

The second level is where the guards had mobilized, blocking the route, guns at the ready. The first resistance down had been a rushed response. Quickly realizing the base was under attack, whoever was organizing the defense put a plan into action.

Oliver and Dig were held up by gunfire before they could reach the bottom of the staircase. Oliver crouched low, arrow at the ready, hoping to see someone at the bottom to strike. None had come up.

"They are holding us here. They have us pinned and they should be rushing. What are they waiting for?" Oliver wondered out loud.

"We have the high ground. The only way to guarantee them getting out is if we are taken out and that would most likely be from behind. They are waiting for back up from the outside." Dig guessed.

"You are correct, Spartan. I have just intercepted a distress call but I can't track who the intended receiver was yet. Give me time." Oracle instructed.

The gunfire ceased and Arrow moved, not wasting time or wanting to hear Felicity yell at him to stop. Jumping to the bottom, he fired three arrows at once, stringing three in the chest then rolled, striking one man as he stood up and swinging around to slash another one's throat with the small blade attached to his wrist. Felicity and Dig ran down, Felicity paling at what she saw. She couldn't see Oliver's face under the hood but would imagine the cold visage of the Hood lurked underneath. Oliver had gone through many personas over his lifetime and this was the man just back from the Island after five years away in Hell.

She found at this moment she didn't care. She hadn't cared that he killed Darhk, was actually proud and had told him he had too. Thea was right, they had all changed she supposed.

Alex and Thea were finding out that Nyssa's way was probably the only option as well.

Outgunned, with only a small curve to press their bodies up against the wall and avoid the bullets being fired at them, Alex crawled on the floor and once she had a line of sight, fired three times, hitting three in the chest. Thea fired an arrow into the shoulder of the one man left standing. He aimed at the ground Alex was lying on while Nyssa hit him in the chest with an arrow, piercing his body armor and heart.

"We don't have to…"

"Spare the lectures, little Queen. You know blood is required. If you want to volunteer yours by all means surrender. Mine and Alex's will remain in our bodies. Let's find her father."

Oliver, and his two partners had reached the final room before the control room. It appeared empty , but he held Felicity and Dig back, stepping inside himself. As soon as he stepped into the middle, gunfire broke out. Arrow flipped a table over and hit the ground. Four men entered the room and spread out surrounding him. Before Diggle could run in a small black object was twisting through the air, circling the room. All four men were hit in the head, dropping immediately. Dig and Oliver watched the object land in a black glove belonging to the Batman.

"What? Your arrows can't fly in circles? We need to move. My team has already reached the bottom. Overwatch needs to take control of the system. One man is inside the control room, locked in. We are working on negotiating his surrender."

Oliver, Dig and Felicity moved quickly behind Batman. Once they reached the control room, ears were covered quickly, as Dinah Lance was screaming at full force into the glass walls surrounding the control room. The glass would not break and the man inside appeared very angry. Knowing his calls for help were being intercepted, he did as protocol demanded. Activating the security measures in the top floor hallway to prevent any aliens from getting in or out, he next unlocked all the cells. The experiments could have these strange interlopers, but no one would be leaving this base. The fiery entryway would alert the next shift who would follow protocol and contact the Order for immediate cover, erasing any existence of this base ever being open. All that would be left would be the ashes of experiments and the bodies of everyone here.

"Hey we just heard cells unlocking. Are you unlocking all of…"

Thea stopped speaking when she realized that it wasn't Felicity in control of the base.

"This is Oracle, our super powered friends have not entered the base and yet I am picking up defensive measures being activated in the corridor leading to the door. What is going on?"

"We seem to have a slight issue, with the last room, Oracle. Stand by." Batman told her.

"The cells are all unlocking. Do we know where my Dad is?" Alex asked, beginning to panic at the though of whatever was behind those doors having free access to wherever her Dad was.

"You won't get inside." the voice over the intercom informed them. The man inside the room was smiling. "We are all dying down here. Trust me, when you see what is coming out of those cells you may want to kill yourself. The only way out is to get inside here and that is impossible. Whatever toys you have, whatever explosives, nothing short of a nuclear blast will break this glass. Your best chance to live as long as possible is to find somewhere to hide."

Kara, Barry, J'onn, Cisco and Kal El all listened up top. The measures were active and there was no way in and no way out for there friends. Oliver's words about true believers were apparently prophetic.

"I have to get in there." Kara whispered.

"You can't. I can though. I can run through the flames. Its one hundred feet. I can vibrate that long, the speed won't…"

"You won't make it Barry." Caitlin told him. "If even a trace amount of that cyanide gets into your system when you stop you will go down. You cant phase in extreme temperatures for that far a distance and still make it through the wall in one piece, and if you do it is unlikely you will be able to vibrate the cyanide out of your system. You won't have the energy."

"She is right, man." Cisco agreed.

"Fine, I can't go through the hallway, then I will go around it." Kara told the group. "Just like the Red Tornado training session again, J'onn."

Kara shot up into the sky without another word. All looked at J'onn.

"What is she talking about and where is she going?"

"She will be back down in a minute." the Martian told the Flash. A second later, a diving Kara Zor El crashed into the roof of the house straight into the ground. Using incredible speed and strength, aided by her heat vision hardening the moist soil she held her breath and dug, straight down and then to the right., going under the death trap hallway. Not being able to lose momentum, she hit hard rock under the ground and began digging,dousing her heat vision and using her X ray vision to guide her towards the light.

The entire underground structure inhabitants, guards who were still alive and heroes alike heard the rumbling. The walls and floors were vibrating from the shock.

"I hope thats an earthquake and not one of these experiments." Helena told the group.

Canary turned towards the wall to the right where the rumbling grew louder. Prepared to sonic blast anything that was coming, she was stopped by a grinning Oliver Queen.

"Everyone back up."

None needed encouragement as the group crowded back. Even the mad man in the control room looked nervous as the floors shook more.

Everyone hit the ground, Oliver over Felicity and Dig over Thea, while Batman covered Huntress and Canary with his cape and body. Alex, Nyssa and Nightwing stood, Dick grabbing for a boomerang until he was stopped by Alex.

"Thats not an experiment, thats my sister. She is pretty good at tunneling." the brunette told him with a huge grin.

On cue the concrete wall cracked open, a pile of dirt rushing inside, with a caped blonde on top of it. Kara Zor El stood up, blonde hair and face covered in dirt and her mask torn off, spit dirt out of her mouth and took in her surroundings. She was surrounded by wide eyed heroes and a proud sister.

"Rao, that dirt tasted awful. So what is going on?" she asked.

"I can't believe you did that. Thanks for clearing the way. I really didn't want to eat all that dirt." Kal El told her, sliding out of the tunnel she had created.

"One of us needed a good plan. Thanks or joining me Cuz. So why … oh hey, what is he doing in there?" she asked, pointing to the man in the control room.

"He apparently believes it will take a nuclear blast to breach the room." Batman told her. Kara looked at Kal who smirked.

"Same time?" he asked.

"You just want to share the credit." Kara countered. The two looked at the wide eyed man behind the clear wall and swing, both fists hitting at the same time and shattering the wall, the force throwing the man across the control room and knocking him out.

"Hey Boss? Doors open. Think you can let my boyfriend and his wingman inside?" Superwoman asked Felicity, who was already moving.

"He let the experiments out of the cells. We have no idea what is up there." Oliver told the two.

"Find Jeremiah, get that fire put out so Barry and J'onn can come in and we will handle the rest." Superwoman instructed.

Kara and Kal took off, flying low to the floor but still gliding to gain as much speed as possible. Kara went left , Kal splitting off as the two traveled the circular hallways on either side. Kara was the first to stop, or be stopped by a large green humanoid, bent down to avoid hitting his head on the ten foot ceiling.

"Whoa. Hey there big guy… or girl? I don't want to be sexist and I really can't tell because… I don't suppose we could be friends? I'm looking for…"

The creature swung with enough speed to surprise her, knocking her to the ground. Kara rolled over and wiped her gloved hand over her mouth. Blood was mixed with the dirt on her glove when she looked.

Kara Zor El smiled.

"Okay… so we are going to fight about it."

On the ground above, the coms were cutting in and out but all assumed Kara and Kal arrived safely by the constant rumblings below the Earth. Barry was not patient though.

"Oracle I need a way in. Kara's tunnel is closing behind Kal El."

"Have patience. Overwatch is on the job."

Felicity was in control finally. The job was proving more difficult than she would have liked. Nightwing and Speedy followed the Canary and Huntress out of the control room. Dig stayed by Felicity's side.

"Go Oliver. I won't let her get hurt." The Arrow trusted his brother and ran in the direction Kara had flown off.

"Wait for me." Alex told him. "you can watch my back."

"Stay here. When Felicity finds your fathers exact location go to him." Oliver countered and took off.

"This ass locked the system. Thought you were clever? You may have super space glass but this encryption system has been around since I was in really cute diapers. Give me a second, Dig…"

A loud groan echoed from above.

"You have the really big gun with you, right Dig? The one with the bomb thingy…"

"Grenade launcher and no I don't. I didn't want an automatic rifle in an enclosed space. Figured .45s would be more precise."

"I guess I better hurry so Barry can get me out of here quickly while you fight monsters with your precise weapons … and done! Oracle, Overwatch is in control and outer defenses are down. Send in the Flash and J'onn. Might want to leave Cisco outside… unless he has a grenade launcher."

"On my way, Felicity." Barry told her immediately.

"Alex, level 3, cell 4 A, go!"

Alex and Nyssa took off, while Felicity opened all coms and gave access to the mainframe to a Wayne Industries satellite. Oracle downloaded every secret Cadmus had kept and forwarded it using a secure email server to Cat Grant, waiting in National City with instructions to use this information if Oracle lost contact with the team.

When Alex and Nyssa had made it to level three they saw a nightmare. Batman and Nightwing were fighting some sort of grayish humanoids with large black eyes and fangs. Huntress and Canary were ahead, the Huntress firing bolt after bolt while Canary, fought with her Kali sticks, afraid a sonic cry would harm friends as well as enemies. A loud explosion ahead caught all of their attention and two four legged hell hounds were knocked to the side by Superman's body. He slowly stood up and all were concerned that he was bleeding from his mouth.

"We have a problem." he told the group. The alien mutants heard a roar and ran past the heroes into a cell and closed the door, even the hell hounds.

"Thats not good." Alex muttered, wondering what could make those fearsome creatures hide. "I need to get to…"

"Everyone back off and retreat, use the middle exit. No one is stopping this thing. I'll hold it off and draw it down. Alex go up the middle and then back down. Your Dad's cell should be accessible from the other end of the hall." Superman instructed. As soon as he finished a large beast, nearly 8 foot tall and covered with a hard, rock like exterior walked around the curve. The most alarming features were the large Kryptonite spikes that covered its back and shoulders.

"I'll stay." Batman told Kal El.

"Your funeral." he replied and used his heat vision on the monster, hoping it would follow him down. Batman threw a small pack of plastique, that stuck the the monsters head. Detonating it, he expected to cause some damage. Instead the monster seemed annoyed.

"That Kryptonite is starting to bother me a bit. Forget what I said about your toys earlier. Got anything under your cape for dealing with this?" Kal El asked.

Bruce gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Running may be a good tactical move at the moment."

Superman struck the beast again with his heat vision, trying to keep him from charging. The closer the thing got to him, the weaker he became. It was obvious whatever alien this was, it was now simply a weapon designed to kill Kryptonians and anything else it came into contact with.

The middle passageway was clear, not being lined with cells. Nightwing led the group, running up the middle, Alex and Nyssa behind him, Thea, Canary and Huntress watching the back. Once they reached a level up and prepared to go back down and to the left, to Jeremiah's cell. Barry Allen nearly ran into Thea.

"Where is Kara?"

"With my brother, right hall. Supercousin and Bat dude need a hand. Some huge monster is blocking them from getting to Jeremiah. We are going up so we can take the path back down tot he left and circle whatever that thing is."

"I'll help Kara. Can you help…" J'onn started.

"Don't let her get hurt, J'onn." Barry told him.

"I'm fine." Kara's voice cut into the com.

"Kara you are taking some extremely powerful hits." Can you try dodging?" Cait asked, scanning Kara's vital signs from up top.

"You try dodging a giant monster in a small hallway. I have a plan. I'm about to throw Oliver at him. While big greeny eats little greeny I am going to make my getaway. Barry help Kal El. That hall way has to be clear!"

"Go." Barry whispered to the Martian who moved. Turning to Alex and Nyssa he asked for a situation report.

"There is some sort of monster Kal El and Batman are fighting. He has an impenetrable outer layer with Kryptonite projections coming from his body. He is scary enough that the other aliens locked themselves in a cell to avoid him.

"Of course they did. Caitlin, Cisco? Any ideas?"

"If he is alive that means he has internal organs Barry." Caitlin reminded him.

"Thea, I need a couple of your exploding arrows."

"They won't work, Barry!"

"I need the arrows quickly." he stressed. Thea not wanting to waste time but having no confidence in Barry's plan handed him two arrows.

"All of you get out. We have no idea what is going to happen, so move."

"I'm getting my father!" Alex shouted.

"Fine but wait until you hear the explosion before you come into the hall." he told the crew and zipped off.

Kara Zor El and Oliver Queen were still trying to fight the muscular creature trying to squeeze its way after them. Kara and the creature had exchanged numerous blows and the Kryptonian was beginning to feel she was not getting the best of those exchanges. Oliver had hit one of the monster's eyes with an exploding arrow, and while the creature was blinded on one side, he was not dead as the Arrow had hoped. Backing up, Queen slipped. The green alien tried to step on him, only to have Kara grab it's foot and lift it in the air enough to send it sprawling back.

"Oliver?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to have to kill this thing, aren't I?"

"I would do it if I could, believe me."

"Fine." Kara jumped over the creature before it rose, standing behind it. Once it stood, Oliver tossed a small arrow from his wrist at the creatures forehead, striking flesh but not penetrating the bone. It was all the distraction Kara needed to jump on its back and snap its neck in one motion. J'onn arrived at that moment, looking at the creature and then Kara who was bloodied but not seriously injured, as was Mr. Queen behind her.

All three were standing over the large beast when it's neck snapped back into place and it swung a long arm, sending Kara and Oliver sprawling down the hallway. Both hit their heads hard, Kara on the ground and Oliver on Kara's shoulder. J'onn wasted no time, phasing his hand into the creature from behind, feeling it's beating heart and squeezing, then with a pull, the organ was outside of its body and it dropped once again. Rushing over to the two fallen heroes, he was relieved to see both only momentarily dazed.

Oliver sat up, hands over his knees and laughed.

"Why didn't I think of reaching into its chest and pulling out its heart? Now I really am sorry I shot and stabbed you J'onn. Kara you okay?"

Kara lifted her head and shook it. Sitting up she stared off into the distance, frowning.

"Kara?" J'onn asked, looking into her eyes and wondering if it was possible for Kryptonians to have concussions. Suddenly her eyes lit up and her mouth opened wide.

"Oh Rao. Of course." she whispered.

"Kara, look at me. What's wrong? Is it your head?" J'onn asked.

"No… I think I just realized something about Alex… and Nyssa. It doesn't matter now, lets move."

While the three were finishing off their enemy, Kal El and Batman were slowly backing their way back to the bottom level, Superman feeling weaker as the monster drew near. Both barely saw the flash of light that darted under the rock creatures legs and slid to a stop in front of them.

"Run." Barry instructed. Kal El decided like with Kara he would trust the man again. Superman grabbed the Dark Knight and moved down the hallway, Barry right behind reaching the bottom level, before the control room door they stopped.

"Protect the control room and then get those two out of here. The hall will be clear in a second but there will still be Kryptonite. The middle is clear, so take the other hall and find Kara and Oliver. J'onn should be with them."

"What do you plan to do?" Bruce asked.

"I'm going to end this."

Barry, two arrows in hand, ran back towards the Kryptonite laden monster. Seeing it rushing down the hall rapidly, Barry felt the vibrations in the air, the electricity, the speed force, everything that connected him with the universe. He had never tried this before but felt he could do it, if timed just right. Caitlin was right. To destroy the organs underneath an impenetrable shell all you had to do was go underneath the shell.

The creature barely saw the flash of red as it streaked through it. It did feel the two shape objects that materialized inside its body. Two seconds after becoming solid once more, two seconds after Barry was gone, passing through the monster and leaving Thea Queen's arrows inside it, the weapons exploded, shredding every internal organ the creature had. The massive alien weapon hit the floor hard and did not move. Racing towards the cell, he found Alex and Nyssa had reached the cell her father was being kept. Alex threw open the door and saw him.

"Dad?"

Jeremiah Danvers, sitting on his bare cot wearing hospital scrubs, took in his daughter. He recognized her from the photos his captors had showed him over the years. At least of her head in a scope. He had lost weight, the muscular form she remembered gone and his hair was almost completely grey but his eyes were the same. Alex began shaking.

"Daddy? It's me. It's…"

"Alex." Jeremiah finished, then jumped from his cot, wrapping his arms around his girl, making sure she was real, that she wasn't a dream he often had. Then reality hit him.

"We have to go! The experiments…"

"Two are dead." Barry told the four women, Nyssa, Canary and Huntress standing behind Alex. Nigthwing ran up as well. Kal El and Bruce Wayne reached the cell.

"Clark? Where is… no, please don't tell me they killed Kara. They swore they wouldn't touch my girls…"

"I'm right here." Kara told him, walking through the crowd. She smiled at Jeremiah and then looked down. She wouldn't admit it but Kara didn't feel she had the right to hug the man. She was the reason he had been here, the reason he had lost over a decade of his life. Jeremiah didn't seem to agree, launching himself into Kara's arms, dragging Alex with him. The three cried together, all of them breaking down, Alex and Jeremiah crying tears of joy along with Kara who while joyful still felt a massive amount of guilt.

"Oh my God, we have to get out of here. Clark there is a monster here with Kryptonite under its skin. The creature is indestructible. I helped genetically engineer it. I had to or they…"

"Its okay, Jeremiah. You did what you had to do."

"Yeah and that thing is dead." Barry added. Jeremiah took in the man in the red suit and the other strangers around. Then he saw J'onn and smiled. The man had kept his promise. After all these years he was still protecting his daughters.

"We have to blow this place. There is a self destruct code that can be entered in the main console but the problem is, once it charges it will blow and it only takes about five seconds to charge. Whoever is at the bottom would be caught. Maybe we could bury the base from the top?"

"What is the code?" Barry asked.

"I got it." Felicity answered over the com.

"Kara, can you come with me? You need to get Felicity and Dig out of here. When everyone is clear let me know and I am blowing this place."

"Barry…" Oliver started.

"Go. Five seconds is an eternity for me."

"There are still experiments roaming around." Oliver reminded him.

"Exactly so don't let them get out. Head to the surface and turn back everything you see. Now go!"

Barry left, Kara right behind him. The two arrived in front of the control room, just as Dig shot one of the grey humanoids with fangs.

"Barry take them out. I can handle this." Kara told him.

"I can't carry Dig and Felicity. You know I got this Kara. Trust me okay? Get them out of here. Felicity what is the code?"

"I… I have it set up. All you have to do is press enter. But Barry…"

"Go Kara!"

"Damn it!" she screamed in frustration at him. How many bombs would he try his luck on?

"Go!"

With tears still in her eyes from Jeremiah, the joy and the guilt mixed, fear was added to her emotional distress. She had to trust him.

She had to trust him.

Kara kissed Barry. "If you don't make it out I will kill you. I love you. Run fast."

"Thats what I do babe." Barry told her, hoping the pet name that annoyed her the most would lighten her mood. It didn't work. With one last look, Kara grabbed Felicity and Dig and ran, reaching the others in seconds. J'onn and Kal El were crushing alien hybrids in front of them while the rest followed, with Jeremiah in the middle, Alex still in his arms.

Once the group had entered the foyer of the house, Barry was alerted. He gave them ten seconds to clear the house, took a deep breath and pressed enter. Moving as fast as possible he counted down in his head. He was nearly to the top at two seconds when a body on the floor caused him to trip, hitting the ground and back up running. At one the blast deafened him, he made it to the long hall as the flames rose up, out the basement when the ground shook and flames licked his feet.

As he made it ten feet from the house, the pressure wave knocked him down. Preparing to feel the flames, he felt the weight of two bodies landing on him.

Five seconds after the shockwave and wall of fire had passed, Barry rolled over, the area around him charred but he was unharmed, covered by two red capes and the bodies of Kal El and Kara Zor El. Kara was grinning on top of him.

"Five seconds is an eternity huh?"

Barry grinned at the blonde whose hair was completely darkened by dirt and ash. he kissed her gently, trying not to wince at the sore bones he had from being covered by two very strong aliens.

" I tripped on the way out." he tried.

Kara shook her head.

"Always an excuse for being late." she told him, shaking her head and kissing her love.

"I hate to break up the moment, but now might be a great time to leave. Maybe the two of you could continue this at Wayne Manor?" Kal El suggested. Barry silently agreed and Kara stood helping him up.

"I think thats a great idea." she told her cousin. "We need to get Jeremiah to Eliza. Then we are getting them the hell off this Earth."


	23. Chapter 23

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Okay so we are almost done with Earth 1. Everything I wanted to get into this chapter would have taken 20K words so I put a lot of it in the next chapter. After these next two chapters we will be on Earth 1 for a while. To give you a hint of what is to come, Barry and Kara's ever growing relationship of course, the future of S.T.A.R. labs, Alex and Joe working a serial murderer case connected with the bomber Alex killed, Alex's new suit! Alex and Kara talking out a lot of their issues, Caitlin's romantic life (yeah she is going to have one) Alex and Nyssa, Eliza and Jeremiah and the two girls, and one new baddie I am proud to say has never been on the CW shows but I think would be great. Plus Team Arrow is going to the background for a while but Curtis Holt, who I really enjoy watching, that actor knocks it out of the park, is coming into the game. As always thank you for the support. I never thought this story would be so long when it started but now that I see the path I can't wait to get there and reviews make me want to write faster, because you all keep me excited every time I read one. Its going to be a long ride and won't be all action but enough I hope to keep you action junkies like me reading along. This is at heart a love story between an adorable hot blonde alien and a slightly nerdy in a cool way, cute metahuman speedster. As always thanks for all the reviews. Here you go.

Chapter 23

Eliza Danvers had experienced much joy and pain in life. The joy in her life was easier to think of and what she held onto in her darkest nights.

Her wedding day.

The day Alex was born. Her first step. Her first word. Her first tooth, her first day at school. Her first report card, she was so proud of her little genius. Alex's graduation from High School, her scholarships, her college graduation.

The day Clark Kent brought an orphan girl from another planet to her and Jeremiah. She loved Kara the first time she saw her, as did Jeremiah. She watched Alex grow from hating her new sister to loving her beyond all reason. She remembered the first sentence Kara said in English. Eliza, I am hungry and want pie. Such a simple statement but so her. She remembered the first time she had seen Kara smile. She was sitting on the roof outside her and Alex's bedroom watching blue birds in the tree. Eliza had crawled out the window and held her while she giggled at the antics of the creatures so many humans took for granted.

She remembered teaching Alex how to cook and failing miserably, more flour winding up on the two than actually on the food, while Kara laughed from the kitchen counter. Jeremiah being a father to Alex, loving her so much and then the way he took to Kara. He called her his daughter whenever he talked to Eliza about her. He never really got to say it to Kara. By the time he felt she would be comfortable hearing it he was gone.

Kara's graduation from high school, the super powered, beautiful alien looking at her through glasses Jeremiah had given her with such gratitude and love. She didn't even need the glasses anymore but she wore them because he gave them to her. The year Alex was gone to college, before Kara herself left for college, the two of them had grown even closer, only having each other to cling to.

Eliza also had experienced so much pain in her life. The day she found out Jeremiah was dead was the most obvious but there had been others. Towards the end of high school Alex had grown more distant from everyone but Kara and wouldn't even tell Kara her deepest thoughts. She watched Alex struggle with herself, who she was, trying to find herself, stuck in such a small town like Midvale hadn't been easy. She knew about Alex's struggles in college, not with grades, her grades were always perfect, a testament to her brilliant mind. Eliza had friends who lived near Alex's college and told her of Alex's alcohol abuse. She tried several times to talk to Alex, only to be shut down. Even then Alex had not coped well without Kara it seemed. She had so much anger from her father's death but Kara was her light, the light that balanced her darkness. Without Kara the darkness took her over.

Things seemed to be better after college, especially after Kara moved to National City so Eliza relaxed, but those years of feeling like a stranger to her own daughter hurt deeply. Yes she was hard on Alex, yes she put a lot of pressure on Alex to protect Kara even though it wasn't her responsibility. Eliza made mistakes, made Alex feel less than she was. She hadn't meant to but knew now she had. The idea of Hank Henshaw coming back to take Kara now that Jeremiah was dead haunted her and only Alex was strong enough to run with Kara if she had too. She should have told Alex the truth about Hank Henshaw long before college but was not sure how Alex would respond. She knew Kara would be devastated if she found out that Henshaw had always been after her and Jeremiah joined the DEO to keep her safe.

She felt deep sadness, watching her Kara, her sunshine, go through High School, never having any friends besides her sister. Kara's senior year she was alone. She never told Eliza it bothered her but she knew. A mother knows her daughters and she knew Kara. Her daughter was forced to hide, forced to try to fit into a world both Kara and Alex were too good for. She cried the day Kara moved off to college, leaving her alone.

Eliza also felt great fear. She felt fear when she realized Kara had used her powers in front of the world and then to find out Alex had been on that plane. She panicked the first time Kara had been shown on TV, wearing her family's coat of arms. She should have felt pride but all she could remember was Kal El's warning, his warning about who Kara's mother was, the Fort Roz escapees, some of whom he had already had battles with, out to kill him because of his connection to his father, to Alura and the House of El in general.

She watched Kara fight Astra on TV. She watched her fight Reactron on TV. While she was proud of her daughter, she watched the National City news with dread in her heart each day, afraid that Cat Grant would report that Fort Roz escapees had ganged up on Kara and killed her. She felt a pain that Alex would never be able to understand when she found out Alex was working for the DEO and Hank Henshaw of all people.

She felt Alex's pain, one night when she had called Eliza, drunk, crying, telling her that she had killed Astra and lied to Kara about it. She also had explained what had happened to Kara, what that damn Non had done to her, Alex going into Kara's mind after her, both daughters nearly being taken from her. Kara waking up and feeling as if she had just lost her entire world all over. She watched her mind controlled daughter nearly kill Kara who was doing her best not to hurt Alex, instead getting wounded in the process.

She felt like she would die inside, knowing what Kara had planned to do, listening to her say goodbye to Alex, Her words for Jeremiah, for both of them, prepared to die for the world, floating in space for all eternity, always being lost in the cold and dark and then the mixture of dread and hope when Alex opened a section of the DEO's roof, ran to a space ship she had only studied but never flown before and rocketed off to save Kara, wondering if she had lost both daughters. Of course Alex brought her back. Alex never failed. Kara would never know how near a thing it was and Alex refused to let anyone tell her. Kara had not been breathing when Alex found her. Alex held her breath while opening the cockpit to drag Kara's limp body in and closing the cramped cockpit behind them where Kara began breathing again thankfully. Alex nearly crashed when she landed in the desert and watched as the DEO agents rushed Kara inside, placed her under sunlamps and hoped for the best like always.

Then a day that rivaled Jeremiah's death. Alex calling, so frantic and sobbing, Eliza was unable to make out her words for the first five minutes but she knew. Only one thing could make Alex react this way. J'onn took the phone while Alex wailed in the background, and explained to her what had happened. Kara was shot, betrayed by her own people, most likely dead and definitely gone to another universe. Her, Clark, Alex, no one ever knowing if she lived or not but understanding she would most likely never see her daughter again. She watched Alex find refuge once again in alcohol, anger, unbridled anger with nowhere and no one to direct it towards. Alex had stalked the corridors of the Fortress of Solitude trying to figure out a way back to the US since Kal refused to take her. Kal even had to take the power core out of his own pod for fear Alex would take it. Alex wanted to hurt someone. Alex unreasonably wanted to kill Lucy Lane simply because she had loved the bastard she called a father. She would drink herself in a stupor and talk in detail of the slow manner of death she had picked out for Lois's sister in front of them all, Lois included. She wanted to target DEO agents, any she could find and she knew where many of them lived. She wanted to assassinate the President of the United States, look the woman in the eyes while she pulled the trigger. Alex was not just venting her anger and grief. Eliza and everyone there, Kal El, J'onn, Lois, they all knew she was serious. She wanted to kill everyone who may have had a hand in Kara's death or were guilty by association. She screamed at Kal El for an hour for not letting her be there when he killed Lane. She told him he abandoned Kara and had no right to kill Lane. Lane was her kill. The only thing that consumed her thoughts as much as murder was finding a way to Kara. Any mention of the idea that Kara may have been and was most likely dead set her off violently, J'onn had to physically restrain her often to keep her from harming herself and the technology that surrounded her while she lashed out at everything, ice walls, computers, databanks, crystals. Without Kara the darkness in Alex came to the surface unbridled.

A mother knows her daughter. She also was very familiar with the anatomy of humans and similarly Kryptonians. From Kal's description of Kara's state when Barry Allen took her it was doubtful, nearly impossible that she had survived.

Every pain she had experienced in her life felt like a knife in her gut that kept twisting and would never come out.

At this moment she was feeling a multitude of emotions at once. The caravan of SUVs had pulled into the large … cave… there was no other word for it, and the allies they had all picked up somehow, from two universes no less, began exiting the vehicles. The frightening man in the black costume that appeared as if he was straight out of a nightmare, pulled his mask back. His handsome face looked exhausted and judging by his outfit, he had been in one hell of a fight. The sturdy body armor that the suit was composed of had several deep gashes. The young man he partnered with and the two females exited next, looking beat, the one named Dick Grayson was limping. The SUV with the girl in the red hood, Thea, the large man in the helmet named John, the short man named Cisco and the computer genius, Felicity, dressed in black, stepped out, the intimidating man in the green hood exiting last from the driver's seat. He pulled his hood back and she saw his eyes, no mask, face covered in black paint for this mission, and she felt a bit of relief because he was smiling. They all were. This had to be good right? She knew this Oliver Queen cared for her daughter, he watched Kara as if she would be attacked at anytime and was ready to take a bullet for her. If he was smiling they had to be okay, right?

The third SUV had the assassin her daughter was obviously in love with in, Caitlin, Kara's friend who had saved her life, and Barry driving. He had a huge grin on his face, though he was limping and winced when his feet had first hit the ground. His suit was covered in ash. He still gave her a thumbs up and stood still with his friends by the SUV.

J'onn exited the last SUV. He had been driving, followed by Kal El in the passenger back doors opened up and Alex exited. Her face had blood on it, her lip obviously busted and she would most likely have a black eye. Her black clothes were disheveled and her right sleeve was torn, and she was crying. Still she smiled. It can't be. Would she dare to hope?

Alex turned and helped the next passenger out, who was quickly followed by a bloodied Kara holding the man's arm.

He was no longer the strapping man she remembered in her dreams. His skin was pale, no doubt from years spent inside and most likely underground. He was too thin. His hair was grey and he had wrinkles around his eyes where none had been before. But the moment he met her eyes she knew.

Her Jeremiah was back. Despite the odds and the dark times and pain, nights she felt a dark pit of despair and depression, somehow, someway in a cave under a billionaire vigilante's mansion, her family was here. All three of them, standing in front of her.

Eliza was frozen in place, wondering if this had all been some elaborate dream. Had Kara really lived? Had Alex really found her and brought her back to her mother? Had Jeremiah somehow survived his wounds and years in captivity? It was too good to be true. No, it had to be a dream. A dream she would wake up from and fall deeper into despair.

"Eliza?"

There it was. She had every feature of Jeremiah memorized and stared at his picture for hours at a time when alone. But the one thing she had a hard time remembering was the exact tone of his voice when he said her name.

Now it came rushing back and she knew this was real.

"Jeremiah."

Eliza ran towards him, Jeremiah towards her, her daughters walking slowly behind to give the two a moment. Wrapped in each others arms they both sank to the floor, Eliza unable to stop the deep wails coming from her body. The two grabbed onto each other, as if they let go the other would disappear for eternity.

Alex was crying openly while Kara watched with tears streaming down her face but unable to move. The sight of the two of them together was one Kara had dreamed about for Eliza since Jeremiah died. She thought back to the conversation with Kal El after Jeremiah's funeral, the empty coffin buried, and begged him to tell her how to raise the dead. It wasn't fair. She could fly, she could see through walls, she could lift cars, why couldn't she bring the dead back to life? Kara was so convinced there had to be a way, she refused to have any contact with Kal El for six months, believing that he was hiding the truth from her. Alex didn't know what Kara knew. Jeremiah died because of her. Of course he hadn't but he may as well have. He lived in Hell while his wife and daughter gave her the best life. Perhaps that was why she forgave Alex so easily for killing Astra, and hadn't forgive J'onn when she thought he had done it. Maybe that was why she could never stay mad at Alex no matter what, even after she had lied about working for the DEO. Kara had carried this burden with her all the years she spent on Earth. She ripped a family that had taken her in apart. Her and Kal both had.

Eliza finally stood, Jeremiah pulling her up. She motioned for her daughter to join them. Alex ran, wrapping her arms around the two. Kara walked up slowly, Eliza and Jeremiah pulling her in and Kara allowing it, feeling she had no right, but she would refuse them nothing.

All around, the gathered heroes did not say a word. Helena Bertinelli had committed some atrocious acts in her life in the name of what she felt was justice. Oliver and Thea Queen had also done things they thought were right but horrible all the same. Nightwing still had memories of slicing Slade Wilson's throat and kicking him off a building. Batman had nightmares about finding Barbara in a pool of her own blood in her apartment. He still dreamed of breaking the Joker's neck and throwing him off the balcony of that chemical factory into the vat of acid below, watching his twisted body melt to nothing. Nyssa had more blood on her hands than everyone here combined could ever hope to amount to.

None of them thought of the past tonight. Tonight they all felt like heroes and it felt good. This was the way they were supposed to feel. They had walked into an underground house of horrors and pulled off a miracle and it made every bit of pain worth it. Each one of them knew, this was why they fought, sacrificed, trained obsessively, risked their lives every night, it was for moments like this. One moment to make a difference, to right a wrong, to save a family, to save a life.

Only Barry Allen and Caitlin were concerned, watching Kara. Both could read her like a book and both knew something was off. She had been in such a great mood but something had changed on the ride back. Barry recognized that look on her face. It was one he knew well, especially after Ronnie had died. A look he wore every time he looked at Caitlin until the woman had enough and demanded he stop.

He saw guilt all over her face. Glancing at Kal, he saw happiness but also a tinge of guilt. The fearsome green Martian wiped a tear from his eye.

Kal El wasn't his concern, Kara was. This should be one of the happiest moments of her life and she was unable to enjoy it fully.

Kara hesitantly stepped back but kept her eyes on her family. Barry noticed everyone else had begun a trek to the elevator leading up to the mansion. Caitlin motioned with her head that they should follow so Barry did, not wanting to leave Kara but not wanting to intrude on this moment. He caught Nyssa's eyes and was surprised to see the woman smiling through tears. Nyssa was always an enigma to Barry. Capable of being aloof and cold at times but also kind hearted and passionate, even funny when she wanted to be. She looked at Alex the same way he knew he looked at Kara, as if the entire world revolved around her. Looking around at the gathered heroes, he supposed the Danvers sisters had that effect on just about everyone they met.

Going upstairs he was glad to see the group of heroes were in a more jovial mood. Where there had been respectful but happy silence downstairs, in the mansion the atmosphere was joyous, those who could enjoy alcohol drinking and those like him, J'onn and Kal enjoying watching the others drink. Felicity was even laughing with Helena of all people.

"So how did you do it? I heard you say you were going to finish it and then boom and you said you killed it, whatever it was, but it sounded horrifying, so tell me how did you do it?" Cisco asked quickly, a fresh drink in his hand.

"I uh… I took two of Thea's exploding arrows and phased with them through its body. Only I left the arrows inside his body and … boom?"

Cisco's eyes were wide.

"How in the hell? We've never practiced that! The timing, stopping the vibrations on the arrows alone and not leaying your hand inside it, Bar, that's nuts man! I can't believe you pulled it off, first shot! Of course thats the kind of thing you only get one shot at. You took a big risk and thats coming from me."

"It was kind of a desperate times call for desperate measures situation. Didn't have much choice. No one, not even Superman could get passed its outer skin. It had Kryptonite on it, growing from its shell. If it got past him it was going for Kara and I couldn't let that happen."

"Hey, cheers man. You went big time. Not everyday I would imagine on this Earth that someone can say they saved Superman. I'm going to go hit up Bertinelli. I think she has a thing for me. Lata bro."

"Of course he is going to flirt with the Huntress. He isn't attracted to a woman unless she is a criminal, used to be a criminal or sprouts wings." Barry mumbled to himself.

"You want to check on Kara when she comes up or me?" Caitlin asked, a drink in her hand that she had barely touched.

"I guess I'll give it first shot. Maybe by the time she comes up she will be in a better mood."

"She feels guilty doesn't she? She blames herself for Jeremiah's captivity?"

'Thats my guess." Barry admitted.

"Talk to her. If you can't make any progress I'll handle it. Thats Kara, she saves a hundred people and obsesses over the one she couldn't save."

Barry saw Oliver catch his eye and wandered into the hallway behind him.

"Thank you Barry."

"Uh, Oliver, you just followed me to another universe, did everything in your power to make sure no one took a shot at Kara, fought against a really big alien by her side while raiding a secret government lab. I think I should be thanking you."

"No you really shouldn't. Barry, when I met you the first time I hated you. Do you know why?"

"Because Felicity was into me?" Barry guessed, enjoying rubbing that in his face as much as possble. Oliver nodded.

"That was one reason, but another was because of how you saw me. Even from the start, before you knew me, you thought of the Hood as a hero. Most people saw him as a necessary evil, or a criminal. You? I hated the way you saw me because you made me see something I didn't want to see. You and Felicity convinced me to be more, to be an inspiration instead of a killer. You believed in me before I believed in myself and you didn't even know me. You reminded me of my humanity that I thought was lost forever. You made me a mask as a gift after I had been horrible to you, after I yelled at you for saving my life. I haven't always felt great about the things I have done but there are some things I am proud of. I am proud I stopped Slade and I am proud I stopped Darhk and I am proud I stopped Ra's. But the things we have done together? You've helped make me feel like a hero. I wouldn't have been there tonight if you didn't believe in me. So thank you. Tonight? This is something I will be proud to have been a part of as long as I live."

Oliver patted Barry on the shoulder and walked off, leaving him a bit stunned. Not knowing what to do with that, he walked back into the impromptu party and waited for Kara.

He didn't wait long. The elevator door opened and Kara walked out alone to a round of applause from those gathered. She looked to the ground and waved it off humbly, heading straight for the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?" Barry asked her.

"My hair is as dark as Alex's, I have dried blood on my face and I smell like smoke from saving my boyfriend from a massive explosion. I smell worse than smoke. I must have dug through ten different types of dirt and clay to get inside in the first place. I need a couple showers, I need to brush my teeth a few times and then I need clean clothes. You might want to change too." she told him, an eye on the red suit. Kara wiped her thumb under his lip where a bit of blood was dried.

"Where are you parents and Alex? Still downstairs?" he asked, knowing. They certainly didn't go out the big front entrance hidden behind a waterfall.

"Yeah, they needed some time. Alex doesn't smell like smoke. I was probably grossing them out so I figured I may as well take advantage and clean up before we leave. I think we are leaving first thing in the morning. I wanted to leave tonight so I could fly back under the plane but everyone is exhausted. I don't like being this close to that place but once we get to National City if they are looking for him they will look where Eliza was working. I'm sure by this point, whoever was behind this Cadmus offshoot knows who did it. Maybe not exactly but they can guess. I'll suffer a plane trip. Once we get there we are leaving quickly. At least they are. I can bring Alex's things and carry the crates and…"

"Kara why don't you calm down? Even if they guess a bunch of superheroes destroyed their prison, they don't know who Bruce is. We are safe here. This house is filled with people no one on Earth wants to mess with even if they did know. Take a shower and go back to Jeremiah."

Kara shook her head. "They are coming up soon."

"Kara what happened to him is not your fault. They needed him and would have figured out a way to take him eventually anyway, probably using Alex's life to make him do as he was told. People like this always find a way to get what they want until someone stands up and stops them. Thats what happened tonight and don't for one second think after we are gone that your cousin and Bruce Wayne are going to stop going after these people."

"I know." Kara gave Barry a quick kiss and headed upstairs. Barry nodded at Caitlin who followed.

"I'll handle it." Cait told Barry and moved up the stairway significantly slower than Kara.

Below, Jeremiah, Eliza and Alex sat in three chairs in a semicircle that Kara had been a part of until moments ago. She had hugged all three and moved off with her head down, catching all their attention.

"I uh, I guess she isn't wearing the glasses any longer?" Jeremiah guessed, noting her outfit and cape, proud of the warriors both his daughter had become.

"Yeah, we have a lot to catch you up on. But we have time Dad. First we need to get to National City and out of this universe."

Jeremiah looked at Alex, not quite understanding what she had said.

"I wish we could Alex. The organization that held me, they weren't just military. They were a private organization that worked in conjunction with the military. They are … they have money, power, they won't stop. I know too much Alex. We are all in danger, especially Kara. I have had to develop biological weapons to destroy Kryptonians since I was first brought there. They… they told me if I did as I was told, they wouldn't harm any of you and if I didn't, they would kill the three of you and let me go, to live…"

"Jeremiah, calm down." Eliza told him, seeing he was beginning to panic and break down. "Alex wasn't joking. We have a lot to explain to you but we truly are going to another earth. An alternate Earth similar to this one but different as well. Half the people who rescued you tonight are from that Earth. Kara has been living there since she was…"

"Since she was what?" he asked.

"She is fine as you can see. We will explain everything but first we have to get you out of here. Both of you Mom."

"No, I need to talk to Clark and J'onn first. It is important." Jeremiah stressed. "More importantly I need to talk to Kara alone. Can you both please take me to her?"

Eliza and Alex stood up, wrapping an arm around Jeremiah's waist and walking towards the elevator. The man could walk fine but neither wanted to let him go. Both women's thoughts were on Kara as well. She had been overjoyed of course like the both of them were but Alex and Eliza noticed her pulling back, taking a backseat to them in a way, separating herself. Neither knew for sure why but both suspected. Alex thought of her and J'onn's earlier plan to find Cadmus and rescue Jeremiah. If this was a small location taken down tonight the larger Project Cadmus would have been impossible for the two of them. Without Kara and her friends plus the new friends they had made on this Earth, none of this would have been possible. In a strange way, if Kara had never been shot, if all of them had never gone through the pain they went through, Jeremiah would not be with them now.

As the elevator opened, the false wall sliding to the side, everyone in the parlor stopped and looked at the newcomers.

Then applause broke out from the gathered heroes. Jeremiah smiled until his eyes met Lois, Clark and J'onn's. J'onn had not taken his normal form of Hank Henshaw and never would again around Jeremiah. Too many bad memories were associated with that face but surprisingly none in the mansion seemed to care about his true appearance. The Grayson kid even patted him on the back. Cisco kept trying to take selfie with J'onn but couldn't find a chair to stand on so J'onn finally held the man up by his belt from behind and Grayson took the picture.

Jeremiah motioned to the two men with his head to follow him into the next room and both men did. He sat at a large dining table and the other four did the same.

"Where is Kara?" he asked. Kal El listened for her.

"Taking a shower. I should probably take one myself soon."

"You both need to listen. This is important. Kal I have spent eleven years developing monsters whose sole purpose is killing you."

"You have spent eleven years protecting your family and my cousin. I put that burden on you…"

"Do not call Kara a burden!" Jeremiah snapped, all four of them stunned. He calmed down a bit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. My nerves aren't what they used to be. But never call her a burden. Never."

"I understand, Jeremiah. I only meant that I should not have put this on your family. I made you a target…"

"They were coming after me regardless. How stupid did you think we were? You think Eliza and I didn't know the risks of taking her in? Of course we did. We did it anyway because we wanted her and she was… is ours. Don't apologize for giving our family another member. But you need to know about what I was doing there. It is very important, because…"

"Jeremiah, all the projects you were working on are dead." J'onn told him. The man had seen the explosion and should know this.

"Not Project Doomsday. Project Doomsday has an exterior that is impossible to penetrate. It is also laden with Kryptonite…"

"And is dead. Barry Allen killed it." J'onn finished.

"How did he manage that?" Danvers asked, wanting to believe it.

"He can run fast enough to phase through solid objects. He phased through this monster and left two bombs inside, shredding it's internal organs." Kal explained, pride obvious in his voice. He was quickly taking Oliver's place as the Flash's biggest fan.

"Wow. Okay… but the group that held me, they know the research that was conducted, the experiments, they can replicate them. The only thing I know about them is they call themselves the Order. I have never seen one face to face, only Harper and Lane, but they were always in the background. There were other scientists at Cadmus but our work was kept separate. We didn't speak to each other. The plans are out there. There was also a creature there with amazing strength and regeneration abilities…"

"I ripped his heart out." J'onn told the man.

"Oh … still Clark you have to be careful. If they ever perfect the Doomsday experiment, its whole purpose is to kill aliens, especially Kryptonians but it will never have the brain power to tell the difference between humans and aliens. It will be an unstoppable killing machine that the Order thinks it can control but it won't be able to. If it is perfected I'm not even sure how it could be killed."

Clark and J'onn took a deep breath. "Felicity hacked into the system before she left and downloaded everything on Cadmus's servers. We have all the experimental information. We will go through it and find a weakness should we ever see it again. We will stop whoever is behind this but right now? Right now we need to get you and your family somewhere safe." Clark told him.

"And where do you think that would be? Another Earth? What is that all about?"

J'onn reached his finger towards Jeremiah, who touched the tip of it with his. Memories and knowledge flowed into Jeremiah's mind, only the information on alternate universes and the attempt to get to Kara.

Jeremiah jerked back. "Why the hell was Kara in another universe? What are you keeping from me J'onn?"

"Nothing you need to worry about right now Dad. Do you understand? The multiverse?" Alex asked.

"Not even close but if it is safe for you three I will go there. Lane won't stop…"

"Lane is dead. I killed him." Kal El told him calmly. Jeremiah actually grinned a bit.

"Thank you. I really need to get to Kara and then someone is going to explain to me what has been happening."

Upstairs Kara stepped out of the bathroom, a large cotton robe over her and her hair wrapped in a towel, to find Caitlin sitting on the end of the bed.

"Hey. Ready to head home? I know I am. I feel like I'm going to have a nervous breakdown every moment I am here, you know?" Kara tried.

"Sit." Caitlin told her, patting the space next to her on the bed. Kara did as instructed, taking Cait's hand.

"I've told you about what happened with Ronnie. You know he died saving the Earth with Barry. If Barry hadn't had the presence of mind to catch Dr. Stein, he would have died too."

"I know."

"Barry wouldn't work with any of us for nearly a year after that happened. He blamed himself. Eobard Thawne caused all this but Barry was convinced if he had saved his mother, never opened the timeline to begin with, defeated Thawne sooner, everything, anything, would have been different. He thinks he could have stopped the second singularity from opening.

He blamed himself for Eddie dying, even though that was a choice Eddie made. He blamed himself for Ronnie's death, even though Ronnie died saving the world from Thawne's actions. He wouldn't look at me Kara, not in the eyes. He would hardly talk to Iris because of Eddie. He spent a year working alone, refusing help from anyone, building back Central City on his own at night. He wasn't living. I think we helped him come to realize it wasn't his fault. The two of you are so alike. It wasn't your fault that Jeremiah got taken, anymore than it was J'onn's fault that Jeremiah nearly died saving him. All of that, everything that happened was Hank Henshaw's fault."

Kara looked surprised at Cait, who nodded. "Alex told me everything. I know what happened Kara. I know it wasn't your fault. You were a child, an orphan who was lost and people were out to get you from the moment you stepped onto this planet. We aren't always in control of the circumstances around us, we can only make the best of them, make them better."

"I know." Kara told her.

"No you don't. But you should. You are smart and logical and you know in your head I am right but you are also led by your emotions. Your emotions rule over you Kara, you wear your heart the same way you wear that symbol on your chest. The whole world can see both. That man loves you. He doesn't blame you, so why are you blaming yourself? Are you going to keep yourself from him after everything he has gone through to keep you safe? I was listening on the com. He was terrified for you and Alex. He saw Clark and thought you were dead and the devastation in his voice Kara…"

"I know!" Kara snapped, standing up, then dressing in seconds in the second set of clothes she had arrived in, faded jeans and brown leather boots with a Green Arrow T shirt, that Barry still refused to talk about.

"You don't! You should be by his side right now!"

"I stunk! I will be right there!"

"Then why are you still here?"

"You are talking to me! We are having a conversation! Its rude to walk out when you are conversing with someone!"

"Conversation over! Now go!"

"Uh, ladies?" a voice from the door softly asked. Both Caitlin and Kara turned to find Jeremiah standing in the doorway watching the discussion the two had been having.

"Hello Dr. Danvers. I'm Caitlin Snow, your daughter's best friend whether she likes it or not. We were just having a friendly discussion. I'll leave you two alone." Caitlin glared back at Kara who wouldn't meet her eyes and walked out.

"Hey, are you okay? Can I get you anything? You must be starving. I'm sure they didn't feed you well… in that place." Kara stopped.

"We need to talk."

Kara tried to laugh, but failed, managing only a small smile. "The last time you said that to me, I was given a pair of glasses. I wore them for a long time, until a year ago. I probably should have worn them from the start. Maybe you wouldn't … there I was, chasing birds and ripping doors off of cars and flying around like I was Peter Pan or something. It was only a matter of time before I was noticed. You paid the price for me."

"Kara shut up and sit."

Kara was so surprised she did as told, Jeremiah walking slowly over and sitting next to her, placing his finger under her chin while she allowed him to turn her head towards him.

"I'm so sorry." she managed before tears overtook her again. Jeremiah let her, wrapping his arms around her until she stopped after a few minutes.

"Kara, they, Hank Henshaw, the Government, they knew about you the moment your pod landed."

"What?"

"Kal didn't know. He was already feared by the Government. If there had been two of you living together, him training you to fight by his side, not only would you have been a target for the Government but also the Fort Roz escapees. Your pod may have pulled Fort Roz out of the Phantom Zone but that prison beat you here by four months and already Superman was dealing with escapees who recognized the symbol of the House of El he displayed on his chest. After a couple months a few had learned that he was too much for them to handle. He had already gone through Zod and his minions long before that and there was no way any of them could have won a war against him. All they would have done was strengthen our reliance on him. You however, they could have found you easily. A little girl seen with Superman? A new girl living with Clark Kent? He would have been discovered. His disguise was thin enough as is. The government may have known about you when you landed but the convicts didn't."

"So why? If I was such a danger, why did you take me in?"

"When Clark brought you to our house, Eliza and I saw you and … that was it. We loved you from the moment we saw you. You had lost everything and looked so lost and frightened, but it wasn't that. It was destiny Kara. I swore I would do anything to protect you, no matter what that meant. I made that decision. But the night I agreed to join the DEO? That wasn't the first time Hank Henshaw had contacted me. I used the threat of Superman killing him to keep him at bay as long as possible but he told me that he would plant stories in the media about a new Krytponian race, brought by Superman, planning to take over the planet. A small girl with incredible powers who lacked the maturity to control them. The night he and the other agents came over, the same night you and Alex went flying? Kara you hadn't flown high enough nor were you big enough to be seen on radar. Hank Henshaw had another plan. He was on his way to our home that night because he not only planned to leak your existence to the press but also to let Fort Roz escapees, particularly a man named Non, know exactly who and where you were. He would let an alien prisoner know and then allow that prisoner to only would the press be out to get you but so would Kryptonians and other aliens who hated your mother. He was going to take you for your own protection after placing you in danger. He was evil Kara."

"Why didn't you let him take me? Alex, Eliza, they are your…"

"You are my daughter as well. I realize we don't have the history, we didn't have the time you and Eliza have had but you are my daughter and there is no length I wouldn't go to protect you. He would have taken you to Cadmus, studied you, experimented on you. I would have called Clark who would have gone to war for you and with the other aliens on the loose, anarchy would have broken out and no one would have been safe but you can bet they would have killed you. I made the decision to protect you all. I made the decision to save J'onn. That is on me, no one else. I thought I was dead and probably should have been, and I was at peace with that. When I was woken in that damn place, I made the decision to do what I was told because I wanted to protect my family, including you. None of this was your fault. You didn't ask to be sent off alone to a strange world, you didn't ask to be hunted the second you arrived, made a target before Clark even pulled you out of that pod. Haven't you ever wondered how the DEO even had your pod? They had it the moment Clark flew off with you. If he had been a few moments slower they would have taken you then."

"I… didn't know…"

"If I could go back and do it over, I would do it all again. You are amazing. I am not sure what you have been through but I can tell you and Alex have grown up to be heroes. I would do it all again Kara. I will never regret you being my daughter, but you have to understand, none of this was your fault. It was Hank Henshaw's fault and every bigoted alien hating politician and power broker in the world's fault. Not yours. If you blame yourself it will kill me. You can't do that to us Kara. We need you and you need us. We are stronger together and now we are. You and Alex are going to keep us together. Right?"

Kara nodded her head, but kept her eyes on the floor.

"Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"Look at me. In my eyes."

Kara slowly looked at the man, so different from the eon she remembered but so much the same.

"In twelve years I have only loved you more every day. You are my daughter and I need you, we all need you, to understand this was not your fault. Alex never blamed you, Eliza never blamed you and I didn't and never well blame you. Stop blaming yourself. We need you, okay?"

Kara threw her arms around Jeremiah.

"I love you." she sobbed.

"I love you too baby. I will always love you."

Jeremiah gave her a few moments and then stood them both up.

"Come downstairs. Be with your family. Introduce me to this boyfriend of yours that can apparently run fast enough to phase through solid objects and almost outrun explosions. I never got to have an I'll kill you if you hurt my daughter talk with anyone before."

Kara snorted.

"If it wasn't for Barry I would be dead. He saved my life. He and Caitlin and Cisco. If not for them…"

"I'm not going to like hearing what happened am I?"

Kara shook her head. "No you aren't. A lot of things have happened you won't like but just remember, we are here, we are alive and we are still fighting because of what you gave up for us."

The two walked downstairs, Kara catching Barry's eye and grinning, Jeremiah's arm wrapped around her. Bruce Wayne eventually made his way over and spoke to the doctor, merely introducing himself and Alfred showed the family upstairs to retire for the night. At 6 AM, all of them would be on a plane back to National City. They would arrive by noon, say their goodbyes and be back home. Kara was still anxious, her gut churning at the thought of some military force attacking Wayne Manor or some army of monsters breaking through the walls, but Barry wrapped his arms around her and she relaxed. With any luck she wouldn't dream tonight. In another room of the house, Alex watched her parents fall asleep in each others arms for the first time in twelve years. One they were both out, she wiped her eyes and walked down the hall. The door was unlocked as she knew it would be.

Stepping quietly inside, she was caught by the site of Nyssa, standing in only a sheer black robe.

"Parent's okay?"

"The best they have been in years." Alex admitted.

"And Kara?"

"Will be okay."

"And you?" Nyssa asked.

"I need you." Alex admitted.

Nyssa smirked a bit. "I would have thought after the events of tonight that you would be a bit exhausted. I believe we have an early flight to catch? Are you sure you are ready for your nightly stress relief?"

"Thats not what I need you for. The next couple days are going to be rough. Talking to Dad about what he has gone through, what he wants to talk about anyway, getting him and Mom acclimated to a world I'm not exactly used to myself yet. Kara and I … I love her so much and there are things we have between us, things we have both said and done, that we need to clear up. There are things I should have told her. I love her beyond reason and yet she is the first one I always want to keep things from. I use her own protection as an excuse and it is weak. I want us to be completely honest with each other so we are going to have to talk, forgive some things, accept some things and move past it. She's my baby sister and I lie to her a lot. Maybe not lie but keep things from her. I always have. I didn't let her know how badly I was doing in college without her. I didn't let her know about the problems I tried to drink away, or the insecurities I had about my place in my mother's affections. I should have talked to her about these things. I should have told her about you. She should have told me how she really felt about me killing Astra instead of believing that I hated her deep down. I … we both need to stop worrying about hurting the other and be honest if we want to have the best relationship and that won't be easy."

"I see." Nyssa told her, hoping the two sisters could actually have this conversation. It was long overdue.

"Yeah, so the next few days are going to be rough, but tonight I need you. I don't need you for sex, I just need you to hold me. I just have to be around you. I have always relied on myself. I never needed anyone but Kara to make me feel better, or at least not so alone. But now? Since you came walking into my life? I need you. "

Nyssa slowly walked over to Alex and kissed her gently.

"Then prepare for bed. Please take a shower and I will be waiting to hold you as long as you want, all night if you wish."

"Thank you."

Alex did take a shower, not bothering to wear anything more than a towel due to exhaustion and lay in the insanely soft bed, with Nyssa holding her from behind. Before she drifted off she thought she heard Nyssa say I love you, but before she could be sure, she fell asleep.

 **National City 7:00 AM**

Maxwell Lord was not a happy man. Dr. Danvers had taken off along with Kara and everyone from the alternate universe they were trying to get to. He had been effectively banned from the building by superheroes and madmen in hoods and Cat Grant's lawyers had made it clear to him that any attempt to remove any research from the hangar would be considered theft. She had police officers waiting outside watching him the night before! The men and women he had recruited for his task force had quit with the exception of Lane and Vasquez. The scientists were still present at least but no one had a clue what to do and Max had no idea where Alex and her new friends had gone. Winn refused to say anything, instead locking servers, preventing Max from downloading any research data and Lane refused to talk.

"Attention! I want all the researchers in the conference room, now. We are going forward whether Dr. Danvers is here or not."

"Actually Max, you aren't in charge. Cat Grant pays us, not you." Winn reminded him. Before Max could threaten the computer nerd the hangar doors opened. Two limos rolled inside, Max had not been expecting. He recognized one as Cat Grant's. The other was a mystery. Cat's driver opened the door for her and Max immediately was on guard due to the evil smile on her face.

The second limo opened to reveal a tall, thin, older black man, with a grey goatee wearing a very casual, inexpensive suit. His smile was warmer, though not setting Max at ease in the least.

"Good morning Max. How are you this lovely day?"

"Good morning Cat. Letting just anyone in now?"

"Well since technically this is my company and my applied sciences division and I only allow you to let your pretend soldiers… oh my, where have they gone… regardless I am certain I can let anyone in that I wish."

"Lets not pretend this is your division. Without me you would have nothing."

"You are correct Max. Your friendly advice, given without a contract in place, has been helpful and in five to ten years I think you would have been successful. Maybe. Regardless, I have decided that applied sciences is not my area of expertise and CatCo should focus on what it does best. So I have sold this little venture. ?"

The older gentleman stepped up to Cat's side.

"Mr. Fox this is Maxwell Lord. We have been allowing him to use our airfield as a training ground for his planetary guard. All fifty of them… well more like one, two, three, no he's with us…two of them now."

"A pleasure Mr. Lord. Lucius Fox. Forgive me if I don't shake." he said politely. Lucius was not about to shake the hand of a man who had done the things Max Lord had done, specifically to comatose young girls.

"Whats going on Cat?" Max asked, no longer playing it cool.

"I have sold CatCo's applied science division including all the research that has been conducted and the two Kryptonian space ships that I acquired salvage rights for, to Wayne Enterprises. For quite the profit I might add. I am about to speak with the researchers and Lucius is willing to let them continue their work through Wayne Enterprises of course. An armed security guard regiment and moving company will be here this afternoon to pack this place up. Since I am no longer owner of this property I am going to have to insist you leave on Mr. Fox's wishes."

"Cat…"

"Now."

Max smiled at the woman. "A lovely idea Cat. Perhaps I may go visit the Daily Planet and tell them the good news about Supergirl being alive. There has been video all over this place of her the past two days…"

"Video that you think we didn't know you were feeding into your own servers. Winn how is the video quality on Max's servers?"

"I'm sorry Miss Grant, but the cameras haven't worked in this place since we moved in. I'm sure if Mr. Lord checked his servers he would find absolutely no video of anything involving this facility since we opened."

Max's face reddened, not wanting to believe the little twerp had hacked his system but not doubting for a moment he had.

"Mr. Lord, things are changing. You have made a fortune selling watches, phones, trains that go really fast. Be happy with that. Leave protecting the world to those who know how to do it." Lucius suggested. "For now, I have my car available to take you anywhere you want to go. I would suggest you get in it and stay away from this field. I would hate to have you arrested for corporate espionage."

Wanting desperately to hit the smile off the man's face, Max took a deep breath and stalked off towards the limo. He closed the door and ordered the driver to take him to his office building. Unfortunately for Max the doors were locked, the barrier between driver and passenger was up and the car took off, giving him no idea where he was going.

Cat and Lucius watched him go, Cat with a satisfied smirk.

"So where are you taking him?"

"Unfortunately there was a miscommunication. The driver thought he said he wanted to be dropped off in San Diego. For security purposes cell phones do not work in the back and the doors cannot be unlocked. I'm sure it will all be sorted out when he reaches his destination, in seven hours. Our guests should be here in three. I have a security force discreetly covering the airfield, looking for threats. The moving company will be here to collect the ships after our guests go home, just in case Mr. Allen wants anymore pictures before he leaves.

"Excellent. And the work?"

"We believe it would be a good idea to have our own method to travel to different universes should we ever need help or they may need help and it becomes necessary to move a large number of people and equipment quickly. It will be ongoing but secondary to the plans we have in place."

"Yes, very exciting times. The government won't be happy about an organized team of superheroes operating outside their jurisdiction."

"Which is why I have no doubt you and Lois will do an excellent job in helping us engender the public's trust, for rights to exclusives, of course." Lucius added.

"Of course. This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship Mr. Fox." Cat admitted.

Lucius saw the two women he had been wanting to speak with, sitting at a table, no doubt wondering what they were going to be doing next. He took a seat across from them.

"Hello. I'm Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises. If I am not mistaken you are Miss Lane and Miss Vasquez?"

"We are." Lucy answered.

"You both come highly recommended to me by your peers. I have positions you both may be interested in."

"It looks like we are unemployed and I can't speak for Vasquez but I am beginning to think opening up a civil law firm and living the quiet life may be in the cards for me."

"You are meant for greater things than that Miss Lane, but if that is truly what you want then I won't stand in your way. I will tell you that Jeremiah Danvers was reunited with his family last night, thanks to the teamwork of the greatest collection of heroes the world has ever known. While Kara, Alex, their parents and their friends are going back to their Earth this afternoon, quite a few heroes are staying behind. The world is about to be a safer place, protected by an organized team of those who can make the impossible happen in the pursuit of justice and defending the people of this planet. This will not be an easy venture but it will be organized. We will work on establishing inter dimensional communication by some means, perhaps travel so our two Earths can help each other when needed but that is in the future. For now much work needs to be done. I need women who can lead a support team and infrastructure, a group of the best researchers, crime lab experts and tech experts in the world. I need the two of you. Our League needs support from the best and brightest. Max Lord is scum. He may have the planet's best interests at heart but he also has his own interests first and foremost. He helped out during Myriad because he would have died if he hadn't. He can't be trusted by us. I want you to head the formation of an infrastructure whose sole purpose will be to support our league. I want the two of you. You Lucy, are a very skilled administrator and you are a very skilled communications and monitoring officer, Vasquez. Think about it." Fox laid two cards on the table and stood. Before he could walk away Lucy spoke.

"What is this League? Who is in it?"

"The greatest heroes on this planet of course, some the world hasn't even met yet. Even the big guy in the blue suit is on board." Fox told her, smiling, knowing he had her.

"Does it have a name? Letters? Anything?" Vasquez asked.

Mr. Fox shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose not but I have been throwing the name of Justice League around. My friend Mr. Wayne isn't sold but I think it has a nice ring to it, don't you? Oh by the way, here are your starting salaries, should you accept."

Mr. Fox turned both cards over and wrote amounts, causing both women's eyes to widen.

"I'm in." they both told him. Lucy had trouble believing it. This was almost too good to be true. No it was, the idea of working with J'onn and Kal, not having to rely on Max, not being judged by who her father was, it was definitely too good to be true.

"Excellent." Fox told the two, sitting back down. "Let me show you your first job. You are going to be coordinating the construction of a base, along with a woman named Barbara Gordon."

Lucius pulled up the schematics on his phone and placed it in the table between the two women.

"Wow." Vasquez whispered.

"Glad you like it. I designed it myself. I call it Watchtower."


	24. Chapter 24

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N Thank you so much for the reviews! You guys keep me going. We are now heading into the Earth 1 arc of the story so it will be a while before we see our Earth 3 friends again, but they will return. Please keep those reviews coming. If you are a guest please consider making an account so we can talk! I love talking with reviewers. But if not I appreciate the review all the same and your thoughts are fun to read. You all have such great ideas and viewpoints on the characters! Okay here we go. Not much action in this chapter but transitional chapters do have to happen occasionally.

Chapter 24

"Seriously, why did you eat three cheese omelets for breakfast?" Barry asked, holding Kara's hair back in the tiny bathroom on Bruce Wayne's private jet.

"I was hungry and they were good." she responded.

"You knew this was going to happen." he pointed out, not winning any points.

"Have you ever dry heaved Barry? I have and it sucks. If I am going to be nauseous I prefer to have something to puke. It feels better."

"This feels better?" he asked, disbelieving.

"Yes. If you don't want…"

"I'm not going anywhere." he told her, cutting off that line of thinking. The group had been in the air at 6 AM. By 6:30, Kara had rushed to the bathroom.

"Thanks. If I could just get out and fly under the plane, everybody would be happier." the woman of steel suggested.

"No, the cabin would depressurize. Plus there is a likelihood you would be seen." he reminded her.

"Let them charge her with attempted murder. I don't care. Cat and Lois have already dug up two murders she has ordered besides me and Kal. I have a mind to come back and testify at her trial, let her know she hasn't beat me."

"There is no way you are going to testify. Kal is testifying from a secure location so no one can take any shots at him. Who knows what would happen if you…"

"Fine, okay? I'm ready to get home anyway. I don't want to come back unless I absolutely have to or the occasional secret visit to friends."

"Glad to hear it. She killed the life you built here. She killed Supergirl. She killed Kara Danvers. What happens from this point on is up to justice system. Besides she is facing life in prison without parole for the two murders Lois has nailed her on. The other charges are just icing on the cake."

"I don't like the idea of this world believing she beat me. But it doesn't matter I suppose… no it does. It matters to me. Maybe…" Kara's musings were cut short when her head bent over the toilet once more. The door opened behind the two. Barry didn't turn, already knowing it was Caitlin or Eliza. He was surprised by Jeremiah's voice.

"Still get motion sickness Kara?" he noted more than asked.

Kara just nodded her head.

"Let me guess, she ate those omelets so she would have something to vomit rather than dry heaving?"

Barry turned to look at the man who was smiling a bit. Barry wasn't exactly sure how the man would cope once he was out but other than staying very close to Eliza, Kara and Alex he seemed okay.

"She's done this before you were…" Barry almost said taken but stopped, not wanting any reminders of the time Jeremiah lost to be spoken of right now. Jeremiah didn't seem to mind though.

"Yep. She had been with us about six months and had just gotten her hearing under control. We decided to take a family trip to Disney World. She started vomiting about an hour into the plane ride. That was the day we learned the Kryptonian phrase for I'm dying. You have any idea how hard it was to keep a 13 year old girl with super strength from jumping out of a plane?"

"I wasn't that bad." Kara murmured.

"Yeah right. Only Alex could calm her down. We had to drive back but it was a fun road trip. So is there a Disney World on this Earth we are going to be living on?"

"Yep. Never been myself. Never had any vacations with my parents. Joe would take me and Iris to the beach at Coast City a lot. We had a great time. Once we went to New York City, uh I guess you would know it as Metropolis. That was amazing."

"Who is Joe?" Jeremiah asked, before Kara could cut off the line of questioning.

"He's my Dad for all intents and purposes. My mom was murdered when I was ten by a time traveling speedster like me. The guy… its complicated but my father was arrested for her murder and I was only able to prove his innocence a year ago. Its been a stressful time but we are adjusting. Joe took care of me, raised me from the age of ten. I live with him, but we are roommates. I'm not like, freeloading or anything." Barry quickly pointed out.

"How much do you pay in rent again?" Kara asked… not for the first time. She still hadn't gotten an answer.

"Anyway, we will have all the time in the world to get to know each other as soon as we are off this Earth." Barry finished, glossing over the question.

"Kara, I am tired of waiting. Eliza, J'onn, Clark, Alex, they seem to think I need to wait until we are on this other Earth to tell me what happened that caused you to arrive there to begin with. Why Barry took you there? And you were taken, weren't you? I know you wouldn't leave Eliza and Alex without a word unless you had to. What did those bastards do to you?"

"Not now, please…" Kara begged. Jeremiah huffed but nodded his head then looked at Barry.

"They tried to kill her. They shot her with Kryptonite bullets and you saved her. How?"

Barry took a deep breath and glanced at Kara who was very pale and he wondered if it had to do with telling Jeremiah the truth he obviously already suspected or the massive amount of food that had just vacated her system.

"Excuse me, Dr. Danvers. Kara, drink this." Caitlin ordered, handing the blonde two water bottles.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Pedialite. It is good for dehydration. Alfred picked me up some from an all night pharmacy before we left. He heard about your… motion sickness."

"Isn't this what they give babies?" she asked.

"Its good for dehydration. Drink it before I make you suit up and determine just how dehydrated you are." Caitlin smiled at Jeremiah and backed out of the crowded bathroom.

"It was her." he said, after Caitlin had walked back to her seat. Kara opened a bottle and began chugging it to avoid the question. "She is your doctor."

"Caitlin is actually a bio engineer like your wife, sir. But yes she does handle all our medical issues, mostly broken bones… mostly my broken bones." Barry admitted.

"She saved you. Didn't she Kara? Barry took you to another universe to get to her."

Kara nodded her head and drank the second bottle. "I'll tell you everything but first I want to get you and Eliza off this planet so can we focus on that. I am fine, as you can see… besides the vomiting. The vomiting definitely sucks but other than that I am fine. I haven't blown to my powers in weeks, over a month even…"

"What were you doing that could blow out your powers? I figured you were stopping bank robbers and saving people from burning buildings. Blow out your powers? Kara, I gave twelve years of my life for you and your sister to live. J'onn knew you would be a target! Why … what have … have you been fighting those Fort Roz escapees? Clark should have known better! I can't believe this! It was bad enough with you and your sister walking into that house of horrors with Doomsday inside just to save me but tonight wasn't the first time. How many times have you nearly died Kara? How many times has Alex?"

Barry stood, noting that Jeremiah was becoming a bit emotional.

"Why don't we all calm down? She is fine, Alex is fine and I make sure they stay that way. Your daughter, both your daughters are heroes and wouldn't have had the chance to if not for the sacrifice you made. But now, in this tiny bathroom with the smell of what used to be omelets, probably isn't the best time for this conversation, right?"

"I apologize. I have just spent a long time worrying and I knew when I saw her in the place, and Alex of course, I just … she was hurt badly, wasn't she? Kara?"

"She is alive and here. Thats all that matters." Barry told him again.

Jeremiah nodded reluctantly and moved back towards the cabin. "Let me know if you need anything sweetie. Eliza wanted to come but I guilted her into letting me. Looks like Barry is doing a good job though." he finished with a wink towards the Flash. One thing Jeremiah had figured out quickly was how much in love they were. He would entertain himself with visions of walking her down the aisle soon, no doubt.

The rest of the flight was relatively peaceful. Alex sat with Jeremiah, Kara and Eliza and told them all about the new world they would be going to and the possibilities that S.T.A.R. offered, while Eliza held a warm wet towel over Kara's head. Both mother and father listened raptly to the description of Ray Palmer's suit, the bio stimulant chip in Felicity, the history of metahumans starting with the particle accelerator explosion, culminating in Barry being struck by lightning. Kara told the group about Barry accidentally arriving in her universe and how cocky he was when she didn't know who he was. Barry admitted to being a little cocky but in his defense he was sort of famous on his Earth. At least his alter ego was. Finally landing, Kara was able to remove the wet towel from her head and downed more of the electrolyte fluid Caitlin was force-feeding her. Despite the familiarity of the Hangar, Kara was on edge and scanning the surrounding areas for any threat, before she ever got out of the plane.

"Let's suit up." Oliver told the had been speaking to Bruce Wayne on the flight back, the two in deep quiet conversation. Not even Felicity was around, instead placing every schematic of the bio stimulant she could think of on a zip drive for Bruce Wayne to had allowed Caitlin to scan her back with a 3D infrared spectrometer this morning to give to Barbara already. The power source would be the most difficult to replicate and she planned to have Cisco throw one into the Bat Cave as soon as Ray could make another replicate. Diggle slept on the way back while Thea read some magazine Wayne had on board and spoke to Lois about different fashion styles on this Earth. To Jeremiah's surprise but not Eliza's, all did as Oliver suggested or ordered, Eliza was still not sure which, and walked to the back. Kara and Barry were dressed in seconds, as was Kal El. Hank simply morphed from an unfamiliar human form she had not recognized before into his true form. The Arrow team walked out the back, weapons in hand, along with Alex who Eliza noted was wearing a tactical vest and two hand guns on shoulder holsters and Nyssa who had her bow and quiver on her back and two swords attached to her hips.

Nyssa sat in front of Jeremiah while the seat was vacant before Alex could stop her. Not that she actively tried, she just prayed Nyssa would not say anything… strange.

"We have never been properly introduced. I am Nyssa." Nyssa offered her hand which Jeremiah and then Eliza took.

"Thank you for your help in freeing me, Nyssa." the man told her gratefully.

"Think nothing of it. I haven't enjoyed myself so much in a very long time. Although I have to say this plane trip is nice. The last time I flew in a private plane, my father was planning on unleashing a biological weapon on Starling City and Oliver and I did out best to kill everyone on board before we crashed the…"

"And that is enough of the trip down memory lane." Alex interrupted. "Nyssa has a strange sense of humor, so you know, don't pay attention. But she is mine and Kara's self defense instructor."

"I'd like to hear more about this biological weapon." Eliza told her daughter, knowing the story must be fascinating and … frightening and extremely violent.

"I want to know why you and Kara need a self defense instructor?" Jeremiah countered.

"I'm not a self defense instructor." Nyssa explained.

"Oh… okay."

"Every technique I have taught them is of an offensive nature designed to kill an opponent quickly. I suppose we can call it self defense if that is what she prefers."

Jeremiah's already pale skin became paler. Eliza's matched.

"I suppose we should get ready to disembark. I hope we get to talk more. I truly want to know the two of you better."

"I am sure this won't be the last time we talk, Nyssa. Thank you for introducing yourself. I can tell you are a fascinating individual." Eliza told her truthfully. She had watched this woman for days now and was more prepared than Jeremiah. She knew enough to know there was more to Nyssa than a cold blooded killer. A cold blooded killer would not travel to another universe for the sole purpose of looking after her daughters.

Nyssa walked to the door of the plane as it taxied to a stop. All looked at Kara who was scanning the area from inside the plane.

"We are clear." she concluded. The door opened and Barry was gone, running the area to make sure it was clear. No soldiers found, he appeared in front of everyone and gave the okay. Oliver, Thea and Nyssa exited first, then Superman, arm wrapped around Lois, then Caitlin, Cisco and Felicity with Dig right behind them, followed by Eliza, Jeremiah, Kara and Alex. Bruce Wayne was the last to disembark. The group walked inside the large door of the hanger as it opened and then closed right behind them. Winn, Cat Grant, and a tall thin older black man were waiting inside.

Cat walked up to Kara and hugged her.

"I'm glad to see you were successful. Jeremiah, it is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Cat Grant." she offered her hand which Jeremiah took, not sure who she was but assuming she was a friend of Kara and Eliza's.

"It is good to be… free." he admitted, for lack of a better word.

"Mr. Fox the area is…"

Before the poor security guard, whose had been on the roof with a rifle scanning for threats, could finish giving his report from the second floor walkway, Oliver, Thea and Nyssa had let loose arrows, Oliver and Thea striking the man in each shoulder. Nyssa's arrow was seconds behind and not headed for his shoulders, caught inches from his head by Barry Allen.

"What the hell guys?" Barry asked.

"Who is he?" Oliver asked, ignoring the fact that while he and Thea had planned to simply disable the man, Nyssa had gone for his head.

"Uh, I had a security force here earlier and they left, driving in circles about five miles out. David here was a sniper we had on the roof, just in case." Mr. Fox explained, trying to come to grips with how fast the three had fired those arrows. Felicity simply moaned and covered her eyes. Barry removed the rifle from the injured man's dangling arms and checked it quickly, pleased to see there were no Kryptonite bullets.

"How did you miss him Kara?" the Arrow asked, annoyed.

"I'm not feeling great, okay? I couldn't see the other side of the roof, the sun was in my eyes. I'm not a spy satellite, you know? Why the hell are you shooting people?"

"Because as long as we are on this Earth a man with a gun is a threat." he explained.

"This really hurts. Could someone call an ambulance?" the injured man asked.

Barry moved the man downstairs quickly and laid him on the floor, two arrows still buried in his shoulders.

"You need to pull these out." the Flash told Oliver.

"Probably better to leave them in. The hospital should pull them out." Oliver countered. Bruce Wayne walked up to the poor man and jerked both arrows out, causing him to scream.

"I do apologize. My friends are a bit on edge and you surprised them. You will be well compensated for your discretion." Bruce told the man, who Caitlin was now trying to pack the holes in his shoulders, thankfully Barry catching the one aimed at his head. Nyssa, Sara, they really needed a new crowd to hang out with, was Caitlin's primary thought while she stuffed a towel from a nearby table into one shoulder and used the bottom half of the man's shirt to staunch the other.

"Compensated? They shot me with arrows! I am suing someone!"

"Thats a great idea. My name is Oliver Queen and this is my sister Thea."

"Oliver… the billionaire…"

"Thats me. Oliver Queen from Star … ling City. Call my lawyers and I am sure they will settle on any amount you wish. I would sue me for at least a couple million, maybe ten."

The man stood up, wincing from the pain while Mr. Fox held onto the makeshift bandages.

"I'll just take him to a hospital where he can have this unfortunate accidental injury treated. I will talk to you later Mr. Wayne?"

"Of course Lucius. Thank you."

Once the two men had gotten into Cat Grant's limo and driven to the nearest hospital all eyes landed on the three archers.

"What?" Oliver finally asked.

"You couldn't have wrapped his arms? Thea? I expect this from Oliver but…" Felicity began.

"I grabbed the wrong arrow." Thea weakly explained.

"Me too," Oliver agreed quickly.

All eyes turned to Nyssa.

"I would have shot him between the eyes if Barry hadn't gotten in the way."

Alex groaned this time.

"Okay then." Cat Grant started, secretly considering taking up archery, "since that unfortunate incident has been taken care of, shall we move on? I am assuming all of you will be going back to your Earth? Kara, I have a car bringing Carter here to say good bye. I hope you can wait for a few minutes."

"Of course Miss Grant. Mom, why don't you take Alex and…"

"We aren't going anywhere without you." Eliza told her before Alex and Jeremiah could.

"I would actually like to get some group pictures with the spaceships if that is okay?" Cisco asked. Lois placed a hand on the man's shoulder and guided him towards the crafts.

"Miss Grant, I would like to talk to you alone, since we have a few minutes. Would you mind?"

"Of course not, Kara."

Kara gently grabbed Cat in a hug and lifted them off upstairs. While the two went upstairs, Bruce walked over to Oliver and handed him a boomerang shaped like a bat.

"A souvenir to remember me by. You have great skill Mr. Queen. It was a pleasure working with you."

Oliver took the offered gift and shook Batman's hand. Then he took an arrow out of his quiver and handed it to Bruce.

"To remember me." he offered. Bruce took the arrow with a short laugh.

"So what does it do? Split into a cable? Turn into a magnet? Explode?"

"It kills people in the right hands so be careful with it okay? If you ever find who is behind this so called Order, stick it in one of them for me."

"I think I can do that Mr. Queen."

Upstairs Kara and Cat sat at the same table she and Kal El had a heart to heart discussion two days before.

"Miss…"

"I think you can call me Cat, Kara."

"Cat, I want you to talk to the prosecutor and change the charge against the former President to attempted murder in my case."

"Why would I do that? This world has lost its greatest hero because of her."

"Because I am alive, and she shouldn't be tried for a crime that isn't true. No matter what, I can't live with that."

"She is looking at life anyway Kara…"

"Cat, we are better than her. I know you are, and I hope I am."

Cat took in her former assistant and the woman who had saved her life many times and once saved her from losing her company. Kara had definitely changed, hardened in some ways, much of her innocence gone in a matter of she was still a hero. A hero who would always try to do what is right.

"You can't come back for the trial. How is the world going to know for sure that you are alive. I doubt anyone is ready to hear about the multiverse, at least the general public."

"Thats why I want you to record a message for me. You have your phone. I am going to give you an interview, a real one. My family will be safe. The whole world can know who I am, who I was, and they will know she did not beat me. Its important. It matters. If we lie we become them and we don't lie in the media. You taught me that."

Cat took a deep breath and nodded her head in agreement. She was perfectly content to let the world believe Kara was dead but it wouldn't be right. Taking out her phone she hit the record button, the camera catching Superwoman's face. Kara took a deep breath and began.

"Hello, my name is Kara Danvers. Many of you know me as Supergirl. A few months ago men broke into my home and tried to murder me. I was shot twice and saved by the hero known as the Flash and my cousin Superman. I have been in hiding, recovering, physically, mentally and emotionally. Since I have recovered I have learned that this world and the people of it, have risen to my defense. I have also learned who ordered my death. I was once told by a very good friend of mine that the worse decisions she ever made were born from fear. The former President was afraid of me and my cousin despite our actions in defending this planet. I am unable to defend this world any longer due to circumstances I am unable to explain, but I want you, everyone who has supported me, especially the great people of National City, to know that she has not beaten me. She has not beaten us. While she committed evil acts in the name of National Security she does not represent our ideals, our beliefs and inherent goodness that is in each one of us. My cousin, Superman, will continue to protect the people of this world. He will continue to fight for truth and justice and freedom for all. While I will not be able to join him, please know that my heart is with the citizens of this Earth. You gave me a home, you gave me family and love and the belief that not only could I be a hero, but that we can all be heroes.

I will miss each of you dearly. I was poisoned once with a substance that altered my mind. I did horrible things but still you forgave me and came to my aid when I needed you most. I told Miss Grant that to me each of you were a light and by helping you I was able to share in that light. That has not changed. No matter what I do from this point on, every bit of good that has occurred has been, in part, due to the support you have given me. I will miss being here for you but know that the light you provided me will always be in my heart. I only have one thing left to say to the former President.

You have not beaten me and you have not beaten the people of this world. We will always hold on to hope and love rather than fear. Thank you all for everything. Goodbye."

"Thank you Kara. I will make sure the world sees this and it is played at her trial. Good luck to you. I will see you again, right?"

"Yes Cat. You will see me again. I am already missing you and Carter."

"Then I will count the days. We have much work to make this universe a better place and your journey in yours is just beginning. Make it a good one."

"I'll do my best." Kara told her, standing and meeting her halfway, wrapping the woman in a tight hug, her mentor, her hero, the one she always looked to for advice. Kara's hearing picked up a car.

"I think Carter is here. I should talk to him. Want a lift down?"

"I think I'll take the stairs." Cat told her.

Once Kara reached the floor, she saw all in the room looking towards the front.

"That is Carter. No one had better fire any arrows … or throwing stars." she added, looking at Nyssa who shrugged her shoulders.

"Kara could I speak to you a moment, alone?" Winn asked, surprising her. Not that he wanted to speak to her but that he would be so anxious. Something was definitely on his mind. The two walked off a ways behind the monitors.

"Whats up?"

"I want to come too. To this new Earth."

Kara was shocked, not expecting that.

"Winn that is a big decision. Shouldn't you…"

"I've thought about it since we started this project months ago. It isn't just you Kara although I would sort of miss my best friend. Its everything. On this Earth I really have nothing. My father is a psychopath and the last woman I came close to calling a girlfriend also turned out to be a psychopath. I want to work with Felicity. What she is doing… the work, her skill… Kara I could do so much. Cisco and Barry, the opportunities at this lab. I really want to come. I won't if you don't want me too. I don't want to push my way into what you have going on. It's just, Kara, I really have nothing here. You and Eliza and Alex are the closest I have to family. I don't want to lose that and I don't want to stay an IT guy forever. I want to matter."

"You do matter, Winn."

"Please Kara. Let me come with you all. I'll stay at the lab… Cisco mentioned before you left that he had an extra room…"

"You talked to Cisco?"

"Yeah, we talked about your suit and then other things, projects he works on, the work that Felicity and this Ray Palmer and Curtis Holt are doing, Caitlin…"

"Caitlin?" Kara asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just think she would be a great co worker as well. What do you think?"

"Have you talked to Cat about this?" Kara asked.

"Yeah. She told me I was meant for greater things than being an IT guy at Catco, if you can believe that. She has changed a lot. She is… nicer. It's weird."

"And you are sure? Dimension hopping isn't easy. If something happened to Cisco or … I mean I know, or at least have faith that he can open breaches here whenever he wants but there is no guarantee you can…"

"I don't care. Working with those people is a dream opportunity, Kara. I don't want to lose that opportunity and I don't want to lose my family or my friend."

Kara took a deep breath and hugged the man.

"How soon can you pack?" she asked, while he did a little fist pump.

"What do you think I was doing while you were raiding secret government bases? I'm already packed."

"Then welcome to the team… again." she told him, punching his shoulder lightly.

Kara walked away while Winn gave a thumbs up to Felicity and Cisco and earned a shy smile from Caitlin. The blonde went straight to Carter Grant.

"I'm gonna see you again, right?" he asked immediately.

"Count on it." she told him, opening her arms which he jumped into.

"I'm going to miss you. Who is going to be our hero now? Superman is always in Metropolis."

Kara held Carter back a bit so she can see his face.

"Carter, it doesn't take powers to be a hero, it takes heart and there are a lot of people out there who are heroes everyday. You are going to be one of them. You are so smart and you are going to use that brain of yours to make the world a better place. I know this because of your heart and the guidance your mother gives you. Besides I will make sure Superman splits his time between National City and Metropolis."

"He's not you though. He couldn't even beat Reactron. He couldn't beat Non, he…"

"Carter… I've been giving him pointers. I think he is going to step his game up, okay? He will be visiting you a lot and you can keep him in line. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah… Kara, why is there blood on the floor?"

Oh… uh… somebody accidentally cut themselves. Nothing to worry about."

"The Green guy shot someone with an arrow didn't he?"

Kara nodded her head and pulled him in for another hug. "I have to go now. You will see me soon."

"Cool. I want to be there for the wedding."

"Wedding?"

"You and the Blu…Flash. He's going to marry you right?"

Kara turned and saw a smiling Barry.

"He better. I promise if he does ever ask I will make sure to do all I can to get you and your mother there. Okay?"

"Okay."

Kara and Alex spoke with J'onn who also spoke with Jeremiah. The martian hugged his surrogate daughters and the man who saved his life once. It hurt J'onn to lose the two but he knew it was for the best. He had work here to do and destiny was calling the two sisters towards another path.

Kara moved Kal to the side. He hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you Kara." he whispered.

"You saved my life. We will see each other again, I promise you. But there is one thing I want you to do for me."

"Anything." he answered quickly.

"James. Jimmy. He isn't doing well. He needs his friend."

"Kara, I sent him to look after you, be a guide, a friend, not play with your emotions…"

"I'm not a child. I let him do it and I had my own selfish reasons. I didn't want to be alone and he… look Kal, whatever happened or didn't happen between me and James is our business. But before all this he was your friend, probably your best friend. That shouldn't change. If you were really his friend, find him, talk to him. He is a good guy and has a lot of talent. Just talk to him. He needs you before he spirals completely out of control."

Kal El chuckled a bit. "Can you hold a grudge against anyone?"

"If Non were still alive I would be pretty mad at him. Kal, maybe its time you stopped holding grudges. Be my hero, okay? Be there for your friends, your new friends and your old ones. Promise me?"

"I promise Kara. How can anyone turn you down?"

"They can't. I love you."

"I love you." he said in return and hugged her once again. A few minutes later all the photos had been taken, the goodbyes had been said and the luggage, including the large crates of weapons, had been packed. Cisco put his visor on and hoped for the best. Luckily he had little trouble and a breach opened up in the Hangar.

"I can't believe this." Jeremiah whispered, seeing it with his own eyes. He was still coming to grips with how his life had changed in the past 24 hours and now this, another universe, something even Project Cadmus never considered possible. He took Alex and Eliza's hands and walked through, Kara following, carrying the two large crates. The rest of the Earth 1 visitors along with Winn walked through as well, Cisco last, and the hole in the fabric of the universe closing behind them.

The team walked out in S.T.A.R. labs, to a very relieved, Joe and Iris West, Ray Palmer, Dr. Stein and Jax.

Surprisingly Dr. Harrison Wells also was present, back from his trip to chase down Jessie.

"I thought this was a weekend trip? And who are… we have more additions than Eliza I see." Joe noticed.

Kara dropped the crates and hugged Barry's surrogate father.

"I missed you." she told him while he squeezed her back. "Joe this is mine and Alex's father, Jeremiah Danvers."

Joe and Iris's eyes widened. They both had heard the story of this man giving up his life for his daughters and now he was here, alive. Joe offered his hand and Jeremiah hesitantly stepped away from Eliza and shook it.

"And this is Eliza, our mother, and this is Winn, my close friend and computer genius who decided he needed a fresh start and wanted to relocate… in an extreme manner."

"It is good to meet all of you. Eliza I have to say you have some extraordinary daughters. You both do." Joe told the woman who beamed with pride while taking in the huge lab around her. Joe then turned to Oliver.

"Shoot anyone?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nope." was Oliver's quick response as he moved along quickly.

"Harry, its good to see you back." Barry told him, patting him on the shoulder. "Any luck…"

"I found her. She is still seeing the world and will be back when she is ready, apparently. So I will be… here. I've actually been helping Dr. Stein this weekend while you were on vacation."

"Yes! Kara I have wonderful news. I found the right mixture of lightwaves to provide the perfect amount of red sunllight to counter the yellow sunlight but I couldn't miniaturize it. Dr. Wells has succeeded however. I have it in Cisco's work shop. It isn't the most beautiful piece of jewelry but I believe it will work." Dr. Stein told her excitedly. "We can work on the design later."

"Oh, thank you both, Dr. Stein and Dr…"

"I've seen your heart, lungs and intestines. I think we are passed formalities Kara. It is good to see you back and uninjured."

"Not for lack of trying. You wouldn't believe what we have seen this weekend. Secret underground labs, huge caves that you could fit four or five of the Arrow Caves in…" Thea started.

"We don't call …"

"Yes we do Ollie, oh and I got to kill monsters. Like serious monsters, not like wow, Darhk just tried to nuke the world or Zoom just tried to destroy the multiverse or my father just tried to kill thousands of innocent people with a man made earthquake machine type monsters. Real freaking monsters with rock bodies and spikes and…"

"Thea!"

"Yeah Ollie?" she asked innocently. Oliver shook his head.

"Nothing. I'm sure the Danvers have much to discuss. Felicity probably needs to get to work on the identities and I am sure we all want to relax, not rehash our adventures."

"I would really love to hear about the monsters actually." Harry told them.

"First of all why is there a bracelet made to negate Kara's powers? Who asked for this?" Jeremiah demanded rather than asked. Kara quickly explained.

"It's just so… I can train with Alex, you know fighting and self defense stuff and…"

"I thought you wanted to have sex with Barry without breaking him in half?" Harry asked, then shrugged his shoulders. "I'm starving, anyone want a Big Belly burger?"

"A what?" Eliza and Jeremiah both asked, avoiding dealing with what he just said about Kara. Jeremiah knew intellectually that she was not the same 13 year old girl he had last known but the reality of how much time and gone by was not something he wanted to dwell on. Kara reminded herself to take Harrison flying later.

"Its a staple of Earth 1 diets. I'll give you some money and text you their orders…" Kara offered.

"It's on me, Kara." Harry told her quickly with a genuine smile.

"Can you pick me one up? Making breaches takes a lot out of me." Cisco complained.

"Absolutely. You got money?" Cisco frowned and walked towards his work station motioning for Winn to follow.

"Dad has the house ready for guests as soon as we can figure out the logistics of … everyone." Iris told the group.

"Winn is staying with me!" Cisco hollered from the back. "Damn it! Why does Harry have to throw my stuff all over the place? He is such a dick!"

"Great, uh Nyssa you have…" Caitlin began and stopped, wondering where Nyssa did live.

"An Assassin Cave? Or shall I go with Demon cave? Naming is the hardest part of owning a lair. Yes I do have a residence here of course. Thank you for asking Caitlin."

"Okay then, so The Danvers can stay with Joe and Barry…"

"I;m actually going to stay here tonight." Barry interrupted. "I want to catch up with whats going on." Barry offered. Truth be told, he was still wound tightly, wanting to run for hours. The events of the past couple days were beginning to catch up with him.

"Great. Harry and I can use a fourth for our nightly poker game." Ray offered, noting something was off with Barry. Ray would need to find out exactly what happened before he could figure out why the Flash seemed… different.

"Yeah, and I will have your ID's ready before we go back to Star City tomorrow afternoon." Felicity added. "I would also like to meet with everyone before I leave, say 10 AM here?"

"ID's?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah, normally I would keep your old identities but before we left I did a bit of digging. I had to go into some pretty heavily guarded systems, with lot of redacted information. The three of you, Alex, Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers worked together at a lab in Geneva. Last year there was an accident of some sort, an explosion of undetermined cause that killed the three of you, I mean your alter egos or dopplegangers or whatever Cisco calls them. Because of the high profile of the accident, at least overseas, Kara thought it would be best if you all had different names. Since she goes by Zorel, you two and not three now will have the same name."

"We can't do that. Names of families, even combined names are important to Kryptonians. To be a member of a house was…"

"It was my idea Mom. I used your name for years. Now you are going to use mine. We have a new house. Krypton is gone but our family isn't." Kara explained, leaving Eliza and Alex speechless. Jeremiah was shocked as well. On Krypton the name of your house, your family was sacred to its members.

"Okay then. So I have a lot to do and am going to head to the office. Ray have you given consideration to what I told you that you were going to do?"

"Yes." he answered shortly.

"What is he going to do?" Oliver asked.

"Ray will be pulling an Oliver Queen and come back from the dead. He has actually been held captive for the last couple years by unknown assailants, probably Hive, and has recently escaped. He will be taking back his company while I can focus on what I do best, correct Ray?"

Ray took a deep breath. He had enjoyed not having the responsibility of the company he had founded and nursed from infancy into the global power it is now. But Felicity had talked to him not long ago and with the work going on she felt it was time for Palmer to step up. He reluctantly agreed.

"So you are going back to Star City, Felicity?" Kara asked, disappointed.

Felicity looked at Ray and then Oliver with a smile.

"Yes, its time I get back to doing what I do best. Curtis will be here and Ray … we can talk about this tomorrow. I'm sure we all want to celebrate now?"

"That sounds like a great idea. Why don't I show the Danvers, or Zorels I suppose, around the lab and then we can all relax." Cailtin offered.

"I'm grilling. After you have all settled down a bit, everyone come to my place. This reunion deserves a party." Joe offered. The people split up, Kara taking the bags of course, as Caitlin and Alex, followed by Nyssa, showed Jeremiah and Eliza the Superflash cave.

Later that night, after the festivities, mostly low-key, at Joe's while Alex explained the multiverse to her father as he came to grips with his new surroundings, the party broke up. Jeremiah went to bed holding his wife once more, trying to come to grips with his new life and what he had left behind. He expected guards to break into the home and carry him out at any minute and held onto Eliza tightly as she slept the best she had in years, her entire family, finally together and safe.

Alex and Nyssa also fell into a deep sleep miles away, both of them exhausted and not knowing what was to come, but knowing they had many things to talk about.

Kara and Barry had returned back to the lab with Cisco and Winn. Dr. Stein and Wells who had foregone the festivities, were present with Kara's new bracelet.

"Kara please, can you try it? I am dying to know if it works."

"Of course Dr. Stein." Kara took the small metal band, light weight with no frills, perhaps three inches in width and strapped it on. A grey button was on top and she could feel the inside of the bracelet was some sort of reflecting fabric, feeling closer to silk.

She touched the button on top and while expecting to feel something, felt nothing instead.

"Cisco would you mind testing it?" Martin asked. Cisco grinned and punched Kara in the shoulder.

"Anything?" he asked the confused and disappointed Kryptonian.

"Sorry, it didn't hurt at all." Kara admitted.

"Let me try." Barry punched her shoulder lightly, not nearly as hard as he could.

"Oww! Don't do… Oh Rao it works!" Kara pinched her skin and felt pain. "It works!" she practically shouted to a pleased Dr. Stein and then hugged the man, followed by a hug for Harry.

"I'm confused. It must take a minute for it to work. Let me try again." Cisco once again hit Kara in the shoulder when she had disentangled herself from a smiling Dr. Wells. Once again she shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry Cisco. I mean I felt you touching me but have you ever actually hit someone? You don't seem to have any power. Like, at all."

"Screw this. Come on Winn, I want to show you what I am doing with Alex's helmet. The targeting system is sick." Cisco practically ordered, walking off before Kara could critique his fighting abilities or lack of, any further.

"Now turn it off. I want to see how long it takes you to regain power." Harry suggested. Kara quickly did as instructed and used her X ray vision to see through four layers of walls and the ceiling. She also floated a few feet off the ground.

"I would say we were successful Dr. Stein. Have fun you two." Harry told the couple, pleased and then walked off, offering no further comment.

A pleased Dr. Stein bid a goodnight, leaving Kara and Barry alone for the first time today.

"So." she started.

"So?"

"So you want to try out my new jewelry or tell me whats wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just glad its over and everyone is safe. Kind of anxious to get back to work tomorrow. Joe still has that unsolved homicide and the coroners report should be back. I am hoping it will give me a clue or something to work on. Plus I want to dig more into this mad bomber."

"Barry… whats wrong?" she asked again.

"I guess the past few days have kind of freaked me out. I've been running on adrenalin but the whole time I was worried, someone may take a shot at you or when you tunneled into that base, I've just been kinda on edge. Now that its over and we have all these issues to figure out like who is going to live where and what Felicity is talking about, I'm trying to figure it out. Plus Joe let it slip that the bomber had no ID, not even A.R.G.U.S. had him in their records. He reached out to Lyla and nothing. I can't help but think the two are connected. There is no reason they should be and Joe can't find any connection between the victims or any of the victims of the first bombing that crushed an entire apartment complex, but I have this feeling. Now we are back and I am wondering what is coming next or who is coming. I guess I just got a lot on my mind."

"Uh huh." Kara could understand that. But Barry was still off.

"I can stay here with you tonight." she offered. Barry kissed her gently and smiled.

"Go home and get some rest. I'll be up all night going over case reports and may run to my lab at the precinct later. Get rest and we can try out your bracelet tomorrow night, I promise."

"Okay." Kara gave up. Whatever was on his mind he planned to keep it to himself tonight. "I love you."

Barry pulled her close.

"I love you too. Before you leave would you take this bracelet off and lock it in your room here?"

"Why?"

"Just humor me, okay? I don't want it around you unless we are… using it."

"Sure."

After stopping off at her room of solitude, Kara placed the bracelet in a box that she kept her message from her mother. Instead of leaving, she lay down on her couch, after texting Barry that she had made it home. It wasn't technically a lie since she considered this a second home. She also texted Cait that she would be staying at the lab tonight and then tried to clear her mind of the thousand thoughts running through it.

Barry meanwhile did none of the projects he had talked about with Kara, instead walking into the medical bay and lying down on the cot. His mind was not in a million places but on one.

It wasn't long before he drifted off into an uneasy sleep, and he saw the monster usually waiting for him often.

"Hello Barry."

"Zoom. How many times do we have to go over this? You are dead."

"And you are just like me. Just like I told you would happen."

"I'm nothing like you."

"You are a killer. Have fun with that monster? Interesting experiment wasn't he? Designed by her so called Daddy to kill her. Did you take a good look inside that thing while you were phasing through? Liquid Kryptonite in its blood. Can you imagine what it would have done to your precious girlfriend?"

"Nothing. I didn't let it." Barry argued with the man he knew wasn't there. He felt Zoom's heart crush under his hand. He saw the Wraiths take what was left of his body away, devouring it. Zoom was dead.

"But the man who designed it, it's creator, is here now. I wonder how long someone holds Alex's life over his head and makes him create another monster to kill your precious Kara?"

Zoom no longer appeared as Hunter Zoloman. The black haunting mask was on, the black suit that seemed to materialize from hell.

"He won't. I won't let anyone or thing harm her."

"What about me Barry? You really think I am gone? We are part of the speed force, both of us. We are part of the universe in a way no one else can understand. We operate by a different set of rules. You know it is a matter of time before someone or something get's it claws into her."

Kara was locked in Zoom's arms, his hand vibrating behind her.

"Don't do this." he begged, fear freezing him. Zoom simply laughed as his hand phase through her chest from behind and came out between her family crest. "No!"

Zoom laughed.

"There is always something coming Barry. How long did it take you to defeat me? How many lives did I end while you failed?"

"I won't fail! Never again!"

Kara disappeared in front of his eyes.

"He is a danger to her." Zoom told him, not needing to say who 'he' was.

"No he is not!"

"Then why are you dreaming that he is?"

"Between you and Thawne I have trust issues."

"See you soon Barry. You may not recognize me but I will always be there. I will always be a part of you. Give Kara a kiss for me."

Barry felt a presence behind him, a cold presence. He turned and saw Kara on the ground, eyes open, covered in blood with a Kryptonite covered monster called project Doomsday standing over her.

He woke, sitting up in bed and vibrating slightly, hands clenched, ready to fight, drenched in sweat, only to be surprised and comforted when he felt familiar arms around him.

"Kara?"

"You were having a nightmare." she told him. "Its okay. I'm here. I will always be here."

"How did you know?"

"I never left." she told him. "Do you want to talk about it?" Barry shook his head.

"Thats fine. I'm going to hold you. Just relax okay? I'm not going anywhere." Kara lay next to him on her side, wrapping her arms around his waist while he controlled his breathing.

"I need to run." he told her once he had stopped breathing rapidly.

"No you don't. You need to stay here and let me hold you, okay?"

Barry nodded and closed his eyes, feeling better, knowing she was with him. Still the specter of Doomsday and Zoom would not leave his mind. Why had he dreamed that? He had nightmares of Zoom before, but Zoom had never told him Barry would not recognize him. Was he sensing something in the speed force or was this his own fear coming to the surface? What about Jeremiah? Yes the man did what he had to, securing his daughter's lives he supposed but what a job he did, and the creature wasn't perfected? Barry forced those thoughts from his head, even as his subconscious asked why the man had done such a good job, protecting his daughter by making the one creature it would have been impossible for her to stop. He knew if he hadn't been there, if he wasn't able to phase through the creature it would have killed everyone in that base.

Finally he drifted off to sleep while Kara watched him, wondering what his nightmares were about. She supposed they could be about anything. Hers were often very different but the same theme was there. Pain, loss, fear, always fear. She couldn't allow herself to show fear outwardly so it all came out in her sleep. Barry seemed so confident but he had deep seeded fears as well.

It would be fine. Together they would conquer their fears. Kara had never had a nightmare when she slept with Barry next to her and she would make sure she had the same effect on him, even if she stayed up all night whispering in this ear.

 **Siberia**

The man answered on the first ring, exactly as he expected.

"Yes?"

"No greeting? Very rude Dr. Crane."

"Adam is dead. His plan to kill the Flash and Superwoman failed. I warned you it would fail. Simple bombings? You promised us revenge not being bait for you to draw out superheroes."

"Did you not kill the man who wronged you as a child in a spectacular fashion? Using the substance I gave you, if you remember."

"And what next? Am I to go after another on my list or will you try to have me draw out these so called heroes? Am I as expendable to you as Adam was?"

"You are as expendable as you make yourself. Adam's mission was a success. He had revenge on another of his enemies and I found out information I needed, particularly that Superwoman is not always with the Flash, and he can be harmed badly because he rushes in without thinking. Also that there is another player on the scene besides Ray Palmer and this Firestorm. A woman who is not afraid to use a gun and is apparently the Flash's self appointed bodyguard. I will keep gathering knowledge and if you want my friendship, my weapons and my information on the whereabouts of your targets you will do as you are told. Your next target is in Star City."

"I suppose you want me to mess around in the Green Arrow's playground?"

"Oliver Queen and I have unfinished business. His friends are a complication and need to be dealt with. The police will be dealt with, everyone close to these heroes, particularly a former office named Quentin Lance. He is close to Oliver Queen and the father of the recently deceased Black Canary. You will receive information on the next target by the usual method. I am interested to see if the methods of demise between two murders and two cities will draw Barry Allen and Joe West to Star City."

"So what? You take them out at once? Or am I to be give the job? You allowed us to have what we wanted in exchange for causing chaos for the police. Now you want me to kill a man who has killed hundreds? Oliver Queen is no hero."

"Believe me, I know exactly who Oliver Queen is. He won't recognize me though. By the time I am done, everyone in Star and Central City will know their beloved heroes are dead and it was by my hand. Everyone will remember the name Prometheus."


	25. Chapter 25

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N okay this is the longest chapter yet and I suppose it could be considered a filler chapter. I prefer to think about it as an Alex Danvers and Kara chapter. Take a load off, its a big one.

Chapter 25

At 5:30 AM Alex rolled from under Nyssa's arms in the very warm, very soft bed they were lying on. She felt incredibly comfortable but despite this had slept fitfully all night when she could, plagued by disturbing dreams she couldn't quite remember. She knew they were violent and she most likely didn't want to remember.

"I appreciate dedication but we haven't trained at dawn since we discovered other activities at this hour. Why are you getting out of bed?"

"I can't sleep well. I don't want to get out of bed but every time I drift off my mind is filled with…"

"Darkness, troubled thoughts, insane images? Yes I know. I have been there myself. They stopped when we began sharing a bed on nights you would pull yourself away from Caitlin and Kara's apartment."

Alex did her best to ignore the unspoken accusation and instead walked to the dresser where she kept her extra clothes. She had also brought all her bags from Earth 3 here.

"Yeah about that. You are right. That is their apartment. I need my own place or at least someone looking for a roommate. Any ideas where I could find someone like that? I don't actually have a job so rent may be tough to pay for a while."

Nyssa stilled, her still drowsy mind trying to be clear on what Alex just said.

"Are you saying…"

"I want to stay here… with you. I know it is soon and we haven't been together long but … I need my own life. If I am not going to hover over Kara like I promised myself and her that I wouldn't, I need to decide what direction my life is going to go. I want that direction to lead to you. I've never lived with anyone and I will probably be a slob and you…"

"You truly wish to live here? With me?"

Alex had not turned around for the conversation for fear of rejection but Alex was one to always overcome her fear. She pulled her shirt over her sports bra and turned toward the woman she could no longer deny she was in love with.

"Yeah, I really do but if its too soon I understand."

Nyssa moved at her usual incredible and grateful speed, taking Alex in her arms.

"Of course I want you here! I always want you here."

Alex grinned and kissed her.

"But I want it to be because you love me like I love you."

Alex once again gathered her courage and said the one phrase she had never uttered to anyone outside of her family. Despite the love she had for J'onn as the father figure she needed at a low time in her life the two knew but never said it and she had certainly never said it in this manner.

"I love you Nyssa. I've probably loved you since the first time you told me to fight you. You could have destroyed me but you didn't. You wanted to make me better and you could have embarrassed me but you didn't. You want the absolute truth? I don't think, no, I know I have never been in love with anyone before. I'm not sure if I will be any good at it but I want to try."

"Thats all I'm asking." Nyssa told her, happier than she had been in many years, if ever. She knew when she saw Alex that she would do whatever it took to win her heart, even if it meant following her underground into a house of horrors with monsters the likes of which she had never seen or imagined. Alex hugged her tightly, relieved and nervous. She didn't put her heart out much, preferring to stay guarded, to stay alert, to keep watch over her sunny little alien sister, ironically the most powerful woman in the universe. She stayed guarded around her mother, who she never felt close to until recently. Alex Danvers was a guarded person. To love outside of Eliza and Kara was unheard of.

"Your parents?"

"Probably time I introduced them to my girlfriend. Considering you have probably already shocked them enough, I don't think it can get any worse. The biological weapon Nyssa? Trying to kill your father? Really?"

'Wait until I tell them about leading my League while saving Oliver Queen from being destroyed by an army of Mirakuru soldiers in a freeway tunnel."

"Please don't." Alex begged.

"You love that story." Nyssa reminded her.

"I also love other things about you that we won't discuss with my parents."

"Point taken. And… Kara?"

"Yeah, and Kara. If I can get her to agree and she isn't flying around saving the city tonight, the two of us are going to have a talk that is probably a long time coming. I am going to tell her about us and I know she won't care. She will be happy for me. I don't know why I haven't before. Actually I do. If I told her it would make this real and I knew it wasn't casual either. But I am not hiding anymore. I faced my demons underground. I've faced almost everything in my life that I have been afraid of and I know now. I'm me. I'm not Kara's protector, I'm not a DEO agent, I'm finally just me. And the me that I am wants you."

"I'm very glad to hear that."

"But there is one thing I want you to do for me. If you can't or won't it won't change how I feel and this is not an ultimatum, just a request. Don't take anymore jobs."

Nyssa was a bit surprised and confused by this request.

"What sort of jobs have I been taking?"

"Uh… you…"

"Do you think I am a hit woman of some sort?" Nyssa asked, smiling.

"Well, you did tell Carter Grant that you take the occasional job that…"

"Alex! I was playing with him. He was too innocent for me not to have a bit of fun. I won't apologize for trying to kill the security guard. Honestly, you know how I feel about Kara and you and he could have fired at anyone."

"I'm not asking you to apologize. Honestly if I had your's and the Queen's reflexes I probably would have fired myself. But these jobs, every couple weeks you go out of town for a couple nights. You told me two weeks ago you had business in Opal City. You were gone overnight and I assumed…"

"You assumed I was hired to kill someone and still you love me?"

"Yeah. I don't know everything about you, it would take a lifetime, one I would gladly spend but I knew what I was getting into…"

"Alex, I am not an assassin. At least not any longer. I have not been for a very long time. I would have invited you to come with me but you have been close to Kara and I did not believe you would want to come along."

"But, you said you had business…"

"I did. The League of Assassins was very wealthy, over a thousand years and the money tends to add up. I was the last Ra's Al Ghul. When I disbanded the League the money was mine. It is mine. Since I don't have a backyard to bury it in, I have distributed to many different accounts, tax shelters, and investments. Some of my investments are quite large, large enough that I sit on a stock holders board for a large printing company in Opal City. I am also a benefactor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art In New York City and sit on a board there as well. I would be glad to take you with me. Opal City is a depressing city, much, much dark history but the business is solid and has a strong history of growth for the past fifty years. New York however, is marvelous. I am considering forming an investment group in Coast City and begin developing several abandoned beachfront properties as well, so I may be making a few short trips to the coast. We could have so much fun there! I've actually never worn a bikini now that I think about it. I would love to see you in one.I really don't need to invest in businesses or donate to Museums but it is more of a hobby of mine. I admit it was difficult in the past due to my position on A.R.G.U.S.'s most wanted list but due to my help in regards to events in Star City the past few years and Amanda Waller's fortunate demise, Lyla Diggle deemed it appropriate to give me a clean slate, I suppose you could say."

Alex stood back, mouth open, not sure how to take this. She had been convinced Nyssa paid for her luxurious condo with money from … other means.

"Business? When you say you are taking a business trip you actually mean business?"

"Well, not so much in regards to the Museum. That is more of a passion for art and I do enjoy being in the know so to speak in deciding on exhibits but it isn't technically business. The two of us could have so much fun in New York!"

"You are … rich?"

"I make Ray Palmer and Thea Queen look like paupers in comparison, yes."

"Wow… okay then. I need, I mean I don't want to leave but I need to work out. Want to come?"

"Very much so but not in the manner of which you are speaking. I need to meditate. I will be along in a couple hours."

"Okay… I will see you then."

Alex began to walk out when Nyssa called her name once more.

"Yeah?"

"Say it again? Just once more?"

Alex grinned, walking up to the woman and kissed her.

"I love you."

Feeling more vulnerable but happier than she had perhaps ever, Alex began the six mile run to S.T.A.R. not knowing what the day would bring but excited about it regardless. Her parents were together, safe in Joe West's house. Her family was together on a world in which Project Cadmus, Myriad and the DEO did not exist. She would make a life for herself. Alex did not pretend that she could have a quiet life. She planned to talk to Joe West. She was a warrior and while Kara did not need her protection it did little to change the fact that she wanted to make the world, whatever world she was on, a safer place, to handle dangers that normal people could not handle. She was a guardian and a warrior. She was not afraid to go to war to protect others and that is what she would do.

Even though she just found out her girlfriend, who she would now be living with, was a billionaire she still needed a job. Perhaps she could buy her own motorcycle now instead of stealing others. Caitlin was right, being a cop who dealt with metahumans was sort of in her wheelhouse and she could probably keep Barry's Dad, his real Dad in her mind, from getting himself killed.

By the time she had reached the lab, Alex had worked up quite a sweat and felt very warm. Using the key card in her running shorts card holder, she walked into the quiet, large space, imagining what this amazing building must have been like before Eobard Thawne purposely destroyed many lives in an attempt to get home. She noticed the med bay lab bed was occupied by a sleeping Barry Allen and Kara, their arms wrapped around each other. Stepping quietly up to the two, she couldn't help but smile at how beautiful they were together. She gently brushed a strand of hair off of Kara's face, kissed her on the forehead, soft enough not to wake her and moved on to the red sun room her and Kara trained with Nyssa often. The light wasn't needed today and perhaps never would be again now that her sister finally had something to help the poor kid lose her virginity.

She pulled her sweaty tee off, clad only in her shorts and sports bra and walked up to the salmon ladder Nyssa insisted they have installed. Watching Kara attempt to use this structure without her powers was a bit funny but she was getting better. Alex on the other hand, loved it.

She grabbed hold of the bar and began working her way up and then back down. After doing this several times she went back to the top, flipped her legs over the bars and began stomach crunches upside down, twisting with each movement. After ten minutes Alex flipped back up using her arms to hold herself up on the top of the bar and began dips. Once she completed those she used the bar to work her way back down, stopping halfway and dropping to the floor.

Alex wrapped her hands in tape, prepared to battle the wooden dummy, going through the routine Nyssa had engrained in both her and Kara. Barry was still working on breaking rocks.

"Trying out the Oliver Queen workout, huh?" a voice Alex was very familiar with asked from the doorway. She turned and saw Sara Lance standing there with a cute little smirk on her face wearing her white Canary outfit that Cisco had made for her long ago. She was leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, looking highly amused.

"I don't know. I understand you are the expert at working out Oliver Queen."

Sara's smile was gone but quickly returned.

"You really shouldn't speak about things you know nothing about."

"Wow, I couldn't agree more. So lets see what I do know about since I have been in this lovely universe. Tell me when I say something that is incorrect. Oliver was a rich brat in a somewhat serious, for him at the time, relationship with your sister. You decided to screw Oliver on a yacht while he was dating your sister. The yacht sinks and you are rescued by another man, a doctor correct? I can't speak of what happened there because I don't know. I will assume the best and say you were using that year of college you had to help him research a drug that caused men to develop super human abilities but that also killed them half the time, Mirakuru right? Like I said I can't discuss that because I really don't know what you did for the good doctor. The same one that made Oliver decide between you and Shado who he loved and he chose you out of guilt."

Sara's smile was definitely gone by this point.

"Yeah Nyssa has told me quite a bit about you. Oliver hasn't said a word but that is standard for him and its none of my business I guess but Nyssa told me because I asked. I was very curious about you for obvious reasons. What else do I know?

You almost died again, only to be rescued from starvation by Nyssa who took you in, despite her father's disapproval and trained you, loved you, believed you loved her and then abandoned her without a word, not even a simple I want to check on my family. Once Nyssa granted you your release from an oath you swore, you began sleeping with Oliver Queen again, despite your sister's alcohol abuse and knowing what it would do to her since she still probably loved him for some reason. Although that isn't fair to Oliver. The man I have heard about is not the man I know now who would take a bullet for my sister or travel to another universe to fight her enemies if needed. So I can definitely see why your sister loved him when he returned. He slept with you because I am guessing, and this is only a guess, that he felt guilty, probably felt he owed you. Nyssa told me Oliver Queen is ruled by guilt. It determines 90% of his actions by her estimate. You stay with Oliver until your old friend Slade Wilson… Deathstroke right? Cute name. Slade comes back and has an army intent on not only taking over the city but you and Oliver out. Oliver is prepared to fight Slade but you know he can't win so you go back to Nyssa begging her to save your life again. Of course you will go back to her, not because you loved her but because you needed something from her. Oh yes, you went on some time traveling adventure while your sister was taking your role and became a hero, a real hero. You meet my sister and … what? What was your draw to her?"

"I was trying to help her. I know what it is like to lose family…"

"And you didn't even let them know you were alive. Seen much of your father since you have been back from time traveling? Nyssa tells me while you were chasing down Savage for a year or so, the same man my sister took out in twenty minutes, Laurel was fighting for her home while you were trying to what? Find yourself? So why Kara? Needed someone who you could turn to since Nyssa had enough of your crap?"

"I respect your sister."

"Yeah you respect her. I have no doubt about that. Its impossible not to. She is a hero. She is a warrior, who has every reason to give into the darkness and doesn't. Wait, have I spoken about anything I don't know about yet? You haven't told me to stop. I admit I don't know much else. Oh wait, you did do an honorable thing by risking being stuck in another universe to bring Kara memories of her home. Of course you could have broken in after I left but no, you decided to kick the door in my face and attack me. Wanted to make me remember the issues Kara and I had. Did you not think that they were on my mind all day, everyday? You accused me of possibly being a part of the attempt on her life…"

"I didn't say that…"

"Shut up. I'm still talking about things I shouldn't because I know nothing about them. Oh yeah, I beg you to tell me how to get to my sister and you tell me good luck. I think thats about it. Thats all the things I can speak about that I know about anyway. Honestly I don't want to know anything more about you except what the hell you are doing here?"

Sara walked slowly into the room, her anger barely contained.

"I came to say hi to Ray, Martin and Jax and see how Kara was doing. I wanted to make sure she was okay after her little trip down memory lane. I see she is fine, her and Barry, so I guess I will be on my way. I'm glad you forced your way back into her life. Good for you."

Before Sara could turn, Alex hit her in the jaw, knocking the blonde to the ground.

"How do you want to do this? You passed everyone you just mentioned to find me. Did you expect me to back down? Thought you could taunt me a little bit? So what now? Want to use your big stick or your little sticks? Maybe one of your little sonic grenades?"

Sara stood up and rubbed her jaw.

"A couple weeks with Nyssa, probably spent more on your back and you think you are ready? You couldn't beat me before."

"That was then. I didn't know what I was fighting for. I do now. Do you? Have you ever known?"

"I fight to survive." Sara told her, unable to control her anger. "What do you fight for Alex? Your sister? She doesn't need you to fight for her."

"No, I don't fight for my sister. What I fight for is something I had to figure out for myself and isn't your business. We going to play with your toys or handle this like women?"

Sara unleashed a barrage of kicks towards Alex's head, frustrated when she realized none were landing. Alex swept her leg and she dropped. Before she could stand up a small but extremely fast fist hit her eye, knocking her back to the ground. The Canary lifted up, her foot striking Alex, knocking her back, only for the brunette to perform a perfect spin kick landing on the side of Sara's head.

The two stepped away, circling the room, Sara furious and Alex the picture of calm.

"League of Assassins huh? Ever fought man sized alien insects and survived? I have. I've fought and beaten enemies you wouldn't imagine in your worst nightmares. Face it Sara, you are out of your league."

Sara charged again only to feel a knee in her gut, doubling her over. A strike to the back of her head and she was on the ground face first with a knee in her back and her head bent back by Alex's arms.

"I would say this isn't personal. You are right, I really don't know much about you, and I don't want to but you need to know one thing."

"Let me guess, stay away from your sister?" Sara gasped.

"Kara can see who she wants. You need to know that I hate you and every time I see you I am going to kick your ass so if you want to visit anyone in this lab that is your business but you had better make sure I'm not here first."

Alex released Sara's head and stood up, walking towards the door. Training was over and she needed a shower. Unfortunately Sara Lance was not one to take being defeated well. She pulled her extendable bo staff and ran towards Alex.

Alex was distracted by Kara walking in the door. Kara's eyes lit up and she pushed Alex to the side, catching the staff and snapping it in half. Alex turned to see Kara at the top of the training room, holding Sara in the air by her throat.

"Have you lost your mind?! You were going to hit her from behind over the head with a metal bar? What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kara screamed. The fight went out of Sara seeing Kara's anger and hurt. For a few seconds she wondered if she would feel two lasers burning out her eyes. Kara let her drop to the floor where she landed on her knees. Landing in front of her, she looked Sara in the eyes.

"Sara, what is wrong with you?" she asked in a gentler tone.

"I don't know Kara." she admitted.

"If you want to fight Alex I'm sure she will do it anytime you want but I wouldn't recommend it judging by your face. But if you ever try to take a cheap shot at her again, especially with a damn metal bar while her back is turned, what I did to Savage is going to seem nice compared to what I do to you. I think you should leave until you can figure out whatever is going on in your head. You did a nice thing for me once, took a huge chance but never, ever mess with my family or you are going to see a side of me you don't like. Don't come back Sara. I hope whatever you have going on you can work it out but it won't be here."

Sara walked out, head down, trying to hold back tears, not because of the beating she took but because of the look in Kara's eyes. She did feel broken and wondered if she would ever be fixed. Plus she let down a woman she considered a friend. Sara didn't have many and she just lost another most likely. Kara may forgive, she didn't seem the type to hold a grudge, but she wouldn't forget. That look of gratefulness in her eyes when Sara handed her the bag with her mother's necklace would never be the same. Because despite saying she wanted to visit her old teammates she had come to S.T.A.R. with one purpose, following Alex from Nyssa's apartment and kicking her ass for no sane reason, most likely because Alex Danvers had a family and love that Sara knew she would never have.

In the training room, Alex tried to appear nonchalant about Kara's actions but wanted to high five someone.

"Thanks, but you know, I had that. I heard her behind me."

"I know." Kara told her with a smile. "But sometimes it makes me feel good to protect you. I owe you a few thousand. I heard you talking to her. Something is wrong with her Alex but it isn't our problem."

"You want to fix her, don't you?" Alex guessed.

"No. I hope she gets help one day but she tried to hurt you, to really hurt you. That's unforgivable in my book."

"Well, I have to say you looked extremely cute holding her by the neck in the air wearing your pajamas."

Kara laughed and wrapped an arm around her sister, both of them walking out.

"Hey Kara, tonight after work, do you think we could…"

"Talk? Really talk? Yeah, its probably time we laid somethings out on the table and moved past them."

"Good. It won't be easy but there is a lot I want to tell you and I want you to know and I want to know…"

"When were you going to tell me you are gay and sleeping with Nyssa?"

If Alex had been drinking something it would have come out of her nose.

"You know?"

"Of course. I notice things. I'm not as clueless as you seem to think I am. I've known since it started. Not you being gay. I figured that out long before you and Nyssa were … involved, but yeah, I totally knew."

Alex stopped and noted that Kara had her lying face on. She sucked at lying, a trait common around the circle of friends they all had and an unfortunate one for superheroes.

"Kara? Did Barry tell you?"

"Nope. Did you threaten him if he told me?"

"I just asked that I be the one who told you, not him. So if he didn't tell you and I know Caitlin didn't …"

"Caitlin knew?"

"I asked her not to say…"

"Yeah yeah, got it. Doesn't matter, I knew before all of them. I mean you are my sister. Of course I noticed. I mean it was obvious you had a thing for Lucy."

'I didn't have a thing for Lucy." Alex told her, wondering where the hell that came from.

"Really? Why not? If I was gay I would totally do that, you know, whatever that is. How does this work… no, no, no, I don't want to know… actually I kind of do… but I can get drunk with you now so you can tell me then, just not too many details. I just want the general mechanics of it. You know, like who does what when and how its decided and other things, yeah I guess I want to know a lot, not about you and Nyssa, Rao no, but just in general how this works. I was going to ask Caitlin about the general mechanics of you know, me and Barry, but I decided to look up most of the cool tricks online but Alex, illustrations are one thing but the pictures! I mean… I'm kind of scared of the whole thing. Its supposedly more painful than a stubbed toe and those are horrible. Anyway these pictures…"

"Kara! Who told you?" Alex asked, to stop her rambling before Kara began describing internet porn.

"Oh right. Yeah, no one told me. Me and Oliver were underground on the other side of the base fighting this big green monster. I was fighting, Oliver kept trying to shoot it with arrows and I was like, that is so not going to work, but I guess he didn't have any better ideas. Anyway I broke its neck but then I was talking to J'onn and the thing came back alive and hit me pretty hard. I hit the ground and I don't know, it just came to me. I remember…"

"Remember what?' Alex pressed.

"When I made you watch the first episode of Homeland you couldn't stand it. But when episode two came on and you saw that naked girl who was auditioning for the Prince guy's harem…"

"Stacy Moore." Alex prompted.

"That was like four years ago and she had 6 minutes screen time in two episodes and you remember the character's name? I just remembered the look in our eyes when you saw her and you never missed an episode after that."

"Thats what you were thinking about when you were knocked unconscious by a green giant alien who couldn't die?" Alex asked, thinking it made sense in a Kara sort of way.

"Well that and then I started thinking about all the times you and Nyssa disappeared together and then Mom said she was pretty sure… I mean she wouldn't tell me but it became obvious she knew once I really started thinking about it."

"Wait! Mom knows?!"

"I'm not… I mean she didn't say it, but I like to think I am pretty observant."

"You're really not." Alex corrected. "It took an alien sized concussion to figure it out. I can't believe Mom knows or at least suspects."

"I know. Maybe during Myriad an alien knocked her in the head. Were you keeping a close eye on her? Anyway we can talk about this tonight. I have to get ready. Apparently work is here today according to Felicity. I'm not sure what that means but Ray is coming back from the dead this afternoon and I really hope this place doesn't get dragged into that whole mess."

"If I have learned one thing, its that this place is going to be caught up in any mess around."

"Thats true. For a supposedly secure headquarters for a couple of superheroes it seems every bad guy and girl in the world knows we are here and can get in with pretty much no problem. We may as well do away with the security system and have one of those automatic doors that freak me out so much."

"How can those things freak you out?" Alex asked, for not the first time.

"They didn't until you made me watch Poltergeist when I was 14. So not funny. There were no ghosts on Krypton. Or evil scary whatever those were."

"You fought a White Martian." her sister reminded the woman of steel.

"Yep and if those things could have reached out of a TV set and dragged me in you can bet I would have flown away so fast Barry wouldn't be able to keep up. I like to think I'm brave but we all have our limits."

Alex laughed and walked to the shower room while Kara prepared for the day. To Kara's disappointment Barry was already gone, probably wanting to get to work early. She grabbed her phone and texted him.

/Good morning to you too jerk/

/Sorry- You were having sister time. I didn't want to stick around for the mechanics of lesbian sex. See you at ten./

Kara chuckled, glad to see he was in a better mood. Something had been very off about Barry since they had come back.

At ten AM Barry had arrived back, a bit annoyed because Joe had already set up an interview with Alex at ten and he wanted to know how it went when Alex came out. He was also making progress on the unsolved homicide. The man had been drugged by a gaseous substance found in his lungs but the method in which it attacked the brain confused him. Normally he would ask Caitlin to help him analyze it but he knew Alex was a genius as well, even if she did spend more time kicking ass than researching, and wanted her to take a look, especially if she would be working there full time. It would definitely give Cait more time to work on her projects. Instead he sat in a room with a smiling Felicity, a nervous Ray who was planning on announcing himself back to the world of the living in two hours and a confused Cisco and Caitlin, no doubt wondering like he was why they were here. Kara walked in, thankfully not angry at Barry leaving without a word this morning since she sat by him with a smile. She grabbed his hand under the table and kissed his cheek then whispered in his ear.

"If you ever leave in the morning without kissing me goodbye, you won't like me when you come back. Understand… babe?"

Barry gulped and nodded, figuring he wasn't quite out of the doghouse. Honestly since they had come back he didn't want to leave Kara's side out of fear for her, which made no sense now that she was back where she was safe. He left because if he saw her he would be tempted to stay all day and miss work, again. It wasn't right and roses would be the minimum in regards to apologies.

"Thank you all for agreeing to see me today. Mr. Palmer and I want to…"

"Felicity? Its us and you trying to sound like a professional business woman instead of a badass hacker is going to freak us out, so if we could maybe chill on the whole serious business thing you two have going on?" Cisco asked.

Felicity let out a breath, not sure how this would go but deciding her professional approach probably wasn't going to work, especially with Cisco slurping coffee with his Wrath of Khan t shirt on, complete with mustard stains.

"Fine, sorry, I'm kinda nervous. I shouldn't be because we are all friend here and there is nothing to be nervous about but this is going to be a little out there. I mean compared to some of the stuff we have all gone through it isn't but…"

"What Felicity is trying to say," Ray cut in, obviously much better at this and wondering how his company was still standing with Felicity as CEO. If she was this nervous talking to friends he could imagine what the Board must have done to her. "Is that Palmer Tech Wants to buy S.T.A.R. labs."

Barry, Caitlin and Cisco both froze, not knowing what to expect but not this.

"This is our home. This is the Superflash cave. We have had some great… and really horrible and terrifying memories here but its still our home." Cisco pointed out.

"I know and that won't change. I plan to take back control of my company today and make Central City my base of operations while Felicity handles Star City. You three aren't making any money. Its a miracle the lights are still on."

"We do all right for ourselves. We have been in a hole but things are looking better." Cisco told him defensively, pulling out a lollipop and chewing on it.

"We are offering to buy S.T.A.R. for $30 million dollars. Ten for each of you. In exchange you would still be managers of the lab, and this place would be designated as a top secret research facility with access only allowed to select employees."

"And if the board wants a tour? Caitlin asked.

"Seriously all you guys have to do is take the suits off the mannequins and put them in Kara's room for a hour or so. Its not like you have arrows all over the place the way Oliver's place is set up. This place is still a lab. There aren't any giant lightning bolts on the walls. We would have advanced notice if anyone had a very legitimate reason to come in here. The only people allowed to work here are people who already know what goes on here. I need the lab and space for working on my suit. Dr. Stein needs a research area that allows him to leave with little notice should he and Jax be needed. Kara's parents are outstanding bio engineers and will need jobs, the work they could do in the biomechanics division with you Cait, on the bio stimulant chips and nano tech designed for bloodstreams, treating strokes, blood clots, maybe one day attacking cancerous cells at the source. We could cure a lot of diseases and you can't tell me they wouldn't want to be involved in that. Alex obviously loves the work to when she isn't… saving mine and Barry's asses and being a cop. I know the work you four do isn't cheap. How much take home are you and Cisco bringing in after the suits Barry and Kara wear are taken into account?"

"The suits pay for themselves." Caitlin told him.

"I understand. I'm not trying to buy you out of your home, I just see an opportunity to help us all benefit while still maintaining business as usual and also proving livelihoods for our new resident scientists and a guy Felicity says is on par with Curtis when it comes to coding. Winn, right?"

All three said nothing, Barry already deciding he would let Caitlin and Cisco make this decision. This place belonged to them and while he was technically a co owner it was given to him by Thawne and that had always left a bad taste in his mouth. Allowing Cisco and Caitlin ownership and all profit, not that there was much, took some of the sting out of it.

"Can we have a minute? I think the four of us need to talk." Caitlin asked.

'I should go too…"

"Stay Kara. This place is your home as well." Cisco told her. Ray and Felicity smiled and stood up.

"No matter what you decide I won't be offended. Its going to require a lot of trust in me on your part. I will have stipulations of course that if I were to die the lab would revert back to its original owners. Take as much time as you need. I have come things I need to talk to Felicity about anyway."

The two walked out leaving the four behind staring at each other.

"I have no part in this decision." Kara told them immediately but remained sitting.

Barry looked at his two partners.

"This is you and Cisco's decision. I have a job. This place is what it is, it survived because of you two."

"And we stayed because of you Barry. If we do this you are taking your share. You have put as much sweat and quite a bit of blood and broken bones as either of us have. We are a team. We own this place together and the only reason I have stayed, that I left Mercury to come back, was because of you Barry."

"Thanks Caitlin." Cisco commented, earning a shoulder bump from his old friend.

"I guess the question is do we trust Ray?" Barry asked the three.

"I don't know anything about him so leave me out of it." Kara said quickly. She liked the man but had limited interactions with him.

"Selling, taking a couple million and still getting to do our things would be a good deal." Cisco pointed out. "Plus we do have a lot of talent around this place now. Harry could actually earn his keep. How does he have money anyway?"

"I don't want to know." both Cait and Barry said simultaneously.

"What if there is a hostile take over or something? What if Ray loses the company? We may be able to pick another headquarters…"

"Cave." Cisco corrected Barry.

"But we would still need the particle accelerator. I need it or at least I have used it quite a bit. The Speed Canon if we can ever get it stabilized has been a big help. The treadmill, Kara's room…"

"Whoa. I can pack up and move anywhere." she told the three.

"No one is moving. Barry you don't need the accelerator again. You have the Tachyon device and can breach whenever you want." Cisco pointed out.

"You want to sell?" Barry asked.

"I think it wouldn't be a bad thing. I mean we would be set for life and could still do our thing, surrounded by help. Ray would stick around and Dr. Stein so we could always have backup. Jax can do whatever the hell he does when he isn't being Dr. Steins superhuman car. We can trust Ray. He has always been a good guy. He isn't trying to trick us." Cisco argued. "What do you think Caitlin?"

Caitlin had mostly been silent this entire time, her mind going over every possible scenario as it usually did.

"I think we should do it."

"Then its decided. If you two want it, then it is going to happen…" Barry started, relieved he didn't have to be a deciding vote.

"Provided that you agree to take your part Barry." Caitlin added.

Barry sighed. He wouldn't give up his job but the idea of having that to fall back on, to be able to give Kara whatever she wanted, not that she ever wanted much or anything really, it was appealing.

"Okay." he gave in.

"Yes! Lets get them in here…"

"No! Give me five minutes." Caitlin ordered. All sat in silence while she opened her laptop and typed furiously.

Once she was done, she looked at Cisco who walked over and yelled for Ray and Felicity despite there being an intercom system in the room. The two Palmer Tech reps walked back and sat, neither having any idea how this would go. Barry, Cisco and Kara all looked towards Cait.

"We are open to selling S.T.A.R…." she began.

"Excellent!" Ray shouted happily.

"but not for $30 million." she finished.

"I don't understand." Ray asked, thinking $30 million was extremely generous.

"The land we sit on is in the middle of Central City. The real estate value alone is fifteen million. We also have an operational satellite worth at least $5 and thats a friend's discount. We have contracts with Opal, Star and Central City police departments in the range of $100,000 a year for equipment to hold metahumans that we own the patent on. These are five year contracts rounding out to a million and a half. While the particle accelerator is never going to be turned on again, we all know it can work if Thawne hadn't purposely sabotaged it and CERN offered us $30 million for the pipeline and equipment alone to be taken to Switzerland last year. I turned them down because we needed the pipeline and honestly Ray, if this wasn't you and Felicity there is no way we would sell. We also have advanced physics patents generated by the research and data we have gathered from classified experiments which are actually data collected from Barry's use of the speed canon and the patents on the tachyon device which shouldn't be given out but one day perhaps in two decades, while researchers are looking for ways to measure the universes vibrations and attempting to discover more about inter dimensional travel as it relates to space exploration and stable wormholes, we are already there, twenty years or so in front of the latest trend. We also hold the patents and copy rights to anything Flash, Green Arrow, and Superwoman related through a seperate LTD attached to the S.T.A.R. labs corporation. In other words every time a shirt is sold, a toy is bought or a poster is hung we get a percentage. Its becoming pretty lucrative and how we pay for the suits and tech in Barry and Kara's suits. Its also how Cisco affords to make the enhancements to Oliver's suit."

All at the table looked at Caitlin in shock. Not one had any idea she had done all this. She looked at Barry and Cisco and shrugged her shoulders.

"What? We had to pay for this somehow. Who do you think pays the bills for this place? Oh, that reminds me, we are under contract to conduct research for A.R.G.U.S for curing Amanda Waller's disasters. Mostly just DNA work and gene repair. That service we provide case by case. The work I am doing on King Shark alone is bringing in about $500,000 thousand this year. Government is always reckless with their money, especially if it involves correcting embarrassing mistakes made by heads of black op agencies."

"I see." Ray mumbled, a brand new respect for the woman in front of him. She was much more than a scientist.

"You make money off Green Arrow merchandise?" Felicity asked, not angry but fascinated. She always wondered who was making off with their work.

"Yep. I copywriter and patented it about five minutes after that TV broadcast where he gave out a new name. I'm just glad he has stuck with one this time. Rebranding is not really my area of expertise and I didn't want to bring in marketing consultants for obvious reasons. Barry has kept us pretty busy. Point being while Cisco and I cleared about $50,000 thousand last year, because of the enormous cost of running this place, if you want to buy it, you are getting everything. I won't bother detailing the advanced electron microscopes we have, the surgical equipment, the computer equipment and communication devices. You are getting everything we use besides Barry and Kara's suits and we are trusting that you won't kick us out, not that we are worried because you know what Kara can do to you, no matter how big or small you are. And I mean that to be funny because of your suit, not because of anything else."

"We also acquired some very high powered solar lamps recently." Cisco reminded Cailtin. "And we know how to replicate different types of non harmful solar radiations so Kara can get her freak on. We haven't even begun to explore what that radiation can do in regards to skin cancer. Oh the bracelet stays with us too. I got you covered buddy." Cisco finished, patting Barry on the shoulder while Kara blushed as bright as a red sun.

"So how much are we talking Caitlin?" Ray asked, grinning. He had to admit he never considered or even knew about all S.T.A.R had to offer and he had been living here since parting ways with Rip Hunter months ago.

"Ray the work you do is amazing, The nano tech in Kara's suit that can change into reflector panels, that was so nice of you and you haven't asked for anything in return besides a bed to sleep on. You help us out so much. Because it is you, I'll give you the friends discount at $75 million." Cait told him.

Everyone held their breath at the table. This was a side none had seen of Caitlin. Barry knew she handled the bills but had no idea she had done all this.

"What if I bought in? Most of the coding work will still happen at the new facility being built. Kara is still going to be over PR and Curtis and I hope Winn will be there. I won't need the entire facility. Perhaps a merger…"

"Not looking for a new partner Ray. You want it, you get the whole thing." Caitlin told him.

"I'm an executive assistant." Kara reminded the room since everyone seemed to have forgotten on the Palmer Tech team.

"Yeah so was I. Six months later Ray was playing dead and I was the owner and CEO. Try having that dumped on you. Your lucky you are only getting stuck with PR." Felicity told her. "And if Ray asks you to sign anything make very sure you read it first."

"I don't know if I can get the board…"

"I thought you owned the company? Your return alone is going to make the stock jump up 40%. You can get away with it if you wanted to. Its up to you. Me and Cisco are perfectly happy getting along on the salary we take home."

"We are? I mean, yeah we are. We are Cait?"

"Yes we are Cisco."

"Fine. We have a deal. Let me come back to life in an hour, handle the legal necessities to get my company back in the next couple days and Team Superflash will have corporate sponsorship and you three are going to be rich. Any chance I can get my name incorporated into the team?"

"No." All three said at once.

"I guess two names combined should be the limit. Jax and I are working on our own name anyway. A pleasure doing business with you. Felicity can have the contracts drawn up by next week, say Monday?"

"That would be great." Caitlin told him, standing and shaking Ray's hand and hugging Felicity.

"Okay, time to get ready for the press conference and since I am soon to be the owner Jax and I are buying a pool table to put in my lab. Its going to be awesome!"

Ray practically skipped out, leaving the four team members staring at each other. Even Caitlin let out a breath, having a difficult time believing she pulled that off.

"You realize you just made us millionaires, right?" Barry asked her, smiling and so proud he wanted to run her around town on his shoulders.

"Oh my God I did… Barry you agreed." she reminded him.

"Got it. If you insist on giving me millions I won't argue. So… I have to get back to work."

"Yeah, I do to." Kara added. "I guess I need to make sure this press conference is going to work. I mean there are only a few people I called and didn't tell any station or news agency outside of Central City but his return is going to be picked up around the world in a matter of minutes. I suppose I should… handle that."

"Barry why the hell are you going to work?! We are freaking rich buddy!"

"Yeah I guess we will be but I love my job. So I'm going to keep doing it, the same as I know neither of you are flying off to a tropical beach and relaxing for the rest of your lives. Nothing is going to change. The four of us are still going to be out there, doing what it is we do everyday. We do it because we love it and can do it because Caitlin is a genius in more than bio engineering. So, I will catch you guys later."

Barry bent down and kissed Kara, not wanting to leave her but telling himself that she was okay. He hadn't processed the fact that he was going to be very rich soon and honestly didn't care. He was happy for Cisco and Caitlin and glad he could provide whatever Kara may need. He could take care of his own family and if things ever changed they could have their own little cave to operate out of and the tech and money to not worry about anything else besides the work they do protecting the city and world.

Speaking of protecting the world, his world at least, Barry had an idea, the beginnings of an idea, an idea Caitlin would hate and by extension Kara. Still it was something he had to do. He knew the man who could help him with this. Walking in he was unsurprised to see Harrison Wells sitting at his work table, tinkering with a weapon of some sort.

"Harry?"

"Hey Barry." Wells said without turning around. Barry looked back to make sure no one was in the hall and then closed the door gently. He spoke softly, not that he thought Kara might be listening but because he really didn't want anyone to know about this yet.

"I need your help with something."

Harry did turn at the man's quiet and serious tone.

"Barry I think after what you have done for my family there isn't anything I would turn down in my power. What can I do for you?"

"I want to know if it is possible for me to get …"

"Faster? Haven't you gotten fast enough?"

"No I haven't, but thats not what I want. I want to know how to hit something, anything, hard, without having to run miles away for a head start. I want to know how to hit something big and destroy it without shattering every bone in my hand. Do you think its possible?"

Harrison Wells grinned.

"Come talk to me after work. It is possible, using the speed force to vibrate… let me work this afternoon. I've actually been thinking about it myself. We can talk about something called the infinite mass punch. I think you can do it but it will be very dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

"The last time something hit the Earth with the force of infinite mass the dinosaurs became extinct. But that was a lot bigger rock than your fist."

Barry grinned, knowing he had come to the right man. He wouldn't hide this from anyone but he wanted to know if it was possible first. Next time he may not have bombs to leave inside Doomsday or another creature like him. Next time Barry wanted to have the confidence that he could stand in front of anything and destroy it with his body, speedster, monster or any other threat to his friends, family and especially Kara. Fast enough? No Barry wasn't near as fast as he could be and he knew it as sure as he knew there were other uses for speed than just running. Mass X acceleration equals force. He may not have much mass but he had plenty of acceleration to burn.

That afternoon while Barry and Wells worked on physics theories at the lab, Kara and Alex headed to Kara's apartment after spending an hour visiting their parents but suspecting they needed a bit more time alone. Jeremiah was practically attached to Eliza, constantly touching her. If she walked to the kitchen he walked behind her. The girls had told him a bit about Myriad but when it got to the point of Eliza watching a mind controlled Alex attack Kara he asked them to stop. Despite wanting to now everything he realized maybe he should learn a bit at a time. His new reality was hitting him hard and he was doing his best to deal. Joe had no problem with the couple staying as long as they wanted so he had time. They both did.

Cait and Cisco had decided to celebrate and show Winn the city at the same time so the apartment was empty. Kara turned on the bracelet she had snuck out of the lab, under Barry's nose, pulled out a bottle of Vodka and placed it on the table where Alex sat across from her. Grabbing two shot glass they both started off preparing for the conversation that was about to happen.

"So who starts?" Alex asked.

"Go ahead." Kara offered. Alex took up the offer.

"I thought… I was so scared that you were dead. Do you have any idea what that did to me? To Mom? Cisco could have brought you back at anytime, anywhere and you couldn't even come back to tell us you were okay? Why Kara? Do I mean so little to you that you would just leave us like that, thinking you were dead?"

"Cisco isn't great, or wasn't at the time when it came to breaches and…"

"And what? You were scared you would be separated from Barry? I know he would have come with you and Cisco can do that whenever he wants. If we are going to have this talk lets be honest or this is a waste of time." Alex told her calmly, despite the pain she felt inside.

"I was scared, okay? You want the truth. I was scared. I wasn't even scared of being shot, although, no that was a part of it. I mean the look in that man's eyes when he put a gun to my head and I couldn't move… but mostly I was scared of going back. I was scared of ruining your life. You took a huge risk coming after me in that pod. You could have died, we both would have died and for what? What have I ever done for you Alex? I'm the reason your Dad was missing for years, you thought he was dead. I'm the reason you grew apart from Eliza. Remember at Thanksgiving? You were so mad and pointed right at me, asking her how you could dedicate your life to protecting me? That hurt Alex. I used to love how protective you were but I thought it was because… after that I kind of felt like you did it out of obligation to her and you resented Eliza because of it. Like you said, before I came you were the star. I was scared. If I came back I didn't know if I could leave. Kal was there before I lost consciousness. I knew he would protect the two of you. They wanted me dead because of who I was. I was scared. I missed Barry when he left. I know I hadn't known him long but something broke inside me when he disappeared from my life. I tried to move on but what did I have? A sister who resented me, who I wrecked her family, a blood cousin who was never really there who I was supposed to protect. A job that I liked but I wasn't going anywhere. I'm pretty certain Cat knew who I was already and the whole double thing was a failure. She would have fired me eventually like she threatened last time so I could be Supergirl 24/7. I just thought it would be better if I was dead to that world. I figured you would grieve and move on. I didn't know that you and Mom would…"

"Move Heaven and Earth to get to you? Ask Cat Grant for millions despite the way I felt for that woman and undertake a huge task of bending physics all so we could just get to you?"

"Yes! Thats exactly what I had no idea about. I didn't think…"

"Anyone loved you enough to bother?"

"No… Alex I know you loved me. I have always known that, but I also recognized I probably wasn't good for you. I'm sorry. That was your choice to make and I should have tried to come back. Barry would have come back with me and we could have escaped together, we could have found a way. I'm sorry. I was scared and selfish and I felt you would be better off without me. I was wrong." Kara admitted.

Alex and her both took shots.

"I forgive you." she told her. "Your turn."

"Have you always resented me? I know you love me but when I was under the Red Kryptonite and I told you that you always hated me deep down, did you? At times you must have right?"

"At times? No. I just couldn't. There were times I wanted to. I was glad you didn't want to use your power. It not only made me feel better but kept you safer. I knew. Hank…J'onn told me who your mother was. I had seen these monsters first hand and they were monsters Kara, they were not you. You are love and they were hate, battle hardened hate. You had never felt pain since you came to Earth. You were gentle and good and I knew. I had nightmares about what would happen if they got to you. I had dreams about you being shred to pieces. That is why I told you I would rather have died than have you expose your powers. Once you started I knew you wouldn't stop and they would find you. Then to make matters worse you had to wear that symbol. Kal El was a fighter, he had been in battles and still almost lost despite his strength. Metropolis was destroyed in his battle with Zod and Zod's cronies. He almost lost because he was outnumbered. I didn't want that to happen to you. He had to fight three Kryptonians. You would have had thirty or forty escapees that we knew about coming after you including Kryptonians. Kal and I fought about this because he wanted to be a hero but didn't feel the need to protect you or train you. He should have known better, he should have known what it was like for him and how much worse it would be for you. But he didn't so I did everything I could to hide you, to make you hide yourself. I was wrong. I should have trained you myself, I should have prepared you, taught you to fight and I shouldn't have lied to you about who I worked for."

"Why did you let Hank shoot me down with a Kryptonite dart? Did you really think that was the best way for me to find out about you?"

"No and I didn't know he was going to do that. He called me at home and told me to come into the office. When I got there I found you just as you were waking up. I didn't know what to do. You were … the way you looked at me, I was afraid I had destroyed any trust… I wanted to tell you after you saved me from that plane crash but J'onn said it would only encourage you. After you left I screamed at him for an hour. I actually quit. I threw my damn gun at him. He followed me out and apologized and told me to take time to think about it and what he did was harsh but would be effective. He didn't know you like I did. Your spirit can't be broken. It can be knocked down but never broken."

"Why did you think it was okay for you to fight aliens and not me? Did you think they would see that you weren't Alura's daughter and let you go?" Kara asked her, never quite understanding why J'onn allowed Alex to be placed in danger when he promised Jeremiah he would look after both his daughters.

"No. I was in a low place in my life during college. I never hated you Kara but there were times when I was trying to find my place in the world that I couldn't stand to look at you. You reminded me of everything I wasn't. I was so depressed and angry at the world because I had lost my Dad and me and Mom had drifted apart and there you were, the epitome of light and you had lost everything. You had literally lost everything. I knew it tore you up inside because I listened to you cry in your sleep but when you woke everything was fine. I knew it wasn't but you were just so selfless. You kept it in because you knew it would make Mom upset if she thought you were upset. I couldn't do it. Looking at you was like looking in a mirror and seeing what I was supposed to be and the reflection changing to what I was. I'm sorry for that. Joining the DEO gave me purpose I wouldn't have found behind a microscope. It made me feel better, knowing I could have a hand in taking out even one of the evil bastards who would hurt you if they found you. Its why I could look at you again without feeling disgusted at myself. I'm sorry for that. I really am. I wish I had handled the whole thing differently, but I can't. I made a mistake."

"I forgive you." Kara told her.

Alex and Kara toasted each other before Alex took her turn.

"It really pissed me off that I wasn't a part of your perfect world." she admitted.

"I figured. I'm sorry. I love you but I had you. I had this life. It wasn't perfect and I suppose in my mind what is perfect will always be my childhood. Remember I told you that you weren't my sister because we didn't share blood?"

"Yep. One of the top five worst moments of my life. I think I would have rather you melted my face off." Alex told her.

"I know. The thing is, I was bitter growing up with you sometimes. I mean you had what I wanted, what I had. On Krypton family was everything. It was who you were. I had that, I wanted what you had. You had a mother and father you shared blood with and I always felt like an outsider and I was so angry at Kal El for leaving me because he didn't understand. He should have known what blood meant to a Kryptonian but he didn't because he grew up in Kansas. To him Krypton was this mystical place he was from, that he took pride in and represented. If he had any pride or knowledge about Krypton he would know he would have been expelled from the family for leaving me with another family. I couldn't tell him that though. I was 13 and scared and angry and he was clueless. I tried to speak to him in Kryptonian and had to keep repeating myself because he couldn't understand. He had a basic understanding of the words but no idea about the dialect. I felt like an idiot and he is the one who should have! So yeah, I grew up watching you have what I couldn't and when my perfect world popped up in my head I was on Krypton and Kal El was a child and he looked to me as it should have been. But it wasn't and I came back to you because I love you. I will always love you more than anyone Alex. Probably because you aren't perfect and neither am I. Both of us are so screwed up… I'm sorry."

"You do understand that no part of me hates you right? Yeah I may have resented you, wanted to be you but I have never, ever hated you. I love you always, you get that right?"

"Yeah I do. I hope you know I feel the same. You are closer than blood to me because you chose me when my own abandoned me. You do know I wouldn't have actually killed you under the Red Kryptonite. I just wanted to scare you a little." she told Alex with a wicked grin.

"You succeeded." Alex admitted, pouring another shot for both of them. Kara began to get a bit dizzy.

"You know this is only the second time I have really drank alcohol right?"

"Don't turn into a lightweight on me now Superwoman. Why did Sara Lance know all our problems?"

"I got drunk with the girls and just told them about my old life and they kind of… I didn't say anything bad about you…"

"They just took it for what it was."

"They didn't… yeah but I was drunk. Very drunk. I told them I missed you though. I told them I loved you. When you came to me, what you did to get to me, I should have yelled at her for fighting you. I was so caught up in having my mother's necklace and then to find out you were here and what had happened … I was surprised but I should have yelled at her. I'm sorry."

"You are forgiven. I doubt you said anything that wasn't true and the bitch did take a risk for you. I still hate her. Something about her face…"

"I doubt you will have to worry about seeing her again."

"Where do you think she will buy a new staff to replace the one you snapped? Is there like an assassin's store or do they have to build their own on top of a mountain?"

Kara looked at Alex with a stern gaze, at least she tried to before the thought of Sara on a mountain making a new staff mixed with the alcohol in her system made her burst out laughing, Alex joining her. It has been a while since Alex had drank as well.

"So are we done? All the serious stuff out of the way?" Alex asked.

"I don't think we should ever be done. I think we should always get drunk and talk and maybe even do it without the Vodka. Maybe if we had talked like this more often we could have cleared the air sooner. I was afraid fi I said anything about what hurt I would lose you."

"Same here." Alex agreed.

"One last thing. Do you think I am a child?"

"No!"

"The why do you hide things from me like I am a child? I thought J'onn killed Astra because he thought it was the only way to stop her permanently. If he had told me he did it to save you, I wouldn't have been angry. If you had told me you did it to save him… I was more hurt that you lied to me than you doing it. I would have chosen J'onn over her also. If I had been there I would have been forced to kill her to protect him because I loved her before but I love J'onn and there would have been no decision to make. I could have taken it."

"J'onn thought you couldn't and I believed him. I was so scared…"

"Hey, I know. We covered this. But that isn't it. Its a lot of things. Why did you never tell me you were gay? I thought we shared didn't you tell me the problems you were having in college? It seems like you don't think I can take hearing or knowing anything bad. My freaking planet blew up Alex. I can handle knowing things you keep from me."

"Because I don't want you to look at me differently. I didn't want you to know I was depressed and drowning my sorrows in alcohol and women. I didn't want you to know… I never brought up being gay not because I didn't want you to know, just because it didn't matter. I wasn't with anyone and never thought I would be so what was the point? Then with Nyssa,,, her background and I know how you feel about killing, I just wasn't sure what you would think."

"I think its great that you have someone to love and I think she is great. You do love her, don't you?"

"Yeah I do."

"Thats all that matters then. Does her… job bother you?" Kara asked gently.

"Nope because she isn't an assassin. She is rich, filthy stinking rich. By the way I have moved in with her. I was supposed to take her to tell Mom and Dad tonight but Dad still needs time to adjust and Nyssa agreed. She was just happy I told you."

"I figured it out first." Kara reminded her.

"It took a monster induced concussion to help you out."

"True. By the way, as of Monday Barry is going to be stinking rich too. Ray Palmer is buying S.T.A.R. from Caitlin,Cisco and Barry. He wants Mom and Dad if he is up to it to work there."

"Yeah I saw the press conference. You did a really good job interrupting him every time he was about to say something stupid."

"Felicity gave me pointers."

"Hey wait a minute. Nyssa is rich, Barry is rich… wow, we are officially gold diggers!" Alex shouted in joy throwing back another shot while Kara laughed and did the same.

Alex settled down and moved towards Kara wrapping her little sister in a tight hug.

"Less than two months as we are dating rich people. We are so awesome. I love this Earth." Alex whispered.

"Here's to the Danvers sisters."

"Nope," Alex corrected, "Here's to the Zorel sisters. We should come with a warning. Now lets put up the Vodka and break out the ice cream. But first I have to know one other thing about the whole Red Kryptonite thing. Its been bugging me forever."

"Fine then we never speak of it again." Kara groaned.

"Okay, where the hell did you get that black suit from and when did you have time to sew your family crest on the shoulder?"


	26. Chapter 26

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N Thank you for all the support I have received with this story. No matter what, it will be finished. We are about halfway now and the support I have received has been phenomenal. I should give you all a warning. For those looking for I guess they are called lemons, since this is a T rated story and I am trying to keep it in the context of the show, as far as general minimal use of cursing, and so forth, there will be no detailed private scenes. You will have to use our imagination. I don't really want to take it to a mature rating because I could never see the shows doing that. Sure you may get hints of it, or even a bit of steamy scenes like Oliver and Felicity in Nada Parbet (sp? too lazy to look it up right now) but nothing too detailed. I hope you enjoy it anyway and if there is enough demand for more detail I may write a one shot for different scenes and one may be rated mature. Plus I still have Nyssa and Alex's first conversation to write which may be a one shot or a flash back in this story. As far as last chapter Sara lovers and Alex lovers ( I seem to see two split camps but I write whatever comes out) soon the two, while never liking each other, will have to work together to save each others life so that should be fun. A forced partnership of two women who absolutely hate each other! Good times. Okay, on with the story.

Chapter 26

"Good morning."

At 6 AM, Barry hadn't expected anyone to be at the lab. He had planned on meeting Harry here before work but when he tried to wake the man, Wells brushed him off and told him they would talk when the sun came up. So rather than watch TV, Barry went into Wells' work area and continued the equations the two had started the night before while Kara and Alex had been getting drunk apparently, judging by the strange texts he received all night.

So to hear Jeremiah's greeting, a man who Joe had told him, had not left the house or his wife's side, to be here this early, surprised him greatly, leaving him momentarily speechless.

"Dr. Danvers. Good morning." Barry greeted in return when he found his voice. He briefly wondered if he should cover the board he and Harry had been working on but remembered Jeremiah's specialty was not advanced physics and left it alone.

"Danvers is gone I'm afraid. I suppose Zorel will take some getting used to. Now I know how Kara felt. I suppose we should stick with Jeremiah if that is alright with you?"

"Yeah… okay. So Jeremiah… what are you doing here, especially so early?"

"I had a talk with Ray Palmer last night. He talked to me and my wife. To be honest I wasn't sure I ever wanted to be in a lab again, but I know Eliza even after all these years and it is going to be too good of an opportunity to pass up. Honestly it's too good an opportunity for me to pass up. I've been afraid to leave her side or go outside since I was freed. It's irrational… I know intellectually I'm safe, my family is safe, but I just haven't been able to face the world, I suppose you could say. I haven't seen traffic in twelve years. But I can't hide forever. I thought maybe hanging out here today might help me acclimate. Eliza is around, wandering the halls. Ray said he slept here? And this Dr. Wells?"

Barry laughed, admitting silently that this place resembled a hotel more than a highly advanced lab at times.

"Yeah, Ray has been playing dead for the past couple years and everyone thinks our Dr. Wells is dead. They don't get out much. Speaking of Ray, did you see the press conference?"

"I saw my little Kara on TV looking confident, beautiful, and in control. I always knew she had it in her."

"How did you get here?" Barry asked.

"Joe let us borrow his car, said he would get a ride into work. He's a nice guy. A great guy." Jeremiah told the speedster.

"Yeah, believe me I know. I would have had a very different life if not for him." Barry admitted.

"Barry can we talk? Really talk?"

Barry managed not to roll his eyes, thinking this would be the dad threatening the boyfriend speech. Still he would take it. He took a lot worse in his life and honestly if it made Kara's adoptive dad feel better it would be worth it.

"Of course. I'm an open book." Barry lied. To Kara, Cait, Cisco and Joe he was an open book. He surprised himself when he realized he didn't include Iris in that but honestly while the two had a much better relationship now that her and Kara had apparently made peace, he still found himself drawing away, not sure why. He also trusted Wally West, most likely due to the young man releasing Barry to race Zoom and having confidence in him when no one else did at the time.

"I need to … I feel the need to apologize to you. Maybe not you, maybe I just feel the need to explain myself. To tell you why I did what I did for the people that kept me."

"You did what you had to do to keep your daughters safe. I don't think I will ever have kids unless Kara and I maybe adopt one day and I am fine with that. But I would like to think that if I had, there isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect them."

"You destroyed Doomsday." Jeremiah said, Barry not sure if he was asking or stating a fact.

"Yeah."

"A part of you has to be wondering about why I created a monster that could kill Kara." the man said bluntly, catching Barry by surprise. He opened his mouth to disagree but Jeremiah stopped him.

"Don't deny it. You love Kara, and I know, considering what you did, you would kill for her and die for her. I also know that if you are as fast as you must be to phase through solid matter and living tissue then the world must seem very slow to you at times, when you reach that velocity. I'm sure a bright guy like you recognized what that monster was."

"A Kryptonian killing machine." Barry managed to answer, keeping the bitterness out of his voice hopefully, not fooling Jeremiah at all. Instead the scientist nodded.

"I was trying to kill Superman."

Barry had nothing to say to that. He just stared at the man, wondering what the hell he was thinking, admitting that to him.

"I was shown pictures of my girls growing up. I was told Alex was working in a lab and Kara was working as an assistant to a CEO of a global media company. I was shown pictures of Kara walking down the sidewalk, coffee in hand, a phone to her ear, looking harried. I saw Alex coming and going in her apartment, all the time in regular clothes, nothing to tip me off to what she was doing, what either of them were doing. All these photos had one thing in common. They were taken through a rifle scope."

"Okay. I can understand that. But what does… I mean…"

"Yesterday evening, Alex and Kara began filling me in on their … activities, the past year. I still don't know all the story. I had to stop when I heard about Alex and that sword and mind control… I still want to know the rest, I need to know the rest. I know besides meeting you, nothing good happened for Kara and Alex has probably been through hell being separated for as long as they had been. Eliza had. But I have to know."

"And you want me to tell you?" Barry asked, wondering if this was his place.

"No. I wan't you to understand, I want to explain myself…"

"You owe me nothing."

"You saved Kara's life. I would disagree. I owe you an explanation because if there is one thing I have seen is you two are going to stay together and I want us… to get along. I don't want you to resent me."

"I don't resent you." Barry told him immediately.

"I do. While I was working for the DEO and then Cadmus, I spoke often to a man I suppose you could call a handler. He constantly showed me photos and talked about how Kara wasn't a threat because she stayed out of the hero business. They had no need to hurt her. Alex was no threat and there was no reason for them to go after anyone. He was lying to me of course but I had no way or no other option except to hope he was telling the truth. It was simple. If I wanted my girls to continue living the normal lives they had, I had to create something that Superman could not stop. Something that he had no chance, that no one could stop. If it was ever suspected that I was stalling, he would bring Kara and Alex's heads to me on a platter and he meant that literally. The bastard even showed me the Kryptonite sword he planned to use on Kara. Then he would do the same to Eliza before releasing me to live, alone, knowing I caused the deaths of my family."

"Thats horrible." Barry admitted, not being able to imagine what he would do in that situation. No, he knew. He would do anything. He could see a blonde haired girl for some reason, a little toddler that belonged to him, even though he knew it was impossible and like Kara he would do anything to protect them both.

"So I did what I did because I had no other option. I put my heart into it Barry. I prayed that Kara would stay out of it, stay hidden. I used everything I knew about Clark to build a living machine that would rip him apart because when it came down to him or Kara there was no choice. When you rescued me I was designing a neural implant to try to maintain some control, something to shorten it's life span, so that once the job was complete, it would die, not being able to go after any humans or Kara. I designed it to the best of my ability to make it impossible to stop short of that. And yet you did it. Those bastards never imagined someone like you coming along." Jeremiah chuckled, wishing he could have seen Barry kill that abomination.

"I didn't believe that they would spare Kara, but I had no other choice. If nothing else, I thought Alex could talk her down, maybe seeing Superman die would be enough to scare her away, or to allow Alex to talk her out of fighting a monster who obviously could outmatch her. I hoped the neural trigger would work, it nothing else a pack of C 4 next to its brain if they would let me. I was told that wasn't good enough. So I began working on regeneration. I hadn't gotten there but if I had, not even you shredding its organs would have worked."

Barry shivered at the thought.

"I pray that whoever they have following me doesn't succeed."

"I doubt anyone can follow your work. Alex tells me you are pretty brilliant." Barry lied. Not that he doubted Jeremiah was brilliant, just that he hadn't talked to Alex about it. He didn't want to because though he would never admit it, a large part of his subconscious did wonder why Danvers did what he did. But listening to the desperation and guilt in the man's voice tore at Barry. He knew guilt well and recognized it easily.

"How did you keep it in a cell?" he asked Jeremiah.

"I kept it hypnotized in a way if you can believe that. Its brain was simple and easily able to be tricked to a lull, to feel lethargic. It had to eat so we kept it fed, when it came out, large portions of raw meat would be used to direct it. We basically trained it like a killer whale, knowing like a killer whale, it could go crazy and kill us all. If I had made it smart…"

"It would have been a thousand times worse." Barry finished. Danvers nodded.

"I know Kara can protect herself to an extent as can Alex. I know enough now to know Kara went through some horrendous things and survived and Alex was by her side, doing what she always does, looking out for her sister. Because I know that, I know that if I am ever put into that position again, I will kill myself before I engineer anything that could harm Kara. I can go in peace, knowing that you, you are going to take her and run. You are good at running. Joe told me most people he knows run from trouble and you run towards it. But before you do, I am begging, take my daughters and run before you run back towards trouble."

"Kara may not run towards trouble, but she flies there pretty fast. That might not be easy. I can promise you I will die before I let anything happen to her."

Jeremiah nodded his head expecting as much. If he had learned one thing yesterday from the stories he heard, neither Kara or Alex could avoid trouble nor would they.

"I'm glad to hear that because whether you know it or not, you are more powerful than Kara."

Barry laughed genuinely but stopped when he noticed Jeremiah wasn't.

"I think if you had seen some of the beatings I have taken and saw the chart Caitlin shoves in my face every time I do something stupid, detailing the broken bones I have shattered, you would disagree." Barry pointed out.

"Kara is more powerful than Clark. She doesn't know it, or maybe she does, but she is. He grew into his powers gradually and while he may not have been saving the world he began using them as he got older. His cells grew powerful over time and once he began, he used a lot of power. Kara was bombarded at once. Her cells began absorbing large amounts of yellow sun radiation the moment she entered this galaxy. They stretched in essence, I suppose you could say. They expanded, able to hold more energy than Clark's because they had to. Then she spent years not using her powers at all from what Eliza has told me. Her cells are powerhouses, probably why she gets knocked out and burns out at times. Clark's cells take a hit and recover quicker because he isn't using as much of his power at once. I'm not sure he can, but Kara? When she goes, she goes. For her to vaporize that android Eliza told me about, do you know the power it takes to vaporize something? Clark could have defeated it, melted it, tore it apart but to turn it to nothing? When she hits, she hits hard and with everything. She takes longer to recover because her cells can store more energy. But you Barry Allen, you are the most powerful man in the universe. Clark wouldn't stand a chance against you. Have you given any thought to what all you can do?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it a lot lately."

"Since Doomsday right?"

"Yeah."

"Barry, you can bend physics. You can make the impossible happen, literally, by changing reality. You could think at an unprecedented rate, a million thoughts at once and able to control them all. It isn't that suit that keeps you from burning up, something else is, something science hasn't discovered yet. I am betting you are constantly trying to get faster because you think your speed is the key to everything but its not. Its your vibrations. You can heal faster, you can walk through walls if you wanted instead of running. The force you can generate if you hit a certain speed even standing still can't be touched and I am guessing whatever it is that keeps you from burning up can keep you safe from destroying your body when you are ready. Am I right or off base?"

Barry shrugged his shoulders, a little unnerved by how closely the man could guess his intentions and the existence of the speed force.

"So you aren't here at six in the morning because you are trying to unlock the equation for infinite mass? I may be a bio engineer but I do know a bit about physics, enough to know what those equations are in relations to. You realize to do this you will have to reach almost the equivalent of the speed of light, not only in speed but vibrations? If you are off, if you hit the speed of light you may hit complete mass, if you hit the wrong vibrations you could be spending the rest of your life hopping infinite universes. Still, when you master your talents I believe that if you ever come up against any creature like Doomsday you can destroy him with one shot."

"Given this a lot of thought?" Barry asked carefully.

"You love my daughter. I thought all night about the ways you can protect her, both of them. So yeah, I've thought about it some to keep my mind off what else I am going to hear about Kara and Alex's recent actions. Everyone in Cadmus had a pretty severe headache about six months ago. Something tells me Kara and Alex may have had something to do with it going away."

"Your daughters literally saved every single person on Earth." Barry told him. Jeremiah just nodded, torn between fear and pride.

"I'm glad she has you Barry and I hope, you can understand a little about why I did what I did."

Barry took a deep breath and reached out his hand which Jeremiah took gratefully.

"It did freak me out. You are right and I appreciate you explaining this to me, even though you didn't have to. I would have done the same." the Flash told the man, honestly. He may be able to handle a million thoughts a second one day but his brain could not come up with any other option the man had.

"Good. Thank you. I really want us to be… you are important to Kara and that makes you important to me."

"Likewise."

"One more thing before I find Eliza. Again, If you manage this, if you are able to hit infinite mass, do not go completely to light speed, because it isn't worth it. Kara would die inside without you. And when you use it, make sure no one is around except the enemy. Its going to be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb going off."

"You are not kidding, but we aren't there yet." Dr. Wells said walking in, a cup of coffee in his hand and an unusual smile on his face. "But don't worry Dr. Zorel. Barry means a lot to me as well and I will keep him safe. He is motivated and I am good at what I do."

"I have no doubt you are Dr. Wells." Jeremiah told him with a smile. "Have a good day you two."

"So that was interesting." Harry mumbled after Jeremiah had left.

"Which part?"

"All of it. He seems to have more than a passing grasp on advanced physics. Keep an eye on him Barry."

Barry was not surprised. "So you don't trust him?"

"I have absolute, unconditional trust in you, Kara and Caitlin. Thats it."

"Cisco?"

"Cisco is a dick." Harry deadpanned then grinned a bit. "Alright, I guess he is okay. The question is, do you trust Jeremiah Danvers?"

Barry didn't take long to answer. "Yeah, I do. I trust that he would do anything to protect his daughters and that is enough for me. He kind of reminds me of a guy that once stole my speed for his daughter's freedom."

Harry chuckled. "Now that sounds like a good father. One that a good man gave a second chance to. Okay, lets get started. We need to work on controlling these vibrations. Forget running for now. Lets see what you got."

At 7 AM, Kara woke, on the couch with Alex laid across her, and feeling very, very bad. Her head hurt, her eyes hurt, her ears hurt and she wanted to vomit.

"So this is what a hangover feels like." she mumbled and pushed the off button on her bracelet. She had fallen asleep before she had a chance last night. Instantly she felt better and smiled.

"That is so unfair that you can turn off a hangover." Cait groaned, walking out of her bedroom, looking worse for wear. "I drank so much last night. I hope Alex feels as horrible as I do. Judging by the empty bottles and ice cream cartoons, you two got wasted. Have a good night?"

"Yeah we did. Unfortunately I have to wake her. She is meeting Joe at the station and is going to feel like hell. Alex! Alex get up!" Kara said a bit to loudly, causing Caitlin to wince and Alex to sit up immediately, reaching for a gun that wasn't there.

"What? Whats wrong… oh my God my head!" she squealed in agony. "I thought Myriad wasn't in this universe."

"Take some of those human painkillers and you will be fine. I think. Isn't that how its supposed to work?" Kara teased, knowing it wasn't that easy. "Aren't you supposed to meet Joe at the station?'

"Oh crap! I gotta get home and change…"

Both Caitlin and Kara raised eyebrows at that.

"Home huh?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Maybe Nyssa will have some sort of mystical League of assassinators tea or hangover cure. I mean the Order was around for a couple thousand years or something. They must have had hangovers. Okay, I have to move. Later guys."

Alex hopped up and ran outside, getting into Nyssa's Mercedes she had _borrowed_ and headed to what she guessed was her home now, in an attempt to not look hungover before she arrived at what she hoped was her work place.

Kara took in Caitlin who didn't look much better than Alex had.

"Have fun last night?" she asked her friend.

"I think. Not positive. I seem to remember an argument between Cisco and Winn about Star Trek versus Star Wars but other than that, yeah I am pretty sure I had fun. I remember doing an impression of Killer Frost and throwing ice cubes at this guy. Cisco and Winn dragged me away and I mean that literally. Oh well, I'm sure the rest will come to me unfortunately."

"Rao, I would have loved to see that. Okay, give me three minutes in the bathroom and I will be gone. Work, work, work."

"I hate you sometimes. Hey Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"Take the bracelet off and give it to me. I will lock it away in the pipeline." Cait told her reaching out her hand.

"Why? I can swing by on the way to… Caitlin?" Kara stopped, noting the upset look on her best friend's face that had nothing to do with the hangover. Her hand remained reaching out.

"Kara, please? For my own peace of mind, don't carry that thing around like a set of car keys or a hair brush. Use it all you want but when you are done, put it away, somewhere no one can get to it."

"Caitlin…"

"I was the one who saw, who worked on you… Kara, there is only one thing that can weaken you in this entire universe and I don't want it just floating around. Please give it to me and I will lock it away until you have time to take it to your room at the lab."

Kara silently agreed and slipped it off, handing it over, while hugging her concerned friend. Five minutes later she left, leaving a very hungover Dr. Snow. She made it to her office in record time, mentally prepared to handle all the calls she would get for interview requests as would the Star City office. Ray had been back to the land of the living for 24 hours and the world had taken notice. Not only did Palmer Tech stock jump 30 points after the announcement he was still alive and coming back to the company, but he was also a celebrity. Everyone wanted a piece of him and for some reason, although Palmer Tech had a large PR team in Star City, since he was staying in Central City it was her problem. After arriving and seeing 82 voicemails and 316 emails, Kara decided that she needed to fly to really clear her head. It was 8:30 AM so she dressed out in her office, grabbed ten dollars from her purse and took off, deciding to give the the office building still under reconstruction a once over and head to her favorite donut shop. Ten minutes later she landed next to her friend, a dozen chocolate filled donuts in her hand.

"Supes! Whats up with the hottest superhero in the universe?" Officer Glenn Saunders asked, getting out of his patrol car and leaning on the hood. He normally watched the school zones in the AM for the weekday mornings, keeping an eye out for reckless drivers or anything else shady near the elementary school. She had stopped by a few times before work to watch the children and became acquainted with him. They often had donuts in the morning on days Kara could get away.

"Officer sexual harassment law suit waiting to happen, I brought chocolate filled." The masked woman told him, tossing him the box then leaning on the hood next to him.

"Whats with the new mask? Covers your cheeks now too? You are really getting into this secret identity thing. I'll figure it out one day."

"Yeah right. My old mask got destroyed this weekend when I tunneled underground into a monster convention."

"Wow. I just sat around and watched hockey this weekend. You have the most interesting life. I guess this monster convention wasn't around Central City since I didn't see any red streaks of lightning or blue streaks flying across the sky." Glenn mentioned casually.

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?"

"Supes, if you wasn't with the Flash and I was twenty… thirty years younger and in better shape, you would be missing me. Nah, its good for you and the red guy to get out of town. I'll admit Robot man and Fire guy still kind of freak me out, but them flying around the city keeps the bad guys and the really bad guys from getting any ideas in their minds. Crime has never been this low in Central City. It started dropping with the Flash but between him and Mrs. Flash…"

"Hey! Have you ever considered he might be Mr. Superwoman?"

"Good point. Hey me and the guys at the station got a pool going. We figure since you ain't got no straps on the mask, someday someone is going to recognize you when it falls off. We are takin bets on what you do for a living to pay the bills. I said model with a body like yours and that hair. Am I close?"

"Never modeled a day in my life." Kara told the wannabe gambler.

"Yeah? You had to be on TV before though. Besides the superhero flying around stuff, right? You just seem to have that personality. By the way, how the hell do you keep that figure seeing as how you just downed ten out of a dozen donuts before I finished my first?"

"I work out. A lot."

"Yeah I used to do that too. Makes me tired just thinking about it. So these monsters, I guess you beat them up?"

"You could say that. Actually the Flash took care of most of them. I was just along for the ride."

"Sure you were. Glad you are doin good. What do you think of that tool Palmer coming back to life? I think he's been free this whole time, slacking on his responsibilities. You can't trust Star City people, you know? I mean we got heroes here, even the robot guy and fire guy are pretty cool but Palmer? What a freaking showboat.. He's here because he wants our heroes to protect him. And Star City? Yeah he needs to go back and let Robin Hood keep him out of trouble."

"Wow Glenn, kind of bitter aren't you? Thats not a nice thing to say about someone." Although with Ray at least shirking his responsibility is true, not that she would say that since her new boss may be listening.

"Yeah I guess. You think he is an okay guy?"

"I don't know him of course but I am betting he's an okay guy. I prefer to give someone the benefit of the doubt unless they are mindless monsters intent on killing me." Kara told the man.

"You and me both kid. Hey if he's good with you, he's good with me. By the way did you see that blonde running the press conference? Talk about a looker."

"Glenn you really shouldn't be judging women by their looks. It's demeaning." Kara told him sternly, although she admitted internally she loved that dress.

Glenn at least looked a bit ashamed.

"You're right, my bad. I got to get to the station before you take the last donut. Supposedly some former FBI agent is starting today. Going straight to the metahuman caseload with Joe West. Not that I mind. I love patrol. Really, I'm not bitter."

"You are very good at your job, Glenn." Kara assured the man genuinely.

"Besides its hard to resent her. All the guys have been texting about what a looker she is…"

"Glenn!"

"Sorry, sorry. Last time I swear. Catch ya later doll."

"Glenn…"

"I mean Supes. If you gave me a name it would be easier to do away with the nicknames, ya know?"

"The whole point of a secret identity is for it to remain a secret." Superwoman reminded him.

"Good point. Later, Superwoman."

Glenn got back into his patrol car and drove off, leaving Kara with a smile. Despite his rough demeanor or maybe because of it, he was one of the many officers she knew by name and greeted on the streets when she saw them. Kara had made it a point to learn as many officers names as she could, to build trust.

"Hey Superwoman. This is the tool and your new boss. Think you could drop by the Lab?" Ray asked through the com.

"Uh, I do need to go back to the office and do the job you pay me for."

"Yeah, I think this is more important. It's your Mom… and your Dad? Yeah they are freaking out. Cisco was bragging and showed them the security system. He had forgot to erase the video of the last couple months and when he went to get coffee, want to guess what day your Mom went to watch?"

Kara stomach turned. "Please don't tell me…"

"Yeah, your Dad looks all red and angry and is also crying in between yelling and your Mom won't stop crying and both are playing it over and over again. Should I call Alex too?"

"No! Its her first day at her new job. I'll handle it. Be there in thirty seconds. Tell Cisco to hide if he knows what is good for him."

"He's already hiding. Please come before your Dad starts throwing things. I mean I am going to be the owner of this stuff Monday and I would kind of like my stuff in one piece. He is surprisingly strong for a man who hasn't worked out in twelve years."

Kara arrived as promised thirty seconds later, taking off her mask and walking slowly towards the sound of crying. Seeing her Mom and recently returned Dad, holding each other, eyes on the screen, broke her heart. She used her superior vision to look through them and at the screen before they noticed she had arrived.

Kara never thought about what she looked like when she arrived and after Caitlin telling her it was a moment she never wanted to relive, the woman stopped pushing. Now however, she had an unfettered look at her arrival in this universe and what she saw shocked her to the point she couldn't move.

The woman on the table looked dead. She had seen dead bodies before and Kara didn't even recognize herself. She watched the last time she had worn her first costume, being cut from her. She watched Caitlin with amazing dexterity cutting her chest open. Kara saw Barry pass out from blood loss, Cisco providing blood and then Barry once again. She saw Caitlin place a defibrillator on the sides of her body, an electrical arc dancing across and through her heart which was visible. She saw Dr. Wells running from the suite with what she guessed was a Kryptonite bullet in a pan. Cait opened her up to her navel. She saw her lung being opened by a very sharp scalpel and a glowing green bullet being taken out and once again Harry ran out of the room with a pan.

Kare gasped, watching Caitlin closing her chest with what looked to be staples, sewing her lung shut and then her abdomen, setting up solar lamps and then a curtain, while Cisco dragged a weakened Barry Allen away. She took a sharp breath as the curtains covered her from the camera.

Eliza and Jeremiah heard her of course and finally turned their eyes from the screen and took her in. Kara composed herself immediately.

"I'm still here. I'm alive." she told them.

Eliza ran into her, wrapping her arms around her alien daughter and apologizing for failing her, over and over again. Jeremiah had more of an angry countenance but not towards his daughter, following his wife and wrapping them both in a hug. Kara stood still, trying to hold both of them and remain strong. She wouldn't break down. If she did, they would be even worse.

"I'm still alive. I survived. I am right here." the blonde told them once again, calming Eliza down a bit.

"Kara, take off that suit." Jeremiah begged.

"I kinda left my clothes in the office. I have to sneak in so I will probably stop at the apartment, I go through the window and change but…"

"No, take off that suit for good. You have a good thing going here, a good family, a good job and a good man. Don't risk losing it all. Take off that suit." Jeremiah begged.

"I can't. I can't anymore than I can take my soul out of my body. This is who I am. A large part of me anyway. I can help too many people, to just give up. When I first arrived, when I woke up, from that, I thought I would never use my powers again. I wanted to hide, forget who I was, everything that led me to that. But while Barry never tried to convince me otherwise, he did help me remember who I was. Things like that happen. It's no different than what the police officers and fire fighters do everyday in this city."

"I failed you." Eliza mumbled.

"No you didn't! You and Alex would be dead and your support and your memory Dad, pushed me forward. Alex pushed me forward and though I regret how things ended there I wouldn't trade any of it. Even that," Kara pointed to the screen, "brought me the friends and family I have now. It brought the man I love back into my life. Oliver likes to talk about crucibles and I guess it has rubbed off on Barry. Every time you go through something like a crucible, a fire, that could consume you, a darkness that could take over, you come out the other side, maybe not the same but definitely stronger unless you allow it to break you. Thats what we have all gone through and because of it we are here, stronger together, able to make a difference in this world now."

"You could die." Jeremiah weakly argued.

"We will all die one day and that is a part of life. But while I am here, I'm going to extend as many lives as possible and if it costs me mine one day I am at peace with that. You didn't sacrifice your life so I could be an assistant to a CEO, managing schedules and fetching coffee. Because of your sacrifice, the entire world survived. Over three billion souls. Do you know that Barry saved infinite universes from being destroyed by Zoom even though he could have died, he expected to die?"

"What the hell is a Zoom? Do I even want to know?" Eliza asked.

"No you don't. Why don't the two of you go back to Joe's? Relax the rest of the week, try to erase this memory from your heads and enjoy being with each other. Barry and I will be there after work. We can talk more then, okay?"

Both silently agreed and reluctantly pulled away, then perked up when a still very hangover, Caitlin Snow, wearing dark sunglasses and looking like general hell walked in. Eliza rushed her, barely managing not to knock her down. Caitlin was surprised, until her covered eyes spotted the video monitor behind Kara.

She would kill Cisco, unless Kara got to him first.

While Eliza and Jeremiah held onto their newest hero, Alex was being shown around the station by Joe, ending up in Barry's lab on the top floor, quite a bit smaller than S.T.A.R. but much more homier in a downtown loft sort of way. She looked to the skylight that the lightning had traveled through to change Barry Allen's life forever, wondering whose idea it was to put a skylight over a forensic lab. Barry was hunched over a microscope but looked up when the door opened.

"Detective, Detective." he greeted Joe and Alex.

"Hey Bar. Just showing Alex around her new workplace."

"I still haven't seen the armory." Alex griped. "But not bad at all."

"I'm glad you both are here. That screamer who had a heart attack? Homicide. I have the results of the autopsy and there were strange particles of an unknown type in his lungs. If we hadn't been looking for them we never would have noticed. Alex, take a look at this."

Barry stepped away from the microscope and Alex peered in.

"It's a neuro stimulator. Have you seen the state of the brain tissues?" Alex asked.

"Yep, it causes high levels of Norepinephrine to combine with epinephrine which can cause hallucinations, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate, most likely to a greater degree than the bilateral amygdala can handle. Its basically …"

"LSD on steroids." Alex finished.

"Finally someone around here who understands what I am talking about. Joe just wants to find out who has it and where they are at so he can shoot and arrest them, sometimes in that order." Barry told her with a grin.

"So is there an antitoxin we could develop without giving the victim a lobotomy? I can start working on one, now. Do you have…"

"Caitlin is already on it. At least I hope she is. She figured out the cure to Mirakuru, so this should be a walk in the park for her."

"Oh." Alex said, trying to hide the sadness from her voice and failing.

"But, you can go to the lab after work and help her. Two sets of eyes right?"

Alex recognized that he was placating her but appreciated the effort. At the DEO she had been both an agent and a scientist. Here she was surrounded by brilliant scientists, even Barry wasn't half bad to discover this and could focus more on being a cop. Still she would miss the mixture of both. I suppose I could help. Caitlin wouldn't mind if I stopped by after work, Alex thought. She knew no matter what her brain would not allow her to shut out that part of her life whether she was needed or not.

"So this isn't a metahuman?" Joe asked, not exactly understanding most of what the two were talking about but definitely understanding LSD on steroids. What about that different version of Vertigo that keeps popping up in Star City every couple of years?"

"Different formula and while that made someone see their fears, this actually can override the brains natural responses to fear and attack on a physical level. This isn't a recreational drug designed to hook people or for sell. This is a custom made weapon. Once exposed a person has minutes to live while not only facing their worst fears but anything and everything around them."

"So be on the lookout for a potential serial killer using gas to scare people literally to death and … may have a connection to a bomber if your theory is correct?" Joe asked, not quite buying it himself.

"I think that two separate killers using two very different methods of death, showed up in Central City at nearly the same time, keeping us busy and the bomber trying to take us out. The bomber used untraceable bombs with no obvious motivation other than wanting revenge and dramatics considering he told the man at the Steak House that he was sitting on a bomb, and this gas is quite a bit more difficult than killing someone with say a gun. He either wants to catch our attention or thought that we wouldn't find out. Either way it doesn't sit right with me that both criminals showed up at the same time, one using bombs to try and take us out, me included and one using a gas that could potentially weaken us."

"But couldn't you just do that blurry thing you do and get rid of the gas?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, I could. Firestorm, Ray, Kara? I'm not sure what effect the gas would have on Kara and don't want to find out. But Firestorm and Ray could definitely be taken out by it."

"Okay,as soon as Caitlin breaks down the chemical components text me and we can start tracing possible suppliers."

"See you later Barry." Alex told him with a pat on the back. Before the two could get to the door, Station alarms were ringing. Both Joe and Alex pulled their weapons until the intercom spoke.

"All officers report to the downtown area for crowd control, and rescue operations. The city is under attack from the air. Several explosions,sounds like missiles. Move people!" Captain Singh's voice rang out.

"You wanted to see the armory? Now is as good a tie as any Alex. Barry…" Joe started.

Barry was gone.

In S.T.A.R. labs, Kara was having a pointed discussion with an apologetic Cisco about erasing video that could traumatize her adoptive parents even more, including Barry nearly being killed and especially all the different angles stolen from street cams involving the fight with Savage, when an explosion 18 blocks away caught Kara's ears.

"Explosion." she told Cisco.

"Yeah, even I heard that."

Instead of waiting for the man, Kara picked him up, deposited him on his chair before the eyes of a very surprised Jeremiah and Eliza, before flying out the roof in one of the damaged sections. Scanning the area, what she saw chilled her to the bone.

Five large drones, not the type Max Lord had her followed with once but fully weaponized, military grade, large drones were circling the downtown area. Another missile was fired by one of the drones and Kara moved, knowing she could not stop that one but would be able to destroy them before they hurt anyone else. To her relief she saw the missile did no damage to the city below, confusing her until she saw the missile returned, striking the drone and blowing it to pieces.

On the street Barry had raced around one crater in the ground, ignoring the bodies of the dead and focusing on the living. He looked up in time to see a missile fired from an incoming drone, towards the crowd running for their lives. Charging the explosive device, he jumped, grabbing the missile with his hands and tossing it back into the air and striking the drone, just as he had done to Cisco's drone when he first started. The other four drones were still armed though, circling like vultures and he wasn't sure why they were not firing.

"Cisco?"

"On it Barry. I am trying to hack into their on board command panels and cease firing. They are being controlled by some sort of high powered remote. Winn is working on triangulating the user. To have this many, he would have to be close."

The crowd had stopped at the exploding drone, noticing the Flash standing alone in the middle, eyes on the four remaining targets.

"Superwoman,when you use heat vision, do not go all out. Your Dad thinks if you hold back, you won't lose so much energy if you are struck." Caitlin informed her, the biometric readings of Kara and Barry's cells pulled up alongside a recently added power and damage report of Ray's suit.

"Copy. Flash, you okay?" Kara asked.

"Perfect. I have to get this crowd free before the next…"

Before Barry could get the words out another missiles was launched, not at a building but at the scrambling crowd. He moved, getting as many as far away as possible. Before the missile hit the street the immediate blast area was clear of people. Stopping to shield himself before the explosion, he heard another missile fire from above, heading for the opposite side of the street. Of course there was a little girl who had fallen. Why couldn't it have been Snart?

Before he attempted to run around the blast, while dodging debris, a streak of blue landed. Kara threw her cape up, shielding the child from the explosion, refusing to let the blast knock her down. As soon as the initial blast and fire died, she took the screaming child and ran down the street to a police car that had shown up. She saw Alex and Joe pull in behind the patrol car.

"Take her and get to cover! Joe, your officers are too close."

Joe's eyes widened, looking above Kara. She turned and saw a black drone swooping like an eagle from the sky, towards her and the quickly arriving police. Despite the chaos, Kara remained calm and remembered Caitlin's instructions. She used just enough power to break the drone apart with her heat vision and used her freeze breath to cool the flaming metal and keep it from landing on the cars and officers.

"Superwoman, I'm going to clear the area, three are remaining. You got this?" Barry asked

"She won't have to alone." Firestorm cut in, swooping in and grabbing one of the drones. Before Kara could tell him not to, as well as Dr. Stein in his head, Jax fired a bolt of concentrated heat, nearly melting the drone on contact but not before igniting the remaining seven missiles. blowing him back to the ground. Kara caught him before he crashed, deposited him on the sidewalk and blasted back into the air. Within seconds the area was cleared by Barry, except for police and superheroes. The two remaining drones were incredibly acrobatic and while not as fast as Kara in the air, were much more slippery. One swept low, aiming apparently for the police brigade, where Alex, Joe and the rest stood with guns ready, hoping to take the missile out with a lucky bullet to the nose cone. Instead, Barry ran to the front of the line and created a vortex, slowing the drone down, to nearly a stop in midair where Kara grabbed it, flying it towards the harbor. Once over water she punched through the top of the drone and crashed it into the salt water, in the event that missiles did detonate, they would do so underwater. It wouldn't be the first time Kara had inadvertently killed the fishies.

"I got it! I am blocking the signal for the last drone to fire. I can hit self destruct now if the area is cleared." Cisco told the group.

"No! I need it in one piece." Barry told his friend.

"Hey uh… this is… me?" Winn started. "I have the source of the remote. Its three blocks away on a rooftop, four story building, a closed … uh distribution facility." he finished unsure, never really talking to a group of superheroes at once while a city was under attack.

"On it." Barry told his crew and raced to the building in seconds.

Kara came back to find the drone circling harmlessly now.

"Cisco don't blow it." she repeated Barry's instructions. "We need it in one piece if we are going to learn anything" . Alex who had placed her com in her ear discreetly was impressed her sister thought of this. Kara sounded more confident than Alex had ever heard her. She was strategic and not jumping into things without thinking. The combination of heat vision to destroy the drone and her breath to keep the pieces tom harming the officers had been genius.

"Ray, can you … fly it?" Kara asked the man who kept his eye on the circling metallic hawk.

"You want me to shrink, enter a drone, take over it's guidance system, override any self destruct measures and fly the thing to S.T.A.R." he asked doubtfully.

"Uh, yes? Actually could you take it to the bomb disposal range the police use? I don't want anyone thinking the thing was launched from S.T.A.R."

"Sure no problem." Ray answered cheerfully, shrinking in seconds and latching on to the drone as it passed. Using a concentrated laser he cut a small opening and entered the craft, finding its flight computer quickly. Within a minute it was in manual control and Cisco lost contact. The drone flew leisurely to the field and landed, Ray killing the power source and flying out, regaining his full size.

Barry had reached the site of the building Winn had directed him too but stopped outside. It was too easy to find, not that he doubted Winn's abilities but after the drones started dropping the man or woman in charge should have ran. Barry had been constantly circling the building and found no one trying to escape, yet the signal kept originating from the roof. No drones were present so the signal instead drifted off into deep space. Whoever did this should have ran.

"Kara? Is Jax okay?"

"I'm fine." Jax grumped, standing up and listening to a lecture from Dr. Stein in his head about using not heat to melt an entire drone, missiles and all, as opposed to Kara being more accurate and simply disabling and then breaking up the drone.

"Ray, is the final drone secure?" Barry asked.

"Yes and could you please call me Atom when we are out doing superheroey stuff? You guys get called by your cool names."

"Sorry Atom. Kara what is the situation on the ground?"

"Skies look clear. I signaled Alex to let the police in, Joe is leading them in now, with the Fire Department following. EMS is checking surrounding area for the crowd that rushed away, treating injuries. I count twenty bodies on the street Flash." she told him sadly. "Please tell me you got whoever did this?"

"The remote is still transmitting from the roof of the building." Winn spoke with a bit more confidence this time.

"Whoever it was is long gone. Probably left the drones on some sort of autopilot. There is no way this guy or girl would leave a crucial piece of evidence on top of a roof. Its a trap. I am betting the building is rigged to blow the second anyone gets close to that thing." Barry told the group. Not that the drones had been easy but finding this place with a remote still on top was bait. He knew it. Oliver's void was practically screaming in his head.

"Superwoman, stay high and look inside for any type of unusual boxes or wiring, maybe laser trips."

"On it." Kara flew over the building, seeing the remote lying on top of the roof. Looking just under it, she saw a pressure plate attached to a wire leading through the roof into the floor below.

"If we remove the remote a wire will pop up leading to a detonation on the floor below. Enough of what I think might be C 4 to blow the entire block up, maybe more." she informed the team.

While Kara hovered and Barry stayed on the ground, thinking about what to do, Ray and Jax appeared. Listening in, Alex told Joe what she had learned and he informed the Captain who dispatched the bomb squad. On arrival, Kara, Barry and Jax stood outside the room filled with explosives. Jax suggested he form a forcefield around the room and set off the explosion absorbing the energy of the blast into himself. Kara and Barry both looked at him as if were an idiot while Dr. Stein screamed at his young partner in his head. Jax was still young and had forgotten that force is not the only element of an explosion, shrapnel being the other.

Ray suggested he step onto the pressure plate while the remote was removed but this was quickly shot down by Barry as being needlessly reckless. Instead it was decided that Kara would dress in a bomb suit along with one member of the bomb squad and the rest would clear.

To the bomb tech's great relief the bomb was only trigger by a tension coil and simply holding the wire after clipping it, would give them the time needed to move the remote. Kara clipped the line with her fingernail while holding the wire with her other hand. The bomb tech, Warren, Kara remembered, opened the timer and within a minute had it diffused. Both let out a breath neither realized they were holding. Checking the other floors, Kara nor Ray, scanning from the outside could find anymore explosives.

In the crowd outside, cordoned off from the blast zone a crowd of concerned citizens watched the police and Superwoman attempt to diffuse a bomb. All smiled and cheered when they walked out, bomb suit helmets off, fist bumping Ray who had just landed, and hugging Barry. Despite the devastation it could have been much worse if Central City did not have its heroes looking out for it.

One man was not happy. A middle aged man of indeterminate age, youthful but with a head of completely white hair, had made a long trip to find out what he could about these heroes. He had bought drones from the black market ran by former military brass turned arms dealers, not expecting all of his toys to be destroyed, much less one surviving intact, and his bait for the Flash to be caught onto so easily. The man was supposed to rush in, not thinking first. He should have been caught in an explosion that would destroy him in a split second. He was evolving and this was a problem. If he didn't take out the Flash before he realized what he was truly capable of, he would be difficult to defeat.

Superwoman was a concern as well. She had shielded a girl from a blast not twenty feet away then took off at unreal speeds, also using her laser vision and powerful breath to stop one drone. The Flash showcased an ability to create a powerful vortex. Firestorm was young but possessed great power, enough to survive several missiles and the drone they were attached too, exploding at close range. And then the so called Atom, Ray Palmer was indeed the genius others claimed him to be, not only figuring out a way to shrink his robotic suit but also able to enter a drone and completely highjack the machine, flying it like his own personal aircraft.

The Flash had gotten smarter, he still had not found a weakness for Superwoman who was also smart dropping his drone in the ocean instead of one the street and his plan had caused nothing but a small body count. Ray Palmer relied on technology and could be dealt with. Firestorm was foolhardy but very resilient. Coupled with Oliver Queen and his insipid sister and friend the group could be quite formidable.

Prometheus had no doubt he would win eventually. It was not enough to defeat Oliver Queen and hang his body outside of City Hall. He would defeat them all. Everyone had a weakness, even a smarter Flash and a seemingly indestructible Superwoman. It would just take longer to find it. In the mean time the Flash, or Barry Allen judging by the man's proximity to enter and leave S.T.A.R labs at anytime of night, also the home of Ray Palmer, and the entrances and exits of the Flash, made his identity easy to discern. He had a girlfriend who worked for Palmer, a long haired blonde, Kara Zorel, also the exact dimensions of Superwoman. Firestorm was a bit more difficult and more research would have to be conducted.

It was time to instruct Dr. Crane to make his move. He had no confidence the man could kill even one of these heroes but he hoped the poor foster child who had been abused and abandoned by many different homes and now mad psychiatrist could at least take out one of the cops out. So long as Quentin Lance was dealt with and he could observe Oliver Queen in action, the chance would be worth it.

Everyone, even Superheroes had a weakness and the answer to all theirs was in S.T.A.R labs. Not wanting to be too obvious and raiding the place with such strong individuals, he would continue his experiments before breaking into the lab as a last resort.

Caitlin decided to stay late at the lab with Ray and Eliza, so of course Jeremiah stayed as well. The missiles removed, Ray and Cisco began dissecting the drone the police had graciously allowed the Atom to survey with a promise it would be back in police custody by tomorrow. Since Cisco Ramone was a consultant to the police the chain of custody of evidence would technically remain intact. Cisco's normally excitable demeanor was not present, instead looking for clues to the man who caused reckless destruction and took innocent lives. While they did this, the two new bio engineers along with a brilliant Alex Zorel worked with Caitlin on the chemical break down of the gas Barry had discovered in the victims lungs, Jeremiah and Eliza doing their best too have anything to take their minds off the video, Eliza wished she had never looked for, and was very thankful Alex had never seen nor would ever see.

Alex left eventually,walking into her apartment where a waiting Nyssa hugged her as soon as she was in the door, having gone downtown herself to keep an eye on her beloved and seeing the burnt and torn bodies of the victims. She knew Alex would be down and would do whatever it took to make her feel better.

At Caitlin and Kara's apartment, Kara stepped out of the shower, wearing only a towel to find Barry in her room.

"Hello. I though I was coming over for dinner at Joe's?"

"He is still at the station where I should be, but I just didn't have it in me. I needed you." he told her.

"Let me run to S.T.A.R. and retrieve my bracelet… and you… can have me." she told him. After the events of today, she needed him as well. Barry motioned towards her nightstand where her bracelet sat.

"Figured we would use it tonight?" she asked, eyebrows raised and feeling very nervous. Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"I was hoping, I'm always hoping but honestly I will take whatever you feel like giving me. I just need to be near you tonight, to hold you as tight as I can and for you to hold me as tightly as you can."

Kara took a deep breath and admitted she needed to be with him as well. Normally after a day like this she would want to be alone but now she just wanted them to be alone together. Gathering up her courage she let her towel drop to the floor, pleased with the reaction she got from him.

"I feel like giving you everything. Just be … slow?"

"Anything you want." he told her, pulling off his shirt and bringing her closer.

"I love you. You know I'm really not supposed to do this until … but I guess it doesn't matter. Different planet different cultures and so forth."

"I love you and we don't have to if you don't want to. I'll marry you. I can wait. We can run to Vegas right now or have a big ceremony. I don't care."

"Please don't ask me to get married while I am naked." she asked.

"No problem. Just so you understand my intentions. Do you want to wait?"

"I'm tired of waiting Barry. Its probably time to speed things up, but just so I don't feel awkward do you think you could get undressed as well?"

Within half a second Barry was as requested. Kara's eyes widened.

"This is going to hurt worse than a stubbed toe won't it?"

Barry kissed her and the two moved towards the bed. Whatever pain she may feel would be worth it, just to be with him.


	27. Chapter 27

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N I wasn't sure of the response I would get with this story when I started, writing under a new name in a new fandom and so forth, but I have had a blast and you guys keep me going. I wasn't able to get all I wanted in this chapter because of word count. Once again it would have taken 20K so I am splitting it up. I hope you all enjoy it and thank you for support you continue to give me. Hopefully the next will be out this weekend.

Chapter 27

Cisco had stayed up all night, not unusual for him, but rather than working on superhero suits, he was dissecting a drone, one that had been used in the murder of 20 people. The death toll took any coolness factor he may have usually felt. At 7 A.M him and his new friend who had taken over for Ray around midnight, had discovered no clues to lead to the operator of this death machine, only figuring out that it was once, not long ago, the property of the Russian military. His newest partner in crime, Winn, brought in coffee while Ray and Harry slept. To Cisco this was personal. Someone had set his city on fire, set a trap for his friends and killed citizens, including two kids under 18, high school kids that had their whole lives ahead of them.

"The coding is simple, the remote high grade, field artillery type, and assuming our countries are the same, its Russian, older tech but not that old. Probably five or six years behind what our Earth… or I guess our old Earth had." Winn told him.

"I figured as much. Whoever did this is dealing with black market Russian military. I am betting if we tracked this back it would come up as stolen. Not that Russia would ever admit to it."

"Thats good though. It means we can look for any recent arrivals from Russia." Winn pointed out.

"Doubtful he came through Russia or has a Russian passport. It would be to obvious for a guy who puts this much planning into his work plus he had to smuggle the drones here in the first place. I can't figure out what his motivation is. If we knew… the bomber told Ray he wanted revenge but Alex went all Lethal Weapon on him so unless he grew a new head, it can't be that guy. He was talented, putting thermal triggers in the second attempt to counter Kara's freeze breath but this doesn't feel right."

"Yeah well, whatever he was up too yesterday could have been a lot worse if Kara and Barry hadn't shown up. And the shrink guy and the fire…"

"Atom and Firestorm." Cisco corrected.

"Those are such cool names. Anyway they kicked serious ass out there. The whole city probably feels a lot…"

"Thats it! Winn you are a freaking genius!" Cisco told the confused man excitedly.

"Uh, thanks? But I'm not sure exactly what I did?"

"The whole city saw them. Everyone saw them working together. A couple months ago, even a couple weeks ago Barry had a tendency to run into bombs without thinking. Kara, she showed her strength, freeze breath, heat vision and speed and if anyone was paying attention you could tell she was looking that building up and down, checking it for explosives from the outside. Ray shrunk, something he doesn't do often in public. Firestorm rushed in, showed a lot of power but not much in the way of actual thinking, ironic since he has one of the most brilliant particle physicists of all time in his head, literally. A missile was fired at a little girl, that landed twenty feet away because that was as far as Kara got before she threw that cape, that I now admit comes in handy, over the kid, probably knowing Kara would go for the little girl. Someone, whoever set this up, they were testing us Winn. This guy wanted to see what we had, he wanted to see how we worked as a team and try to identify weaknesses. The city wasn't the target, in a way, we were."

"Yeah but he is probably going to give up now, right? He saw our team handle his drones, he knows how powerful Kara is and how fast Barry is. He saw Firestorm and must know what he can do. If he is using weapons he probably doesn't have any superpowers of his own. He has to give up."

"Guys like this who go through the trouble of smuggling high grade tech into the country, don't give up. I wish there had been a street cam or something showing the top of that building."

"What about street views? There has to be cameras there, right?" Winn suggested.

"Yep, cameras recording hundreds of people running away in fear. I can't pick one person out. I doubt the villain is walking around wearing some lame cape… don't tell Kara I said that, hers is cool…"

"Yeah but what about people coming out of that building?"

"I checked, Four exits from that building and only Thompson Street has a view of the front. He scouted the building out, knew it was abandoned and had to have known where cameras were. No way this big bad doesn't know everything about the area he is working in."

"So if he was checking the team for weaknesses, what did he find?" Winn wondered, nervously. At least Alien convicts had simpler goals and means. This guy seemed like his father only much, much worse with bigger toys and a motive beyond what must be simple revenge.

"That Barry has gotten smarter, Ray has tech that allows him to shrink and Kara is pretty much badass. Oh and Firestorm has a lot of power but unless he listens to Dr. Stein he really has no experience when it comes to strategy. I doubt anyone knows about Dr. Stein. We have to keep that hidden. Kill one of them and you are killing Firestorm."

"Kara should scare him off. Its not like this villain could find any weakness she has. On this universe she doesn't have one… Cisco?" Winn asked as his cool new metahuman friend raced off to Dr. Stein's lab. Dr. Stein of course was up, already working on some project or another.

"Good morning Cisco! Have you learned anything from the drone?"

"Dr. Stein, the research you did when developing the solar bracelet? Did you keep records on any of our servers?"

"Of course. It hasn't been perfected yet and in the event it needs to be replaced…"

"You are going to have to rely on memory. Erase it. Erase everything to do with red solar radiation. Print out hard copies that we can keep in the pipeline if we have to but do not have it on our server."

"Are … have we been… hacked?"

"Not yet hopefully but from this point on we operate under the assumption we could be. I am going to remove the power cells in the solar room. All schematics have to be erased on that as well. I'm calling Felicity to hack us and scrub the system."

Cisco ran out of the room, leaving Martin baffled and a bit disturbed. He had never seen Cisco so serious. He wasn't afraid but he was very focused. If he wanted the records of… of course. Kara's one weakness.

Martin Stein moved quickly to do as he was told.

After removing the power cells in the red sun room, Cisco called Caitlin who answered on the first ring.

"What?"

Caitlin wasn't in a good mood this morning.

"Where is the bracelet?" he didn't need to specify which bracelet he was talking about.

"On Kara all night judging by what I heard… I mean… damn it! I have to stop talking to you when I first wake up. Why?"

"I need it here, now. Go in and take it from her?"

"Ha! You go in there. I'm not."

"Why not… oh, Barry is there." Cisco realized, enjoying the moment even in his otherwise panicked state.

"Either that or she was trying to yell for him at his house all night long. I got home at ten, left at ten thirty and came back at four. I waited thirty more minutes and have had about two hours of sleep. Anyway I will have her or Barry bring it back to the lab. Why? Whats going on?"

"Just get it here as soon as possible and don't let either of them lose sight of the thing." Cisco hung up and wiped the S.T.A.R. servers of anything Flash, Superwoman or red solar ray related. He also wiped the plans for the Tachyon device saving them all on a secure zip drive that would be placed in the Gideon room as soon as Barry was here. He next called Felicity, asking her to hack into their system and look for any clues she could find if she was an outsider to any weakness Kara and Barry could have as well as for any signs the servers had already been hacked. Winn, standing dumbfounded, wasn't quite sure what to do until Cisco instructed him to do the same as Felicity for redundancy.

Back at Caitlin and Kara's apartment, Barry and Kara woke up after only a few hours sleep, wrapped around each other, dopey grins on both their faces.

"Good morning." Kara whispered and kissed him.

"Best morning ever. Are you okay?" The first couple times had been difficult for her but turning her bracelet off and on between acts and Thea's correct assumption about Barry's recovery time had led to a very nice night for the both of them, one neither would ever forget.

"I'm perfect. A little sore but…"

"Turn the bracelet off!" Barry practically shouted.

"It is off. I'm not a machine as you have figured out in detail. The first time I trained with Alex in the Kryptonite room she kicked my butt and even outside of the room I was pretty sore for the next couple days. I had to tell Miss Grant I took up kick boxing. I think I earned the soreness last night."

"You told me you were fine."

"And believe me I was. I would say we could repeat but I probably should take a break… until tonight?"

"Tonight?" Barry chuckled. "Thats all the time you need?"

"I can take a little soreness. I want to do it again. Last night was magical. It was everything I thought it could be. Thank you."

"I'm pretty sure I should be thanking you. Now I really hate to say this but we should probably get up and get ready for the day. I'm sure I will have to follow up on what Cisco found out about the drone, collect evidence from the street and the abandoned building, go over the remote for any clues…"

"Ugh! Work. Okay, you are right. I have a hundred phone calls to make while waiting for Ray to decide what TV shows he actually wants to appear for interviews on. I also have to give direction to the PR team as to how much information they can answer in press releases about his supposed captors and what happened, all that crap. I would rather stay in bed though. Could you stay just a few more minutes? Please? I could really use one of those special back massages and maybe you could vibrate…"

"Kara! Barry!" Caitlin shouted, banging on the door. Both covered themselves with blankets.

"Yes?"

"May I come in and not see anything that brain bleach won't take off?"

"Give us a second." Kara answered, frowning at Barry then the both of them moving at super speed, dressed in seconds. Only once Kara stopped did she realize that a little soreness was actually quite a bit of soreness.

"We are … decent?" Kara said, not sure if she was asking or telling after the night before.

Caitlin opened the door, relieved to see them dressed.

"Sorry to bother you, I really am, but Cisco is freaking out for some reason. He really wants the bracelet locked in Kara's room or the Gideon Room now. Like ten minutes ago."

Barry looked at Kara with concern and without asking questions, kissed her, grabbed the bracelet off her wrist and ran, not stopping until he was in front of the Gideon Room. He moved inside and then went deeper past the false wall that had fooled Zoom once and locked it in the safe.

Once outside he bolted in front of Winn and Cisco, surprised to see Jeremiah and Eliza there this morning. Jeremiah looked like he was sick.

"Thats going to take some getting used to." Jeremiah admitted.

"What is going on Cisco? Why did I leave Kara to race that bracelet over here?"

"Why were you with Kara this early and why was the bracelet there to begin with?" Jeremiah asked, causing Barry and Cisco to freeze.

"Because they finally had sex without Kara breaking Barry in half. Congratulations Mr. Allen." Harry finished, walking in and clapping a grimacing Barry on the back. Harry would pick this day to wake up early.

"Yeah and I'm sure Jessie is visiting convents all over the world, Harry." Cisco reminded him, making Wells scowl and walk out of the room.

"Cisco? Could you answer the question please?" Barry asked again, hoping Jeremiah would let it go.

"So its true? I mean Caitlin told me you two kept her up with all the noise…"

"Cisco!"

"Sorry bro. Look I think me and Spock figured out what the motive was for yesterday's attack."

"Why am I Spock? I have no problem with Spock but are you Bones or Captain Kirk?" Winn asked.

"Look around you Winn. This place is my Enterprise. I'm Captain Kirk." Winn silently agreed with the fairness of this point.

"Damn it Jim, what was the motive?" Barry tried, hoping Star Trek quotes would focus Cisco.

"He was testing us, looking for strengths and weaknesses."

Barry froze, thinking over every part of the battle. The location, high profile, high probability of casualties but no one specific place that was of importance. Why not hit the police department or Mercury Labs? The trap in the building, seeing how he would react, watching Kara's skills…

"I rushed in. The last time at the Steak House, I rushed in and a bomb blew up in my face. He would have done it again. He thought I would rush in again." Barry realized.

"You took a bomb in the face and lived?" Jeremiah asked, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but Alex blew that guys head off so it wasn't that guy." Cisco reminded him.

"Alex blew a guys head off?!" Jeremiah asked once again.

"Uh, yeah, he was about to kill me and Ray and Caitlin so Alex stole a motorcycle then came into the blast area and saved us." Barry explained. Jeremiah shook his head.

"I'm going to get some bourbon with a bit of coffee." the man grumbled, Eliza patting him on the back but not leaving, wanting to know everything.

"Right, anyway we all know Kara only has one weakness so we are keeping that thing locked up. I am also packing a small magnet inside linked with, for a better word, detonators. All of us will have one so in the event he ever does manage to get it on her or capture her with it on we can blow it out from anywhere. I would suggest that she not use it until this is over."

"I agree. The risk is too great." Eliza added, smiling at Barry. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Uh, yeah… of course its her decision." Barry tried.

"That I am sure she will see the wisdom in, wouldn't you say so Barry? Especially since I know, and you have proven, that you put her safety above all else." Kara's mother reasoned, patting the young man on his back.

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" Barry asked her, already knowing the answer. "Okay, I have to get to work. Have you swept the lab for…"

"Listening devices, hidden cameras, trojan horses, bugs in the security systems? Yeah, thanks Scotty, but I think I have my baby well protected." Cisco told him indignantly. "No one is boarding this ship."

"So you have Felicity checking it out?" Barry guessed.

"She is all over it man. I should have the detonators and magnet ready for the bracelet by tomorrow . We can pull it out of the room and install it then, for future use, after we take this guy down."

Barry agreed, figuring he and Kara's plans for the night were on hold indefinitely. Of course her room here was secure enough to keep the bracelet and impossible for anyone but her to enter.

And it had a couch inside.

The nights plans would be put on hold regardless as he found out later that morning. He made it to the police station to find Captain Singh in his office.

"Morning Captain. I was just going to grab my bag and head to the downtown scene."

"No you aren't. FBI has taken over the investigation, calling it a terrorist attack, gave us one hour to get that drone back from S.T.A.R. fifteen minutes ago. I got a team handling it with a really big trailer. We need to talk about something."

The Captain sat down, Barry doing the same.

"So… whats up?" Barry started.

"This attack? I'm guessing it wasn't meta human related. Any idea what might have been the motive?"

Barry sat quietly for a moment and thought. The Captain had kept his secret and helped him out. He deserved to be in the know.

"No I don't know his exact motive but Cisco thinks, and I kind of agree with him, that whoever is behind this wanted to see me and Kara working together, to study us and find weaknesses along with our friends."

Singh thought about this for a second and nodded agreement. "Thanks for being honest with me Barry. It means a lot. So tell me about Joe's new former FBI partner. Is she like Kara? You know …" Singh made flying motions with his arms resembling a chicken more than an eagle.

"No, her family adopted Kara when she was young."

"Ahh. So this Alex has a job history that kind of leads downhill. Started off in A.R.G.U.S. the worst kept secret agency in the world, then goes to work for the FBI, a bit boring compared to her previous employer but okay, I can buy it. But now she wants the calm peaceful life of working for Central City PD and Joe insists she is assigned to be his partner, pissing off every cop who has been up for promotion for the past year. So I say sure cause it is Joe and Joe doesn't often say he needs anyone so she must be special. What's the story? Can she handle herself?"

"She can outshoot anyone in this department, kick anyone's ass in this department and has a Phd in biomedical engineering. She basically makes me feel like an idiot. If there is anyone on this planet qualified to beat a metahuman, besides another metahuman, it is her. She has experience fighting and winning against… the unusual."

Singh's eyes widened but he took it with grace.

"She is good enough for me then. Anyway, go back to the room you freeload off Joe and pack a bag. Got a report last night in all the craziness that an unusual death occurred in Star City matching the MO of our recently discovered homicide. Man screaming for eight or nine minutes, found dead of a heart attack after 15 minutes. I let them know this morning that you three are coming to compare notes and you can meet the medical examiner tonight, see if you can find any traces of your spooky gas you were talking about."

"Star City? You want me to go to Star City? Tonight?" Barry asked, dreams of spending the night in Kara's secure room being dashed.

"Yeah. Aren't you tight with Robin Hood? Maybe after work you can watch him shoot people with trick arrows." Singh told him sarcastically and left, not before telling him to say hi to Kara for him and bring her around more.

Kara had just left the lab, where Cisco had updated her on his suspicions while she did her best to walk normally. Her mother asked how she was feeling with some wicked grin Kara couldn't quite place, but ignored it until she saw Jeremiah. Her adoptive father was looking a bit strangely at her and for some unknown, strange reason she felt… guilty? Not guilty, she was an adult, but it felt like everyone knew what she had been up to the night before. Obviously Cait knew which was embarrassing enough but she doubted Caitlin would have told Cisco but Cisco would have wanted to know where the bracelet was and he probably figured out what… but Cisco wouldn't be such an idiot to say anything to her parents right? She was an adult but it wasn't their business, nothing she would expect to be talked about in a lab by…

Kara made plans in her head to kill Cisco after work. She often made these plans and each was more detailed than the last.

No, he wouldn't. Sure she was walking a bit stiffly today but Kara didn't really do well with human pain and some, like training with Alex, didn't go away just because her powers returned. Muscles and apparently other things stayed sore. The internet was right. At first it really did hurt worse than a stubbed toe.

After an hour of answering calls, placing people on hold and using the com in her ear that was supposed to be used for superhero business but was instead being used to ask Ray what news outlets he wanted to speak with, she received the call she had been waiting for.

"Hey there. Missing me?" she greeted him.

"Always. So did you go by the lab…"

"Yeah, Cisco explained the need to sabotage and then lock my bracelet up for the foreseeable future but I have a couch in my room there. Maybe we can just spend the night there. All I need is a hot bath and some bubbles and we can grab dinner then…"

"I would love to but I have to go with Joe and Alex to Star City today. I won't be back until tomorrow evening probably, closer to midnight."

"Uh… but… okay, not a problem. I can fly over after work. What hotel are you going to be at?" she asked, not being deterred. She had planned to do quite a bit of research today as soon as these pesky business calls were done.

"Kara… I don't want you to come here. The homicide is the same MO as the guy who died from that gas that induces fear. It happened right after the attack on downtown. It seems too coincidental. I feel like this guy knew the bomber. The bomber is dead but judging by the serious tech we faced yesterday another player, maybe the main player, is here and if the gas guy is working for him like the bomber must have been then that means he is planning something there next. Alex and I can handle it. But if you are exposed to this gas then… I'm not sure what effect it would have on you. It could have no effect or it could kill you immediately."

Kara managed not to snort, barely.

"Barry I inhaled poisonous gas once and blew it out a thousand feet in the air. I doubt some gas this guy came up with would affect me."

"You don't know that and is it really worth the chance of finding out?"

Kara managed to keep her temper in check, though she wanted to crush the phone. 25 years she had waited for the one, the one she would give everything too. She met him then had to wait another four months for a piece of tech to be developed by some of the smartest men on the planet all so she could have sex! Now she had to wait again?

"I will fly down. I can even stay in the hotel room if you want, while you do your CSI thing. It will take me thirty minutes to be there."

"Kara, please, you know I want you with me every night but just have patience. Trust me and stay away from that bracelet. Keep it locked up."

Kara gave in. She heard the quiet pleading in his voice.

"Fine. When you returned the bracelet did you see my parents? Did they seem strange to you?"

"Define strange?" Barry asked. Kara recognized his tone.

"They know, don't they?"

"Yeah…"

"Who told them?"

"No one, exactly. Just your Dad wanted to know why I had the bracelet and Cisco mentioned that I was with you and he asked questions. He is definitely a scientist or a cop. But I distracted him by mentioning that Alex saved me by blowing off that guys head so yeah, totally threw him off his game. I may have accidentally turned him into an alcoholic though. Look tomorrow night I will be back and maybe we can stay in your room at the lab and maybe work on controlling your strength to see what we can do without the bracelet?"

"Yeah, trust me, you don't want to take that chance yet. Okay, I guess I will be here tonight. Alone. By myself. Probably not wearing much. You could run here in like twenty minutes you know."

"Please Kara, lets …God you are killing me! Look I really want to, but whoever this is, even if he knew about red solar rays which he doesn't I hope, there is only one device in existence that can weaken you. Until we catch this guy I need you strong and safe. Can't you do that for me? Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

"I know how hard it can be. Its not easy for me either. We were getting really, really good before we fell asleep and I need a lot of practice. You can't get me hooked and leave me without a fix Barry! So not cool!"

"Look if you want we can meet in the lab tonight in your room and play around, without the bracelet. I am good with that."

"I'm not." Kara told him quickly then let out a breath. She needed to control herself. She would not be an addict.

"Fine Barry, stay in Star City, have fun playing with Oliver tonight."

"I'm not even going to see Oliver tonight. I am there with Joe and your sister on official police business. If I can get a lead on this guy and we catch him, if he has any connection to this drone guy and the bomber Alex killed he could break the case for us. In that case I will call Oliver for back up but not before I know something for sure."

"You really think he or she is going to talk to the cops if you do catch them?" Kara asked doubtfully.

"Probably not, so I will ask Oliver to have a talk with whoever it is. He has a way with people. He's really been working on scaring the crap out of people without actually torturing them. He needs as much practice as he can get. Anyway its only for one night. I'll see you tomorrow. We are catching a train in thirty minutes. I love you."

"I love you." Kara responded and ended the call.

"Thats weird. You in a healthy relationship. This is some kind of bizarro world."

Kara looked up and saw Winn in her office, dressed as usual in a nice shirt, tie and sweater. Somethings never change.

"Winn! You are here!" Kara charged her friend, wrapping him in a hug.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to meet my new boss, a Curtis Holt? Felicity said to meet him in your office at 9. So I'm in your office and … he's not here. Wow, this is so weird right? I mean you have this huge office and this isn't even the permanent building, I'm not taking calls from people who downloaded spam viruses on the company computers, the R&D and coding sections are amazing, Miss Grant… I kind of miss her."

"Yeah… me too. My office is cool though. Not that I have spent a lot of time in it recently but yeah, this place is pretty neat. Are you… do you regret coming here?" Kara asked, hoping not. Having Winn with her made this place feel even more like home.

"No way. Seeing Caitlin throwing ice cubes at a guy and saying Killer Frost was going to own him, made this who trip worth it. She is deadly accurate with those ice cubes, even completely drunk. This place is amazing. Being here with you and Eliza and Alex, its what I hoped for when we started this thing. But yeah, seeing you get the recognition you deserve makes this worth it alone."

"I completely agree." a tall black man with a large head of hair and wire framed glasses said walking in. Kara recognized his voice as that of one Curtis Holt, the worst air traffic controller in the world. He offered his hand to Winn.

"You are the man who cracked a living alien code, stopped more nuclear weapons from being launched and spam bombed the bitch to death. A pleasure to meet you. I am so excited to see what we can do together."

Winn took the man's hand, assuming this would be his boss, even though he still hadn't said his name.

"Thanks Mr…"

"No no. Curtis Holt, no mister. Just call me Curtis. And oh my God, my favorite hero in the universe! I've even told Oliver that. Kara Zorel, it is so good to meet you in person."

Kara tried to take his hand but instead allowed herself to be jerked into a hug. "Winn have you seen her newest action figures?"

"No, just the one she gave Carter, how many does she have?"

"When she first came out she had what is marketed now as the evil wizard battle armor. That is sans cape, a bit bigger logo and smaller mask and blue boots. The latest one incorporates the red thigh high boots which are amazing and the cape which you pull off, Kara. The design is similar but the chest piece is smaller. Wait until the first time you use those nano solar panels in public. A bedazzled action figure is next, I guarantee you! Anyway it is so good to meet the both of you. Winn when you are done catching up with Kara come find me in R&D and I can show you to your station. The set up isn't great since Kara accidentally destroyed the building fighting Savage…"

"That was not my fault!"

"But the new building is going to have amazing work stations. Since I'm pretty sure you are one of the top programmers we are going to have, you will probably get an office. I can do that because I'm the boss. Its pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah, cool." Winn smiled, definitely feeling like he entered a bizzaro world but loving it.

"Yeah, I better get back to work too Boss." Kara told him moving back behind her desk.

"Oh, I'm not your boss. Ray didn't tell you? Since I didn't need an EA and you have been handling PR you have been promoted to VP of PR for the Central City branch which is going to be the new headquarters for the nano tech program. Felicity is providing support as needed but also has new development lines and Oliver needs her at night. I mean working with him at night, not under him, but judging by the way the two were all over each other before I left, I imagine she is going to be having breakfast with him again as well. Oh and Ray told me to tell you because he would probably forget, that human resources is going to start sending you assistants to interview so you can stop wasting your time fielding meaningless calls and have more flexibility for your other activities."

"I'm getting an assistant? I've worked here less than six months!"

"Yeah, but Ray is back and while Felicity was constantly having to fight the board because Ray basically gave her the company and they didn't trust her, they roll over and play dead when Ray tells them too. Time hasn't changed that it seems. He's bigger now that he is back from the dead. Ray says he wants it, then Ray gets it. He wants your title to go from EA to VP of PR so guess what? You are VP of PR. He also doesn't want the consulting firm we have on contract since you have pretty much turned away all the crap they have come up with so start looking for people to work under you. Ray likes young fresh talent when it comes to marketing so maybe send out some headhunters to look for recent graduates in the MBA programs around the State or even nation if you want."

"I don't have an MBA." Kara reminded him.

"You don't have to because you are the boss. Besides you have more corporate experience from your old job than any of these kids with MBAs. Okay, Winn come down to the 5th when you are done. I have a lot of action figures to show you. I bet we have different comics in our universe. What is your favorite from your old one?"

"Uh… Avengers?"

"Yeah we got them too. Lightweights compared to Superwoman. Ironman can't even shrink like Ray can. We can work on your taste though. See ya later Kara."

Kara was left with Winn trying to come to grips with the whirlwind that was Curtis Holt.

"So wow. Yeah, okay. You doing lunch with Barry today?" Winn asked.

"Even if I were, you could come along too Winn. But no I'm not so if Caitlin can get away it will be the two of us and you. I know a couple great lunch spots around here."

"You don't send someone out with an order?" he asked, confused.

"Why would we… oh yeah. No, lunch policies are more relaxed here. We eat and then we come back. It works for us. Most everyone here works into the night anyway. Everyone here, especially the programmers, love their jobs. I can understand why. How many programmers can one day tell their grandkids they helped cure spinal cord injuries or helped stroke victims make full recoveries, maybe even cure cancer?"

"Whoa. I knew about the spinal cord… but cure cancer?"

"Sure. Anything is possible. Its kind of the unofficial company motto. You are going to be programming thousands of microscopic robots, each working individually but all working with one direction. Attacking a malignant tumor is not out of the range of possibilities. These nano bots can attack tumors in places surgeons couldn't even reach them. Its the fusion of talents between tech and medicine, the perfect blend we have at Palmer Tech, now that Ray is going to own S.T.A.R. as well."

"Thats amazing. I am so glad I came. Okay, I guess I better get with Curtis. So lunch?"

"Yep, noon?"

"Sure, Caitlin is coming?"

Kara laughed recognizing that look. "Yeah I will talk her into it. Something tells me it won't be hard." Her laughter stopped when she remembered that she wouldn't be seeing Barry tonight. Then a brilliant idea popped into her head. If Barry was going to do police work tonight Kara could also.

"Hey Winn, you have any plans tonight?"

"Nope. Me and Cisco were going to hang at the lab and play some new games, maybe design some advanced tech for the suits. Man I wish I had access to his toys when I made yours. The things I could have done Kara…"

"Hey you did great. I miss that outfit. I'll show you the wall inside my room at the lab. Its framed."

"Really? Thats… thanks Kara. So what do you want to do tonight?"

"How would you feel about catching up with Felicity while I took care of some business?"

"Uh, isn't Star City like ten hours by train?"

"Yep, but it won't take us that long. Hold on."

Kara called Cisco and placed her order making sure he understood if Barry didn't find out about this she would forget him ratting her nightly activities out to her parents.

"Do I even want to know why I need a flight suit and helmet?"

"Because I am going to be flying with you pretty fast. We have 30 minutes to make 600 miles. I could make it in less but I will go slow for you."

"Kara you know how I feel about heights."

"Winnnnn. We haven't had any bonding moments in a long time. Don't you want to see the Arrow Cave?"

"Not really. It seems like every time those guys are around someone gets shot with an arrow."

"Its really cool." she told him.

"You've been there?" he asked doubtfully. He didn't remember hearing Cisco talk about any adventures Kara had in Star City.

"No, but Barry said its really cool, plus I have some legitimate business to take care of. I'll find out the location from Curtis and we can talk about the details at lunch. Maybe you could bring lunch to Cait at the lab?"

"Bring lunch? For Caitlin?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Couldn't hurt. I bet she would think it was sweet."

"Okay… yeah, we can do that."

"Perfect." Kara clapped her hands as Winn left nervously. Yes, she may not have the kind of fun she had in mind tonight but there were other ways to entertain herself.

On the train to Star City, Barry was already miserable, his mind running over a thousand different scenarios, linking these cases together and trying to determine what this person's next move was. The bombs had been devastating, the drones devastating, but these two homicides felt like set ups, bait to lead them by the nose. Barry had to go with the assumption that this man or woman, this villain, knew who he was and probably knew who Kara was.

"Whats got your mind working so hard?" Alex asked, also annoyed that her second day on the job she would have to spend the night away from Nyssa.

Barry looked across his seat and saw unsurprisingly, Joe was already asleep.

"What I'm always thinking about." he admitted.

"My little itty baby sister?" Alex guessed, having a bit of fun.

Baby sister. That wasn't what he thought of her ever but especially last night. He had already known but to see her completely… her body was amazing.

"Yeah, she is usually first in my mind. I'm also trying to think of connections. Who is doing what and why? Sorry your introduction to this Earth has been so… strange."

"Strange is what I deal with. It actually makes me feel at home." Alex admitted, sounding a bit down, probably for the same reason he was. Neither would be in the beds they wanted to be tonight. There was a time Barry enjoyed these trips, seeing different cities, working with different police departments. Now leaving home was an annoyance.

"Christmas is coming up in a few months." Barry reminded her, causing Alex to wonder why the hell he would bring that up.

"I hope so. Not having Christmas on the 25th of December would definitely be too weird. Want to know what to get Kara? Honestly, I bought her boring sweaters and DVDs of her favorite shows. I was never great at Christmas gifts."

"I'm going to ask her to marry me. On Christmas Day I mean." he told the woman, shocking the hell out of her. She hadn't expected Barry to be so open with her.

"Thats… thats great Barry."

"Yeah I think so too. For a long time, ever since I became the… you know, I never thought it would happen for me. Even before that, I wondered if I would ever be able to solve my Mom's murder, free my Dad, put it behind me and move forward. Now I can't imagine a life without her. I wouldn't want one.

When Kara first told me about you, while I was on her Earth for those two weeks, it became obvious to me how protective you were of her and I kinda thought it was silly but I understand now."

"I know you do." Alex admitted. "I can tell it when you are around her. No matter where she is on the battlefield or in the same room relaxing you always know where she is."

Barry laughed quietly to himself and stared out the window for a bit, day dreaming of Kara in a white gown, maybe having two ceremonies if Alex knew how to perform one of the Kryptonian bonding ceremonies. His mind drifted but came back to Alex, who had now pulled out a Guns and Ammo magazine from her backpack that apparently held all her luggage.

"Hey Alex, I think I owe you an apology."

"Hah. What did you do? Deflower my sister?"

Barry looked away quickly, too quickly if anyone had been looking.

"Barry? That was a joke. I know she has that bracelet but I didn't figure you and her had already… wow. Okay, good for her. But why the hell would you think you would need to apologize to me because of it?"

"Thats not what I owe you an apology for. It was yesterday."

"What about yesterday?"

"I asked you to look at the gas particles I found…"

"And I appreciated it. It was interesting. Not exactly metahuman but since it is possibly related to someone trying to harm you and my sister I am glad we are going to have a look."

"No, you don't understand. For the longest, for the past two years it has been me, Cisco and Cailtin against the world. There was nothing we couldn't beat together. We had survived so much and been through so much that it became natural that the ones I trusted, relied on whenever things got strange or dangerous or confusing were the two of them. Caitlin is our hero. She is a genius and has suffered so much, been through so much she doesn't deserve, no one deserves and she is still standing, still helping, still fighting for us, she has been the glue that held us together."

"She is amazing." Alex admitted. She had been impressed with Caitlin since she first saw her holding Kara's hand while watching that message from Kara's mother.

"Yeah, but things change. We have grown, some have come, some have gone and some have betrayed us so deeply its a miracle we trust anyone outside of the three of us. Then Kara came along and I wasn't the only one that fell in love with her. She fit in like she always belonged. Then Ray came back and Jax and Dr. Stein… and then you."

"Kind of crashed the party huh?"

"See thats what I have to apologize for. I am used to relying on Caitlin and Cisco for everything but this? What we are investigating? I put enough on Cait with this other stuff. You asked about a cure or a vaccine and offered to make one. Instead before I even thought of you, I did what I always do when I need something. I went to Caitlin. It wasn't fair to her and it isn't fair to you. I know you are as brilliant as Caitlin is. The problem is, I see you kicking ass so much its easy to forget about it. But you are a cop now, one of us and this is a police issue. I don't have to go to Caitlin with this stuff anymore, because I have you now. Its new but its good. I should have gone to you first. Caitlin hasn't made much headway, in between everything else she has going on but she is doing her best. She just has so much on her plate. I think you should take it over. Because if anyone besides Cait can come up with a vaccine its you. You aren't just on the team, you are a cop and from now on, I'm going to bring problems to you. You are on the metahuman task force, you are part of our secret team in every way as well and I promise I won't forget it anymore. I'm really glad you are here, not just for Kara but for all of us. If there is one thing that has been beaten into me by this hero business is that people you can trust unconditionally are rare and you are one of them. I won't forget again."

Alex sat quietly, wanting to hug the man but not giving in. She tried to play it off but was cheering inside. She had begun to doubt herself being around so many geniuses and hearing Barry tell her she was needed was the confidence boost she needed.

"I'll always be there for whatever you need Barry. You are going to be family after all, as if you aren't already. And I would love to work on things like this poison fear gas with you. You don't have to apologize. I know what it is like to have certain people you rely on. It is a hard habit to break but I am glad you are going to include me."

"I'm not going to include you Alex, I am going to count on you."

Alex nodded her head and smiled out the window, before turning back to Barry.

"So tell me, do you have a ring picked out? Kara, when we were young, we used to talk about our dream weddings. I never mentioned mine would have two brides but I can tell you quite a bit about hers."

"Nope. I figured maybe you and Caitlin can go shopping with me. I'm not exactly an expert on this. I just know it can't have emeralds anywhere on it."

"That sounds great." Alex admitted and began talking about different diamonds and patterns. Joe sat with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep and enjoying every minute of it. He wasn't crazy about whoever was doing this or what they would find, but his little family had grown and was getting pretty damn strong.

As night fell and the trio exited the train to rent a car and travel to SCPD, Winn was screaming in Kara's arms high above the ground.

"Can you slow down, please?!" He was wearing a helmet and flight suit Cisco had dug up from the basement and was feeling a bit claustrophobic in addition to his fear of heights. Of course Kara was holding him from behind so he could look directly at the dark blur he believed was the ground.

"The slower I go the longer we are in the air. I'm doing this for your own good Winn." Kara explained over the loud wind shear.

"My own good?! My own good?!"

"Yep, you begged to come with me, so deal with it."

"I did not beg! You told me I was coming with you!"

"I need my own Felicity tonight if Oliver doesn't cooperate. That is you Winn. Relax, close your eyes and pray or something. It will be over soon. You act like you've never flown with me before."

"I haven't! I have never asked you for this exact reason! I didn't even like meeting on the roof!"

"You want to ride on my back?" Kara offered.

"Are you going to toss me in the air so I land on your back?"

"Big time." she admitted.

"No, I… I'm good."

Ten minutes later the two landed in an alley next to what used to be the Oliver Queen for Mayor election headquarters.

"I don't think anyone is home. Can I borrow some money for train fare?" he asked.

"Didn't bring any money. Where would I keep it?" Kara asked.

"You have a million places to keep money on you! You have a backpack on!"

"This backpack is important. Lets go say hi."

Kara walked to the back entrance and typed in the door code Curtis had given her on the promise that she would tell Oliver that Barry gave it to her.

"This is a great lair. Makes our old office look cool." Winn sarcastically observed, wiggling out of his flight suit.

"Its underground. The elevator should be around here… there!" she pointed out when her X ray vision found the door. Finding the lever, the wall slid back and she entered another code. The elevator closed behind them and dropped on level down. When the door opened, Winn jumped behind Kara to hide from the two people pointing arrows at the door and the large man with the large gun also pointed in his general direction.

"Hey guys! I missed you!" Kara greeted them, all three letting out a sigh of relief and relaxed their weapons.

Oliver dropped his head. "Kara, you couldn't have called?"

"You might have told me not to come over. I couldn't take that risk Oliver. If you had said that, I would have felt unwelcome when I came over anyway." Superwoman explained. She did have a point in a Kara sort of way Oliver admitted to himself. Felicity ran across the lair and hugged her, followed by Thea.

"You guys remember Winn? Felicity, if it is okay, he is going to sit in with you tonight."

"This place is sooo cool. Are those the tri poly carbonate…" Winn started.

"Don't touch those." three voices said at once.

"Of course." Felicity agreed, "I love company. It gets lonely when I'm here by myself."

"Excellent! So you guys are going out tonight?"

"No." Oliver and Digg both said.

"Yes, you are Oliver. You were just talking about the drug shipment that was supposedly…" Felicity stopped talking, seeing the look on Oliver's face.

"Great. Drug shipment. I've never done one of those before. First, business, where is my mannequin?"

"Uh… mannequin?" Oliver asked, confused, as he often was around Kara.

"Yeah. I see Barry's extra suit over there. I need a place to put mine." she explained, wondering why, as it should be obvious. Taking off her cape she walked over towards the glass cases.

"You can use mine Kara. I can pick up an extra tomorrow." Thea offered.

"Sweet. I have to keep the cape, its one of a kind and I can't exactly get another one. I will use my mask tonight though."

"What is tonight, exactly?" The Arrow wondered, suspecting and not liking the idea.

"I'm going with you guys. We are going to … you know, shoot some arrows and stuff, beat up some drug dealers or gang guys or … something? You said a drug shipment right?"

Oliver sighed, while Digg retreated to sit this one out.

"Kara, we kind of have our own way of doing things. I'm not saying you wouldn't be a big help but our methods can be a little…"

"I think its a great idea, Oliver." Felicity told him.

"Me too! You can use one of my extra suits if you want to stay low." Thea offered.

"Nope. I brought my own vigilante costume. Give me a minute and I will be right back."

Kara walked five steps before Oliver stopped her.

"Are you wearing your bracelet? Kara there is no way in hell you are going out there without your powers. I will put you in a metal cage in the back before I let that happen."

"I am not wearing my bracelet! Why would you think that? I'm not stupid Oliver."

"Then why are you walking funny? You seem stiff, like you pulled a muscle or something."

Kara froze, not sure how to answer that. She could have come up with a million lies but not one came to her at the moment.

"You are wearing your bracelet." Oliver concluded. Instead of denying it, Kara pulled up both sleeves and showed her wrists to Oliver.

"My bracelet, which I have had no need to use yet, is safely locked away in Central City. Even if I were wearing it, I have been getting very good at fighting. Nyssa says so and she also told me about all the times she whipped your butt so I think I am more than qualified."

"You aren't going." Oliver told her. "You are obviously not at one hundred percent if you look like someone punched in the… groin? Oh… you and Barry finally…"

"Yes, I am going!" Kara told him before he could finish verbalizing that thought. "I am bored tonight. You owe me. I saved you from a fiery death on the side of a mountain."

"I followed you to another universe and fought special forces soldiers and mini Godzillas with you." he countered. Kara admitted he had her.

"You're right Oliver. I guess we are even… I didn't want to have to do this." Kara took a deep breath and prepared herself, putting her mind in the perfect emotional state.

"Do what… no! Do not do…" Oliver backed up and pointed at her.

"Oh you are so screwed dude." Winn told the man. Kara had taken off her mask.

"Please Oliver?" she asked, using the full power of her eyes and sad face.

"Yep, she brought out the puppy dog eyes. You may as well give up now." Winn suggested.

"Please? I want to learn how you guys do it. Everyone thinks all I can do is fly around and beat people up. I can learn so much from going out with you guys tonight."

"Oh God…" Oliver groaned. "No… no,"

"What if I ever blow out my powers and bad guys are still around? I can learn so much. You always tell Barry he needs to learn from you. Am I not good enough? You don't think I can take it?"

"Kara we have certain methods the three of us… no… stop it… Is that a damn tear? You can tear up on command? No, its just…damn it! Fine, go change…"

Kara was gone and back in five seconds with her new suit Cisco had made today. No solar panels, no radiation blockers, no defibrillators. Just a dark blue suit with blue boots, wrist cuffs equipped with an array of small arrows, Kali sticks on her sides and a mask over her eyes, her bright blonde hair hidden by a large dark blue hood.

"You are serious?" he asked, while Digg snickered in the back.

"I think you look badass, Kara."

"Thank you Thea. I need to borrow a bow and some of those trick arrows."

"Can you even shoot a bow?" a frustrated Arrow asked.

"Yes! I have superior eyesight and am very good with my hands. I've fired guns and bows and even thrown knives at targets before. It was part of that whole DEO training I had to undergo before they tried to kill me. I never miss." Kara lied through her perfect white teeth.

"Fine. I have an extra but do not fire unless I tell you to."

"No problem. I will follow your lead, I promise." Kara lied once again.

"Whatever." Oliver walked over to retrieve his back up bow when Kara stopped him.

"What?"

"I want the voice thingy."

"Why do you want the voice modulator, Kara?"

"I heard about it and I think its cool."

"Does Barry know you are here?"

"Number one, yes and number two he isn't my owner. I can do what I want. Now can I please have a voice thingy?"

Oliver grumbled and handed the voice thingy to her. Kara waved bye to Winn and Star City's newest vigilante followed her team to fight the evil drug dealers and other evil people on the rough streets of the city.

"By the way, while I'm an active member of Team Arrow you can all call me Predator." she added. "Did you copy, Overwatch?"

"Loud and clear Predator. Me and Spock will be in your ear the whole time. Happy hunting."

"So where are we going?" Kara asked, as the crew got into a black van.

"The Glades." Dig answered.

"Thats a pretty name. I bet it's a nice area huh?"

While Kara was beginning her career as a vigilante, Alex was trying to get through her exciting second day as a police officer. Second night would be more accurate. Barry had volunteered to meet with the medical examiner in the underbelly of the hospital which she was grateful for, since she didn't need to hang out in an underground morgue when she could just read an autopsy report. Instead she got to listen to Joe laugh at horrible jokes from other cops who tried to be subtle about checking her ass out and failing miserably.

Joe's bonding with the other detectives did yield results though. The victim had been connected to the mob in Star City. He had been arrested for many things but the most interesting one was A child racketeering charge, he served twenty years on. The man had been released last May. A foster father of all things in addition to being a mafia hit man, Edward Gallo would take in foster children, as many as ten on some occasions and force them to make deliveries to drug dealers, money launderers, accompany muscle to collect from local business and even selling drugs on the street. If any of them failed that kid would be beaten severely. He had even been suspected of loaning out kids to other mob friends but the arresting officer could never make those charges stick. Eddie wouldn't give out names. So Alex found herself with Joe, visiting the lead investigator at the time, a man who was no longer on the police force, named Quentin Lance.

"And this is the Laurel Lance's dad?" Alex asked, not liking where this was going.

"Yep. He would still be on the force but he had to sign an affidavit saying he didn't know Laurel was the Black Canary. He refused. He lives with Felicity's mom now. I have no idea what he does for a living but… he has had a rough past few years. He helped me and Cisco once, a good guy from what I could tell. Losing his daughter like that, I couldn't imagine. Of course he thought Sara was dead for six years and then she did die is what Barry says but then she didn't and it had something to do with some sort of zombie pit? I don't know Alex, I really stopped trying to think to hard about these things after Barry time traveled the first time."

"So this is Sara Lance's Dad? I should probably stay in the car Joe." Alex suggested.

"No you shouldn't. He is a good guy. I doubt Sara is the type of daughter who tells her Dad anything about her personal life. I doubt he would care. He isn't a fool. The man has suffered and he is a realist. All we need to know is if he can remember any names of the suspected mob buddies Gallo loaned the kids out to. If one of those names is our Central City victim and even better if one or two of the names were victims of the bomber at the Steak House and apartment complex before that we have that link we are looking for. At least we would know why the two would have a connection."

"Okay, that makes sense. We would still need to find the gas guy and take him alive, so he can talk. Obviously there is another guy organizing the two, sponsoring them I suppose, if he had the tech to pull off the drone attack yesterday. I'm with Barry, all this happening at the same time… what?" Alex stopped at the confused look Joe was giving her.

"You said we needed to take him alive. You do realize that is generally how police work goes, right? We take them alive?"

"Of course. It was just a figure of speech." Alex lied. Joe started laughing.

"Thank God. You had me worried for a minute. I was going to ask if your middle name was Oliver."

Alex joined in, laughing nervously.

"Come on Joe, its not like at my old job I just found the biggest gun around and killed whatever I was after." she egged on.

Joe stopped laughing.

"You used to find the biggest gun around and kill whatever you were after, didn't you?"

"Yep." Alex admitted, since Joe was grinning. "But I did bring in a lot of aliens alive. Most of them. Over half of them… okay there were a few I knew had it out for Kara, hardcore. They may have resisted arrest a bit too much but I am very cool here. No evil aliens, just bad guys, read them their rights… I don't have one of those cards. You are probably going to have to do the rights thing. I'm not sure I really remember them from TV."

"I got you covered, Queen… I mean Detective Zorel." Joe told her with a big smile as the two pulled into the parking garage of the high end apartment complex.

A confused Quentin Lance opened the door, not expecting company. He did recognize Joe however from the strange encounter, discovering Well's body together a long time ago. It seemed like a long time to Quentin anyway.

"Uh… Joe West, right?"

"Yes sir. Its good to see you again Quentin. This is my partner Alex Zorel. We need some information about a case you worked twenty years ago, a guy who was killed last night, Eddie Gallo? Mind if we come in?"

"Yeah, come on in. Donna is making some…"

"Who is here?" A bright blonde haired woman in very tight shorts and a very low cut top asked, walking out of what Alex guessed was the kitchen.

"Hey Hun. This is Joe West. He is an old friend and this is Alex Zorel."

"Hi, Donna Smoak." she offered her hand to Alex.

"Smoak? Like Felicity…" Alex thought, not quite believing it was possible.

"Yes, I'm her mother! You know my baby girl?"

Wow, it is possible, Alex thought.

"Yes, we are good friends."

"Come inside, I just baked some home made pizza. Okay I just heated up a couple of those frozen pizzas. I wanted take out but Quentin is addicted to these things."

The four walked into the living room, and before they could sit, the front door was kicked in. Eight men, all dressed in jeans, casual tee shirts of varying designs and colors and leather jackets all large enough to conceal holsters rushed in. Alex pulled her gun immediately but was outgunned by the automatic weapons in the men's hands.

"Now, now. Lets put that gun away officer. No need for anyone to get hurt. Actually there is a need for one person to be hurt." a thin, dark haired man, early thirties, in a black suit, walked between the men, grinning. He carried a walking stick in his hand, though it was obvious he didn't need one.

Alex dropped her gun, stepping in front of Joe and backed against him, so he would have easy access to the weapon she kept in her back holster.

"Now which one of you is Quentin Lance?"

"I am. What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing. This is just a business transaction I am afraid, one I find very distasteful. I actually admire you greatly. You saved me once from hell. But in order to get what I want, I have to provide a friend with something he wants."

"Yeah? He wants me? You brought all these guys to kill me?"

"No, actually I have to kill you. These men are going to keep your lady friend here after she calls her daughter. For lack of a better word she is going to be bait. Do you think Oliver Queen will come alone or will he bring the whole band of Merry Men? Now you two are a complication. What shall I do with you? Central City's finest, a long way from home. I suppose your department isn't as slow as I suspected them to be. Condolences Mr. Lance on your daughter's untimely death. The Black Canary was a beautiful woman and will be missed."

"Who are you?" Alex asked, Joe slowly reaching for the gun on her back holster.

"Doesn't really matter does it? You two are a complication but I honestly can't have you aiding Queen when he shows up, so unfortunately you have to go. I'll have one of these men make it quick. Much better than what I have to do to poor Quentin, believe me."

Alex locked eyes with the masked black leather clad woman who had silently entered through the door and then slowly raised her hands to cover her ears. Joe, Quentin and Donna did the same.

"I think you should all be more concerned about holding your breath." Crane, told them politely.

Alex nodded and Sara Lance unleashed the power of her sister's reprogrammed Canary cry into the room. All the glass in the apartment shattered, all the men dropped to the ground, Joe and Quentin fell on top of Donna while Alex Danvers bent over then rose and along with Sara Lance, attacked nine armed men in Quentin Lance's living room.


	28. Chapter 28

Don not own CW or DC characters

A/N thanks for the continued reviews. I have received some really great and encouraging PMs as well. Its a long weekend for me so I am hoping to have another chapter out by the fourth. A lot goes on in this one and just to get a jump on questions, Scarecrow s going to be around a while longer and Prometheus hasn't even gotten started. I haven't forgotten about Henry either. Keep those reviews coming, they make me write faster ;)

Chapter 28

"So the arrows on the right of the quiver are knockout arrows. Aim for the head. A hit won't kill a person but it will put them to sleep for a while." Oliver explained.

"Whats a quiver?" the blonde asked.

"The long bag on your back that has…" Oliver began, sighing.

"Arrows in it. I knew that. We just really didn't cover terminology in the DEO training."

"Uh huh."

"Relax Ollie, I got this. What about the other arrows?"

"Don't call me…"

"I'm calling you Ollie." Kara told him with no room for argument.

Oliver rubbed his forehead, not even bothering to argue. If the super powered alien wanted to call him Ollie who was he to argue?

"The ones on your left side are bola arrows. Aim for the chest or legs and cords will release on impact, wrapping around the limbs, basically immobilizing the target."

"Okay, where are the rest?" Kara asked.

"The rest? You have seven of each. How many do you want?"

"I want the one that explodes, the one that turns into a magnet, the one I can shoot into a building and swing from, that looks so fun, the one that shocks people…'

"You don't get those."

"Why not?"

"Because." Oliver reasoned.

"Because? What kind of reason is that? Because? I'm a member of the team and I want my exploding arrows, Oliver Queen."

"You shoot laser beams out of your eyes. Why would you want an exploding arrow?" Oliver asked, listening to Felicity and Winn try not to laugh on the other end of the com and failing.

"Because I'm a vigilante tonight. I'm not shooting lasers out of my eyes and I call it heat vision. I don't call your knock out arrows, stupid arrows with boxing gloves attached, do I?"

"You get through tonight and you can have some exploding arrows next time Kara." Dig told her, trying not to smile.

"So I get to do this again?" Kara asked, jumping on his statement, making him realize what he had said.

"Of course. Anytime you want. If these guys don't want you the two of us can go out." Thea told her. Kara smiled sarcastically at Oliver.

"At least one team member appreciates me. Hey listen!" Kara told the group quickly, picking up a cry for help a block away that none of the others could hear. "Pull over."

"We are kind of on a time table here Kara…" Oliver tried.

"Pull over! A lady just called for help!"

Dig swerved to the side and before he was stopped completely, the back of the van was opened and the Predator went to work.

"Did you hear anything?" Dig asked the two in the back.

"Superhearing." Thea reminded him. Diggle turned off the engine and rolled the window down. "You think she will be back?"

"Not a doubt." Oliver sighed. "I should probably go check on her."

"She is indestructible, Oliver, I don't think she needs you to check on her." Speedy reminded her brother.

"She wasn't indestructible this morning apparently. I guess not even Kryptonians are immune to supersonic punches… of a sort. I didn't think Barry had it in him. Fine, I guess I will wait here …

Oliver's agreement was cut off by a scream from an alley a block away. It was a man screaming. A blue blur flashed to the window.

"I uh… think I may have killed this guy or he's dying. Could one of you come help?" the blue blur known as the Predator asked, then zipped off, Oliver, Thea and Dig running behind her, quickly but still considerably slower than Kara. They found her kneeling over a well built, tattooed young man in a black hoodie and jeans, perhaps 19 or 20 years old, on the ground screaming, while trying to pull tightly bound steel cords off of his face.

"What did you do?" Oliver asked, groaning internally.

"He stole that purse on the ground so I shot one of those bolo things. I was aiming for his chest and he must have ducked because it wrapped around his head, like really tight."

"I didn't duck, could somebody get this off of me?" the man begged.

"You did duck, I never miss. I've been trying to tell you if you would just hold still I can pull this off!"

"Hold on." Oliver reached around the back of the man's head and snapped a lever, the cords loosening, leaving a couple deep red indentions across his forehead and cheeks.

"It's you! The Arrow. Thank God, please get this crazy woman away from me! I'll go to jail. I'll walk straight there and turn myself in. Just keep her away from me! She is nuts! Her eyes glow!"

"I am not nuts! You are the one stealing purses from women on the street, scum bag. Who are you to judge me?"

"Who are you lady?" the guy asked, scrambling back on his hands.

I'm the… hold on…" Kara switched the voice modulator on. "I'm the Predator." she told the man in her most intimidating voice.

"The Pred… the alien?"

"No! The guy or … woman who kills the aliens!" Kara explained forcefully.

"Yeah, but Predators are aliens too."

"Yeah, but they are nice aliens. They kill the… bad, disgusting looking aliens with acid for blood. Its called Predator versus Alien for a reason!" her modulated voice yelled.

"Yeah but in the Predator movies they skin humans alive and kill people for sport. Why would you call yourself…"

Oliver jerked the man to his feet by his neck.

"Go back to whatever sewer you came from. If I see you out on these streets again looking even a bit shady I am going to let her shoot you in the head as much as she wants and then you can find out exactly why her eyes glow. Do we have an understanding?"

"Whatever you say Mr. Arrow. Thank you sir."

The man took off towards and across the street, not stopping for any passing cars, continuing to run as far from the Predator as he could get.

"So shouldn't we have arrested him or something?" Kara asked. He had committed a crime.

"Kara could you please return the purse to the lady he stole it from and meet us back in the van? The shipment is due to arrive in ten minutes according to my source and we need to check the area out."

"Yeah, we should get to work. For the record I would have hit his chest if he hadn't ducked."

"Uh huh…" Oliver didn't believe her for some reason.

Kara was back in seconds, no purse in hands.

"I may have freaked her out too. She told me I could keep the purse so I just left it on the ground by her feet. People in the Glades really aren't grateful. I'm beginning to wonder why you bother."

Oliver ignored her complaint and addressed his biggest concern, besides her horrible aim. "Why did he see your eyes glowing?"

"I was excited! They do that sometimes." Superwoman tried. "Believe it or not, I've taken down bank robbers, liquor store robbers, saved a whole lot of people from fires, saved a few from car wrecks, caught a 747, while only doing minimal damage to a large bridge, kept an oil tanker from exploding while only causing minimal damage to the environment, taken out metahumans, aliens trying to kill every human on the planet and an evil wizard but I have never gone after a purse snatcher before. I tend to get over excited. I'm good now. Adrenalin is gone and I am cold as ice."

"Uh huh."

"Big time." she agreed nodding her head seriously.

"Kara." Felicity cut in. "You left your phone here and Barry is trying to call you. Want me to send the call to your com?"

"Oh crap." Kara muttered.

"I thought you said he knew you were with us?" Oliver asked, smirking.

"He does… n't. I don't need his permission."

"Cool. I want to say hi."

"You will stay quiet! Yeah Overwatch, go ahead and patch the call through."

"Hello?" Barry greeted her, sounding confused.

"Hiiiii Barry. How's it going?" Kara asked cheerfully.

"Pretty bad. I miss you. I've been in a morgue for the past couple hours while Joe and Alex are out having fun, doing police work and stuff. I didn't really learn anything I didn't already suspect. The results are pretty conclusive, same weaponized gas, pretty toxic stuff. I'm hoping Joe and Alex can find a connection between this victim and the one in Central City. What are you doing?"

"Oh… just… hanging out."

"Dig, Thea, listen up. Looks like Felicity and I will have a Kara principle to base our relationship on. " Oliver whispered.

"Who are you hanging out with? Is Winn with you? Cisco said you two had plans tonight."

"Winn is… around, but he is not with me at the moment." Not a lie.

"Oh… so what are you two up to? Watching TV? I think Cisco is hurt you stole his new play pal."

"Cisco can get over it. He was my friend first. Anyway, Winn isn't here right now. Like I said, I'm just hanging out."

"Sounds … boring. You have the bracelet locked up still… right?"

"Yep." Kara answered quickly. An easy question not to lie about.

"I appreciate it. I know its unreasonable. I just don't like the idea of anything that could be out there hurting you. I know its stupid and I'm not trying to be over protective. I just have a feeling this guy and maybe whoever he is working with are in Star City. Without knowing what effect this gas would have on your body, its best that you aren't in Star until we can catch him. I'm sorry if it seems like overkill but you have no idea how much better I feel knowing you are far away from here right now."

"I understand, it probably would be best if I wasn't in Star City." Kara said carefully, deciding that was not a lie. It would probably be better if she were in Central City at the moment, but that's life sometimes.

"You could take lessons from her Ollie. She hasn't lied once." Thea whispered to her brother with wide eyed appreciation.

"So… if Winn isn't there… what are you wearing?"

Dig nearly coughed and had to turn his com off while Oliver sat back and looked at Kara with a grin. She was not deterred. She had this.

"Oh, you know… clothes."

"Yeah? What exactly?"

"Barry, are you trying to … over the phone?" Kara asked and despite her resistance to temperature, felt herself beginning to sweat.

"No! Maybe? I can't just run to where Alex and Joe are since they are talking to an old cop. I'm bored and alone and miss you. I could text Joe and tell him I will be at the hotel later. I really, really, miss you. I can be at your place in twenty minutes. Those two can stay out of trouble that long I'm sure."

Thea and Oliver both were staring at her now.

"Barry I think I would prefer it if you stay in Star City. Alex and Joe are alone and you admitted there is probably a killer loose there."

"Yeah, but… they … I get that… but you wanted me to run over earlier today and… is something… what's wrong? Are you still sore, because I promise we don't have to do anything tonight, I just want to hold you."

"Ahhh." Thea whispered adoringly.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Kara asked.

"It sounded like… nothing. Something must be wrong with the line. Reception here sucks. So how about it? I can be in Central City in twenty minutes?"

"You don't have your suit. Your clothes would burn up. Your shoes too. If you ran to Central City in your shoes they would be gone in minutes."

"Thats no problem, I can run by Oliver's lair and grab my extra suit."

"No! Thats a bad idea. I bet they are out doing some… important stuff. You know how grumpy Oliver gets when cool people like us ruin his fun."

"I'm not ruining his fun. I'm just going to grab my suit. I'll be in and out in like ten seconds. Is there some reason you don't want me to go to Oliver's place?"

"Why would I care if you go to Oliver's place?" Kara asked, trying her best to laugh and failing miserably.

"I don't know. No reason I guess. You are acting strange… you and Winn seem to have disappeared tonight, no one knows where the two of you are…"

"Barry, please don't tell me that you think Winn and I are…"

"In Star City?"

"Oh… thats better than what I thought you were gong to say…I mean, why would you say that?"

"Winn disappears. Cisco is evasive about where you are tonight but did tell me that Winn looked pale and very nervous at lunch. Winn is afraid of heights. You disappear. I am betting you grabbed the poor guy and flew him to Star City. I also know what it sounds like when Felicity patches a cell phone into a com in the field. Hi Oliver!"

"Hey Barry."

"Having fun?"

"Kara shot a guy in the face with a bolo arrow."

"So thats a yes then?"

"A blast." Oliver confirmed drily.

"Kara?" Barry asked.

"I did not tell one single lie… I can do what I want, just because you did amazing things to me last night doesn't mean…"

"Kara? Have fun, be careful and you think you can come hang out with me at the hotel after you are finished punishing people who have failed this city?"

Kara's head dropped but a smile was on her face.

"Yeah, I can probably do that. I can't stay all night, I have to get Winn back."

"I just want to see you. Knowing you, you made Cisco come up with some sort of vigilante costume, didn't you?"

"Maybe." she admitted. "I love you."

"I love you."

The call ended. Kara saw Thea and Oliver grinning.

"I didn't lie to him. Screw you guys, lets go take some drug dealers to church. Thats a saying here right? Take them to church?"

"It will work, Predator. Follow my lead." The Arrow told her.

While Team Arrow were preparing to punish drug dealers, Alex Danvers and Sara Lance were dishing out their own brand of punishment in Quentin Lance's living room. Alex had kicked the man with the walking cane who had threatened Lance, in the chin on her way up and he remained on the ground. Joe pulled his gun, while Quentin dove for Alex's discarded weapon on the ground but neither were able to take a shot. The men who had entered the house, had recovered quickly and were fighting for their lives against two forces of nature, converging in the middle of the living room, giving neither men a clear shot without the two thin streaks zigzagging between the combatants. Sara's bo staff flashed out striking men all around. Alex worked her way to the woman in the middle, grabbing Sara's two kali sticks and began swinging, remembering the flow that Nyssa had taught her. She was becoming a natural and admitted to herself that fighting multiple enemies at once with longer, hard extensions of her arms was an easier way to handle this type of brawl.

Sara took a punch from behind, leaning down, Alex jumping over her with a kick to her assailants chest. A gun was pointed at Alex, that was knocked away by Sara, who also struck the possible shooter in the groin and then his throat, dropping him,

With a last kick by both women, the last man went down.

"Joe, secure these weapons. We need to get you out of here Detective Lance. Follow your daughter while I take care of this ass…"

Alex looked to the ground where she had initially knocked the man with the cane, only to find he was standing, some sort of strange mask on his face, made of a burlap sack, and had pointed his cane in her direction. She saw the end of the cane was actually a canister, and froze for a split second, realizing what he had meant. He had come to poison Lance with the weaponized gas.

Before she could react. Sara Lance pushed her out of the way, taking the gas in her face and inhaling out of surprise immediately. Joe hit the man on the back of his head with the butt of his gun, and Dr. Crane dropped back to the floor.

"Back away, stay away from the gas!" Alex ordered. Donna screamed and tried to drag Quentin away but his only focus was on his daughter who had hit the ground and was clutching her chest. While Joe handcuffed Crane, Alex knelt by Sara.

"Damn it! Why the hell did you do that!? I… I need…" Alex began until Sara let out a blood curdling scream, her eyes wide opened, seeing something none of the four could.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Quentin asked, panicking. He had just lost one daughter and was afraid he was about to lose another one.

"She has been poisoned. Her brain is being flooded with Norepinephrine. It's shutting down her body's physical protection against fear. She has nine minutes before she goes critical. I need to get her to a hospital. Joe, secure that cane and that bastard and lets go. We don't have time to deal with these assholes when they wake up and help her. We need to leave!"

Alex dragged Sara up, Quentin grabbing her as well to help. She never stopped screaming but was looking around wide eyed, trying to claw away from her father and Alex. Alex was close to panicking. She knew she had to find someway to slow Sara's mind down, to stop the delusions she was seeing. Even in sleep she could have nightmares but the physical exertion was making the drug spread faster.

Alex hit Sara in the jaw, knocking the woman out while she hung in her father's arms.

"What the hell did you hit her for?! What's wrong with you?"

"I had to slow her thought process down. The fastest way to do that is for her to go to sleep. It was either hit her or sing to her. This seemed more effective. I've bought her maybe ten minutes more minutes. We need to get her to a hospital. She will have a heart attack unless I can get her blood pressure down…"

"No! She was poisoned? She has been poisoned before. Oliver! Oliver saved her. He has some kind of cure all. Some… I don't know what, but he keeps it in his clubhouse." Quentin told her.

"How far away is it?"

"Ten minutes."

"Make it five." Alex told him. The five raced out, Joe with a poisonous cane in one hand and a handcuffed, half asleep madman in the other while Donna followed Quentin who was carrying Sara.

"Joe put that man in the trunk, keep him away from that cane and take Smoak with you to the police station. Lance, you got a car?"

"Yeah, parking garage, level four."

"We are parked there too. Lets take the stairs. You got this Joe? Can you handle him?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've been doing this awhile… uh, I'll call Barry from the car. He can get a hold of Queen."

"Felicity is there. She is always there." Quentin mumbled, tears in his eyes at seeing another daughter, wearing black, passed out and in danger of dying while they all continued moving, Joe half dragging the handcuffed Crane.

Once they reached Level four of the parking garage Alex was very glad they had taken the stairwell and not the elevator. In the garage were four men, standing around smoking, submachine guns holstered to their sides. One saw the five and shouted. Quickly his friends had their weapons in hand and began firing into the car Alex and crew had jumped behind.

"Damn it, we don't have time for this!" Alex looked up and began shooting the lights out plunging the garage into darkness.

"We need to move!" Quentin yelled, setting Sara down and preparing to jump in front of the car, to tackle the enemy head on. Alex grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back down.

"Keep your head down and wait a second!" she ordered

The gunfire stopped. Joe prepared to stand and return fire until the screams started. As quickly as they started, they ended.

Alex popped up and ran towards the men, beckoning everyone to follow. Nyssa, dressed in a casual dark turtleneck sweater, black jeans and holding a bloody katana in her hand, stood over one body. Three more bodies lay on the ground around her, most likely making their own pools of blood in the darkness.

"What the hell took you so long?" Alex asked.

"I was held up in traffic. You knew I was here?"

"I wrote the book on overprotectiveness. Where else would you be? Sara has been poisoned. We need to get her to Oliver's hideout."

"Put her in my car. Its faster." Nyssa opened the door to a BMW, Alex supposed she rented on arrival, and Alex, Quentin and Sara moved into the backseat. Alex was vaguely aware of Joe tossing whoever the ass behind this was, into the trunk of his car and placing Donna in the front, the walking cane weapon in the backseat.

Alex called Barry while Nyssa drove through traffic. Sara was still out, her head on her father's lap and her legs across Alex.

"Hey Alex…"

"Listen Barry, Joe has the suspect in custody in his trunk and is taking him and the gas canister to the station. We were ambushed at Lance's. Sara was poisoned. We are going to Oliver's secret hideout place."

"Holy… okay, I'm on my way. Wait, Oliver is with Kara."

"Kara?! Why am I surprised? There is supposed to be some sort of antidote for poison's there. You know what I am talking about?"

"Yeah, he used it to save Sara from some pit viper venom poison and Dig from Curare poisoned bullets once. I can find it. Where are you and I can grab Sara…"

"We are almost there so go straight to the hideout, cave, whatever the hell it is. Those sound like ingestible poisons. Are you sure it will work on respiratory?"

"I don't know! He got it from an island in the South China Sea. Who knows what it will work on?"

"Fine, in case it doesn't he has drugs there, right? Normal drugs? Like normal emergency drugs that are probably felonies to possess?"

"Yeah, wait, you want…"

"Narcan, Propranolol, and Epinephrine. Does Oliver have medical equipment?"

"More than the hospital does. I doubt he has Propranolol but he does have Epinephrine. He tends to need medical treatment a lot. Hold on, I'm heading there now. I can find the herbs and get them ready."

"We are almost there. How much time does she have Alex?" Nyssa asked.

"Four minutes by my count but it could be two, it could be seven, depending on how hard I hit her and when she will recover. Her pulse is speeding up. Thats not good. Does Oliver have a defib?"

"Yes." Nyssa wove in and out of traffic, nearly hitting a moving truck when she ran a red light. Once clear she pulled out her phone.

"Uh… yeah?"

"Felicity, this is Nyssa. Open the hidden back exit behind the dumpster. We don't have time for the elevator. Sara has been poisoned. We need the Lian Yu herbs."

"Okay." Felicity ended the call, already moving no doubt. Nyssa did appreciate the blonde's cool head under pressure.

While the race to the Arrow Cave was going on Team Arrow was at the docks, involved in a brawl. What should have been a simple assault was turning into a gang war, as more and more merchant sailers poured from the vessel carrying $100,000 worth of heroin. While Thea, John, and Oliver were holding their own, Kara stood in the middle, trying to figure out who to hit. One man hit her from behind, breaking his hand on contact with her head. She turned and saw another aiming for Thea and fired without thinking, striking the man with a knockout arrow directly in the head.

"Oh…no I didn't, I did… yes I did! Thea did you see that? I hit him! I mean I shot him!" Kara's modulated voice shouted happily. Oliver was surrounded by four men, not seeming to have much trouble. Spartan had just tossed one against the side of the ship, the man dropping in the water. Thea had just broken a guys arm. Kara checked with her X ray vision and saw two clean breaks. Speedy had mad skills. Despite having better reflexes, speed and strength than everyone here, Kara was feeling a bit lost. She hadn't figured out who exactly to hit or how this was supposed to work. It seemed like they should have evenly divided opponents up but that wasn't the case.

Then she saw him. The fighting stopped around her, as the last man dropped but the one on the outskirts ran.

"He's mine." the Predator informed the team and ran at a slightly faster than normal pace after the coward. She turned the corner of a large shipping container, giving him a fair chance, and found him waiting, a gun pointed at her.

"That might have scared me a few months ago but I discovered yoga. Drop the gun." Kara nocked an arrow, she wasn't even sure what kind, and pulled back on the string, snapping it.

"Oliver is going to be so mad I broke his bow." she mumbled to herself.

The man fired his weapon. Kara saw four bullets flying towards her. Two struck her chest, crushing on contact and dropping harmlessly to the ground. She caught the third for novelty but the fourth hit home. Superwoman was not exactly sure what had happened or how, but she remembered the feeling. This time the bullet had buried itself in her right shoulder, just under the clavicle.

Kara touched the hole and was surprised to blood on her glove. She looked back at the man who fired again. Spartan hit her from the side, shielding her with his massive body. The two landed in a heap, Dig on top, then rolling over and firing at the shooter, hitting him in the chest with a tranq dart.

"Kara, are you okay!?"

"Yeah… you got shot! Where did you…"

"Bullet proof vest. What you are going to be wearing if you ever do this again. Lets talk about how the hell I saw you touching your shoulder like you were shot and I was able to knock you down? Kara… is that blood? Where the hell are you shot? Does he have Kryptonite? What the hell is going on?"

Kara reached over quickly and pulled Dig's com out relieved to see it was off then checked hers as well to be sure. The team had turned theirs off before the fight with the exception of Oliver who always stayed in contact with Felicity while in the field.

"Dig! Calm down. This really hurts. Give me a knife. Its stuck in my shoulder."

"Is it Kryp…"

"No! I need a knife, now!"

Dig attempted to look at the wound until Kara took one of the small arrows off her right wrist, struck it into the bullet hole and gritted her teeth against the pain. She had dug a Kryptonite bullet out of her arm that Lucy Lane had fired at her during her battle to keep the DEO prisoners locked away during Myriad. She could handle pain.

Until the arrowhead scraped bone.

"Ahhhh! Dig take this damn arrow and pull it out! Its stuck underneath my clavicle. I can feel it!"

John took the blade and reached in. Kara grabbed his shoulder while he maneuvered the bullet out from under the clavicle and out of her shoulder. They both looked at the bullet and then her wound. As soon as the bullet was clear the wound closed up as if it had never been there. The pain went away nearly instantly but the sweat on her brow remained.

Kara let out a breath.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Kara we need to get you back to S.T.A.R. This isn't right. This isn't Kryptonite. This is just a regular damn bullet."

"Not a word John. It was a fluke. The first two hit my chest and didn't do any damage. I caught the third one. I just had a minor power outage when the fourth one hit. I should have caught that one too. I got too cocky."

"Minor? You could have been killed!"

"Been there, done that. Look, not a word, promise me."

"No! I am not promising that."

Kara looked up, sending twin heat vision blasts into the night sky. "See? All better. I'll be more careful about catching them. John, Barry is already freaking out about this whole terrorist attacking us, mad bombers, drones, and everything else. I don't need him worried about me. I am fine. Please, I appreciate you taking a bullet for me. You protected me and you don't know how much that means to me but I have to be able to fight. I had a momentary loss of power. Its probably because I wore that bracelet last night. I'll talk to Dr. Stein about it."

"If that was the case you would have been weak right after you took it off. I'm no scientist but that doesn't seem right. Something else is wrong."

"I'll talk to Caitlin about it."

"Will you?" he asked doubtfully. John Diggle knew stubborn. He had dealt with it enough in the past couple years between his green brother and his wife. Laurel was pretty stubborn herself for that matter and Thea refused to take no for an answer from anyone.

"Yes… John you told me once that you hoped I would come to trust you. I do, completely. You just took a bullet for me. You fought for my family in another universe and I am proud to call you my family as well. Now I need you to trust me. Now that the bullet is out, I'm fine. Please, let's keep this between ourselves."

John didn't say anything, torn between not wanting to betray her trust and wanting to take her to the lair and bring Caitlin to Star City.

"The police are almost here, we need to go… everything okay?" Oliver asked, seeing the two on the ground and the man passed out twenty feet away, gun on the ground next to him.

"Everything is great. I was having a talk with that guy when he fired. Dig came around and I had to tackle him. Dig got him though as you can see. He has great reflexes. So do we have to fill out a police report, like a citizen's arrest or what?"

Oliver was about to respond by asking her if she was really that stupid or just messing with him because she knew it drove him crazy. He suspected it was because she knew it drove him crazy. Once thing about Kara he had learned from observation was while she may be a bit naive at times, she was definitely very smart. She had spent a long time pretending to be someone she was not and still fell back into that role whether she knew it or not but she was not dumb by any means. Before he could ask, Felicity's panicked voice cut into his com, informing Oliver of what was going on with Sara. Barry was at the lair trying to figure out how to mix the herbs correctly and Alex and Nyssa were two minutes away. Oliver quickly gave the information to the two, instructed them to turn the coms back on and asked Kara for a ride.

With one last quick look at a resigned Diggle, Kara grabbed Oliver who wrapped himself around her and the two took off, zipping through the streets at unreal speeds. If Oliver hadn't been so worried about Sara he would have admitted it was pretty cool. They arrived at the lair as Nyssa was pulling up. Quentin carried a now awake and screaming Sara towards the wall while Alex pulled the dumpster back.

The second Quentin Lance placed his daughter on the table, she seized up, arching her back and collapsed back down, not breathing.

"I think this is mixed right." Barry told Alex, rushing to the table.

"She isn't breathing. I need epinephrine." Alex told him, ignoring the herbs.

"Giver her the herbs." Oliver ordered.

"If her heart isn't beating those damn herbs won't do a bit of good, now give me some damn epinephrine!" Alex yelled at Queen. Felicity was already moving, bringing back a pre filled syringe to Alex.

Alex took the syringe and stabbed it through Sara's beast bone, piercing her heart. Barry rolled the defibrillator quickly to the side of the table, preparing to shock her, to get some sort of rhythm when Sara's eyes opened wide and she took a huge breath. Unfortunately the poison was still in her system so Kara, Barry and Alex held her down while Oliver forced the herbs mixed with water down her throat, Sara gagged up half of what went down but Dig and Thea who had arrived not long after the others, despite Oliver and Kara flying, continued mixing more.

After thirty minutes, already three times as long as anyone exposed to this drug had survived, Sara calmed down. Her eyes became focused on her surroundings and she saw her father, crying, standing over her, and smiled. Then her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. A collective breath was let out in the room, Winn who had watched the scene from the communications panel wide eyed, felt a weight off his chest. Tonight had been terrifying. Not flying with Kara, though that was nightmare inducing. The noises he heard over the com, though, the gunfire, the screaming, they way Felicity was so calm on the outside but nearly bent the pen in her hand in half. Then to see this happen, a dying screaming woman, a woman who had just died for a moment before Alex brought her back to life. Everyone filling the lair, the tears the older man had, Oliver Queen looking panicked, something he had never in his admittedly limited contact, seen on the man, Nyssa in the back watching Alex try to save Sara, Kara, Barry and Alex holding the woman down.

Winn had seen Kara take on the world. He had seen her fight Reactron and Indigo. But somehow, while those were intense, life or death situations, this just seemed grittier, dirtier, bloodier. The hero business on any Earth he supposed, was rough, brutal even, but this was no Livewire kidnapping Cat Grant and waiting for Kara to show up in a downtown park so they could have an old western shoot out. On this Earth the villains walked up and tried to kill you with no warning, often succeeding. What shocked him even more was that Kara did not seem phased by this. She was still the same loving goofball he had loved for a long time and always adored, but she had hardened as well. He hadn't noticed it until tonight. The entire time, the Kara he knew would have been shaken, unsure, not quite knowing what to do in a situation like this and looking to Alex. Tonight she was calm, calmer than Barry even. He also recognized something was very wrong with her. She had a hole in the costume she wore tonight. Cisco hadn't time to make it bullet proof but the hole wasn't what bothered him. It was the dried blood on her skin the hole exposed, hard to see because of the dark blue shade of the garment but there.

Alex stepped outside, while Barry held Kara tightly, the two watching over Sara. Oliver had grabbed Felicity and walked to the back. Nyssa comforted Quentin Lance, something she had done one too many times and wished she would have no more need to. The man had lost so much it was a miracle he was still standing. Despite their history being complicated at times, she was surprised when the man hugged her.

Alex walked back in and found Barry and Kara holding each other, not saying a word. She informed them both that Joe had taken the still unidentified man into custody, the poison was being looked at in the crime lab, Donna Smoak was fine and the men at Quentin Lance's apartment complex were gone, including the four dead bodies Nyssa had left behind. Even the blood had been washed, bleach thrown on the concrete by whoever took the bodies. Kara hugged Alex, telling her how proud she was of her sister, and then was shocked when Alex explained what had happened, leading up to Sara pushing Alex to the side and taking the hit that was meant for her.

No one had left the lair, even hours later, Joe eventually showing up, reporting that the man had no fingerprints on file and was refusing to speak, but never stopped smiling, a manic look in his eyes. The detectives who had attempted to question him believed he may be insane and were calling in a court appointed psychiatrist.

"You doing okay?" Barry asked, Kara, holding her tightly.

"Of course. The bad guy is in jail, Sara is still alive, Alex is alive thanks to Sara who is alive thanks to Alex, and we all get to go home tonight, or… wow its late. Looks like I am using a sick day at work tomorrow. I'll have to call in for Winn as well. Something tells me he will want to take the train back. Maybe he could use your ticket and you can run back with me?"

"He can use my ticket but I'm not leaving until this guy talks and he will talk, even if I have to break him out and bring him here. I can take care of Winn if you want to go back."

"No… I really think… I need to be with you, I need to make sure you are okay." she admitted. Now that the adrenalin had worn off she was beginning to become shaken. Kara knew she needed to find a bathroom and wipe the blood off her shoulder that no one had noticed yet, but pressed up against Barry, no one could see. She could feel Dig's judgmental eyes on her and did her best to avoid looking at him.

As everyone took a seat and relaxed, keeping an eye on a still sleeping Sara, Oliver patted Kara on the shoulder.

"Barry, mind if I borrow Kara for a bit?"

"Everything okay?" he asked, looking from Oliver to Kara.

"Everything is fine. Kara did great tonight. I just wanted to go over some things she could work on for the future while Sara is sleeping."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be right back." Kara told a confused Barry and giving him a quick kiss, followed Oliver into the elevator. Oliver said nothing in the elevator so Kara kept quiet. Once they were in the old office and the door closed, Oliver calmly walked over to a desk and flipped it into the air, watching it land upside down, then grabbing a wooden chair and smashed it on the floor. Kara was so surprised she jumped back.

"Look I'm sorry. I know I didn't do great tonight and I won't bother you again." she told the man whose back was to her and was breathing very deeply. She was shocked when he turned and she saw tears in his eyes.

"You think I care that you were with us Kara? I don't. You can come with me anytime. I will fly with you to Lian Yu and let you use Slade for a punching bag for hours. You can work with me for hours, learning how to actually use a bow, I don't care. You are always welcome and you did fine, right up to the point that you got shot!"

Kara stepped back.

"Dig told you?"

"No. You think I have stayed alive as long as I have by not being observant? That hole in your uniform is small, about the size of a .38 entrance wound and in the chaos maybe no one else noticed but I know there is dried blood underneath it, your blood!"

"I know. It must have had something to do with the bracelet."

"Don't lie to me Kara! I was concerned about something like this happening when you started using that red sun room and you had a lot more exposure then. Stein and Ray assured me that it wouldn't be an issue and it wasn't. You have been fine since using that room and I have a hard time believing that bracelet caused a random power outage. You have two fabric tears in your upper chest as well that no one has noticed because of the dark sports bra underneath, but you took two bullets there, didn't you?"

"Yes." Kara admitted "You can't say anything…"

'No! You can't ask me that! I'm not Dig. I saw the look he was giving you. Its that same disapproving look he gives me, every time I used to keep something from Felicity or Lance, or Laurel or even Thea. The first time… the first time I discovered Sara was alive, that she hadn't been dead for years like I thought, I was devastated. Sara didn't want her family to see her, to know she was alive because she was ashamed of what she had become. I had to keep that secret from Lance because she asked. Dig told me that every secret you carry weighs you down and soon it gets impossible to move. I just told him that he had seen how hard I workout. You don't have to work that hard, Kara. I had no one but Dig and Felicity when I started and if they had known a quarter of the things I had done in the beginning neither would have looked at me the same. I was hanging on thin ice as it is."

"Oliver you are a good…"

"I'm not done!"

"Then lower your voice before someone hears you downstairs. I get that its underground but you are being really loud right now." Kara pleaded.

"You don't carry secrets, Kara. Don't start now. Don't become me."

"It's not a secret and I will say something but right now we have a situation. Alex and Joe were nearly gunned down tonight. Whoever is behind this is not playing around. I will do better at catching bullets. I won't take anymore, I promise, just don't…"

"I didn't want to like you." the Arrow told her, stepping close to her, looking down at the shorter woman.

"Wh… what?"

"I didn't want to like you. I didn't want to hate you, I didn't want anything. I just wanted to be happy for Barry because you made him happy. That was enough. But you had to fight Savage with so much guts and determination and then also be kind and … you had lost so much, so much more than I ever dreamed of and you have this damn light in you that can't be ignored! Now I would take a bullet for you, without a second thought. You have worked your way into my heart and trust me, that is not an easy place to get. After Laurel I really didn't want anyone else in my life who could be used to hurt me. I had enough people to protect. Now I give a damn what happens to you. My old lair, I need to take you there sometime. I can show you the table Laurel brought Sara the first time she died. I can show you where Sara lay with her eyes wide open and three arrows sticking out of her chest. Lets take a trip to the hospital. I can point out the room Laurel was in, talking and smiling with me, telling me I was the love of her life. Right before she had a seizure and died! There is an old Legal Aide office in the Glades. Maybe we should take a trip there and you can see where my best friend, the best friend I ever had, a guy I loved like a brother, died with a piece of steel through his chest because I couldn't stop his father from destroying half the city in time, a plan my other had a part in!"

"Oliver I don't want…"

"No you don't, but I will take you there. I'll wait until your next power outage and drag you there. Maybe I'll put that bracelet on you before you notice. It shouldn't be hard because from what I understand you treat the damn thing like a toy, leaving it wherever it happens to land. Lets go to Thea's old loft and I can show you where Nyssa's father nearly killed her, stabbed her, beat her, threw her into a glass table and left, knowing I would have no choice but to beg him to save her, to sell my soul for hers. I watched her heart stop in the hospital. She was a target because of me! I can't take anymore Kara. I'm not you. I'm not strong enough, I never was. I just can't keep picking myself up and carrying on and if I lose you because of something stupid like your damn pride when I knew I could stop it thats it for me! Thats it for Barry! People who chose you to be their family, a man who gave up his life on the hope that yours would be saved, followed you to another universe to be near you and you want to take a chance of giving it up? What are they going to do without you Kara?"

"I'll be more careful!" Kara told Oliver, getting pretty angry herself to avoid the massive and effective guilt trip he was laying on her.

"You dying destroys more lives than your own. Caitlin can't take anymore loss, Barry will lose his heart and never get it back, never recover. He almost lost his humanity to Zoom and you gave it back to him! Alex, Eliza, Jeremiah, they can't lose you again! But instead of being smart about this and figuring out what is wrong, you are going to go back to Central City and pretend it didn't happen, right?"

Kara dropped her head, not wanting to admit that this was precisely what she had planned to do.

"Yeah, thats what I thought. You told me once that Felicity had a right to know about Wilson and Harkness and either you were going to tell her or I was. You were right. Now I am going to extend you the same favor. You can go down there and tell Alex and Barry or I will. Not tomorrow but right now."

"This isn't the time. Sara is…"

"If what nearly happened to Sara tonight doesn't show this is exactly the right time, I don't know what will! No more, Kara. I won't lose more family. You rely on your powers to fight. Yes you have some skills without them but you rely on them. There is nothing wrong with that. Barry can't fight without his speed because that is his preferred weapon. Your powers are yours. The first time I fought Ra's he drove a sword through my chest. You know why? Because I couldn't fight with a sword worth a damn. I'm not that great with a gun. My bow is my preferred weapon and I rely on those skills the way you rely on your power. If my arm was broken and I couldn't use it, I would be at a serious disadvantage. You without your powers puts you at a serious disadvantage."

"I know. I will tell them. Just give me…"

"Now."

"It is not your decision to make." Kara told him coldly. "If you don't want me going out with you again I have…"

Oliver threw his hands up and walked around her.

"Where are you going?"

"To tell your sister to go back to her old universe before she has to suffer watching you get killed because you are stupid. No one should have to watch a loved on die, believe me I know. Eliza shouldn't have to watch her daughter die and Jeremiah shouldn't have to see you spit on his sacrifice."

"Oliver wait! I'll tell them! Just… let me do it."

'Now?"

"Yes, right now." Kara gave in.

Oliver motioned with his hand towards the elevator. "After you."

"You don't have to be with me." she tried, knowing the worry she knew both Alex and Barry would feel and hoping to downplay and alleviate some of it gently.

"You're wearing a hood. You're a member of my team tonight. That means you are my responsibility so I am going to be there. Let's go."

While Kara and Oliver were having a heart to heart, Sara woke up while Alex was taking her blood pressure.

"So I'm alive? I didn't die… again?" she asked the brunette.

"Not for lack of trying. There is a quota on how many times someone can die and you have passed yours by a mile. How are you feeling?"

"Like I have a massive hangover. It was horrible. I saw my sister… she was stabbed… A monster, a blonde guy in a suit held her in the air and drove… then he was over me. I never saw Damina Darkh except once in the 70s but I heard enough from Rip. Then Laurel was there. She was killing me… she killed my father. I saw the demons I left behind. I thought I had. When my soul was saved from the Lazarus Pit I think some of them came with me. Guardians of the dead. I shouldn't be here."

"And yet you are. Why the hell did you do that?" Alex asked.

"I figured whatever he was pointing at you wasn't good. Lets face it, between the two of us you had the best chance of saving my life. I wasn't much of a research assistant for the doctor I spent a year with, but we both know that."

"You saved me because you figured I would have a better chance at saving you?"

"Something like that. Kara needs you."

"Your father needs you."

"He lost me a long time ago. I did die a long time ago, my body just doesn't know it. My mind does though. Its why I can't love. I can never seem to love. I try really hard but it just doesn't come."

"And yet you were watching over your father tonight."

Sara shrugged her shoulders. "Not much we wouldn't do for family is there? Even jumping through a hole in the universe tied up. Want to know a secret not even Nyssa knows? I watched you for quite a while before you left for your trip back home and when you returned. Its good to see Nyssa with someone who can love her as much as she loves. Nyssa loves with everything she has. I never could do that. I'm glad you are still able."

"You're jealous?" Alex guessed.

"Yeah but not for Nyssa. I lost that a long time ago and never really deserved it. I'm jealous of everything. You are everything I'm not. You got a sister that adores you, a family, a beautiful person to share our life with. You got it all Alex. I wasn't going to let you lose that. Nyssa and Kara didn't deserve it either. Besides, like I said, I knew you would save me. You are a lot of things and hero is one of them."

"I still don't like you." Alex told her, smirking a bit. Sara grinned.

"Yeah, I still don't like you. Something about your face."

"I get that a lot." Alex told her.

"Anyway I'm going to go back to sleep on this table that is incredibly uncomfortable. Night night."

Sara Lance drifted back to sleep. Alex thought of asking her to stay awake and talk to Quentin but saw the man had fallen asleep sitting up in a chair, similar to the situation Joe was in.

Dig walked up behind her.

"Your sister is probably going to throw me into space and hate me for a long time but I really need to talk to you." he told Alex quietly. "You and Barry."

The elevator opened up, Oliver and Kara stepping out.

"I got it Dig. Alex, Barry, could you please follow Kara and I to the training room?"

Oliver stomped past the two quickly. Kara following, her head down. Winn had watched the exchange with relief, glad he wouldn't be the one to have to tell Alex about his observations.

Oliver stood leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed. Kara paced in front of him.

"Whats going on Oliver? Kara?" Barry asked.

"You can't freak out okay?" Kara pleaded with him.

"That usually means there is something to freak out about." Alex pointed out, then she saw it. "Is that dried blood on your shoulder? Are … Kara?"

Barry's eyes went directly to her shoulder and he knew what it was immediately. No way someone else's blood would land on her perfectly through the bullet sized hole.

"I was going to tell you both when things calmed…" Kara started until Oliver cleared his throat. Instead she took a deep breath and decided on the truth.

"I ran after a guy. When I turned to follow him behind a large crate, he was waiting for me with a gun. He fired four times. I took the first two in the chest and they bounced off like they were supposed to. I caught the third one but the fourth hit my shoulder and buried itself under the clavicle. Dig was able to tackle me and took a fifth shot in the back protecting me. We pulled the bullet out. It was a normal bullet. I had a momentary loss of power. For a split second at a very bad time, I became…human I guess you could say. But right after Dig pulled the bullet out, my wound healed and I was able to use my heat vision and fly. It was just a second and I'm not sure what caused it."

Alex and Barry's faces both paled, and Barry felt like he would vomit. A chip swept through both their bodies, Alex coming close to feinting.

"Uh… okay. We need to get you out of this city. Barry? Can you run her to S.T.A.R.? I'm on the first train out of here. Joe can handle the paperwork. I'm not sure how to fill it out anyway."

"Yeah… yeah I can do that." Barry told her. "When were you going to tell us this Kara?"

Kara didn't say anything.

"You have to be kidding me! Are you serious right now?" Barry yelled. Alex thought of asking him to calm down but decided not to. If Kara hadn't told her she would be furious too and judging by her sister's silence she had planned to keep this to herself. Thankfully, Dig had saved her and was going to tell Alex, before whatever Oliver said upstairs forced it out of her.

"Barry, this is exactly why I didn't want you to know right away. I knew you would react like this. I'm still strong, my heat vision and X ray vision works, I flew here, I'm fine…"

"Until you aren't!"

"I am now!" Kara fired back angrily. "We have a psycho after us who sent another one to kill Quentin Lance so he could draw Oliver out. Drones attacked our city! I am not sitting on the sidelines while you fight my battles!"

"It is our battle!"

"Exactly, so don't try and keep me out of it!"

"And when you have an outage next time? What if you lose your powers in a burning building? What if a meta attacks you? You really want to take that chance?"

"If it means doing what I am meant to do then yes. You are the one who said this is the life we lead, remember? We take risks. None of us are guaranteed safety. We could die every time we step out to help someone Barry."

Barry calmed down, slowing his breathing.

"Alex, Oliver, would you mind if Kara and I talk alone?"

Alex swallowed all the things she wanted to say to Kara and instead walked back to the control room with Oliver, quietly thanking him when the two exited.

Kara looked at Barry, wondering how bad this fight would be on a scale of skirmish to nuclear war.

"I can't lose you Kara. I know you have a lot of hard earned, well deserved pride but I will beg you if I have too, to not do anything involving your powers until we know exactly what happened. I will beg you not to use that bracelet until we know for sure what caused this. There has to be an explanation. Your cells do not just suddenly lose power over somethings simple as a bullet."

"I know Barry. But it can't be the bracelet. I've been in the training room under a lot more red solar radiation for over a month."

"Maybe its because of the direct contact of the bracelet on your skin." Barry suggested.

"Barry, we need that bracelet." Kara stressed.

"I don't give a damn if you break every bone in my body, if we have to have red solar lamps in our bedroom, whatever it takes but if it is that bracelet we aren't using it. We can find other ways Kara. Nothing is worth your life. I'm begging you. Do I really have to get on my knees? I will. Its selfish. I know you don't mind taking risks but if I lose you, that is it for all of us. You are the heart that keeps a lot of people going. I can't lose you. We can't lose you."

Kara felt the fight leave her at the desperation in his voice. He was right, she was being stubborn. This didn't mean she had to sit out of any fights for the long term, just the short term. The sooner they could figure this out, the sooner she could be back in action.

Kara wrapped her arms around Barry and lay her head on his chest.

"I promise. I will stay at the lab until this gets figured out."

"Thank you." he told her, relieved that it hadn't turned into the full blown argument he feared it would and one he was more than determined to win.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away, or that I didn't plan to tell you ever. That was probably my bad, huh?"

"Yeah, thats one of those things partners don't keep from each other. I guess we are going to both screw up occasionally but we can't keep big things from each other. If I started to slow down I would tell you."

"I want to go home." Kara admitted.

"Great. We can get on the next train tomorrow…I guess this morning. Should be one that leaves in three hours."

"No. If you think planes are bad you do not want to see me on a train. Can you just run me home?"

"Yeah, I can do that. Lets get Winn on the train and we can go."

"What about the gas guy?"

"Joe and Alex can handle that. I got everything I need. Star City PD will process the evidence and send me the far as linking the two, thats up to the cops in the family now.

As Barry and Kara made their departure plans, Alex had noted that Sara Lance was now standing, her father next to her.

"Oliver, Alex, thank you." Quentin told them. "And thank Bart when he comes back. I'm going to grab a taxi and me, Sara and Donna are going to stay at a hotel until I can pick up a lot more guns, upgrade the security system and get all the shattered glass out of the apartment."

"Of course Captain." Oliver still used his old title and always would.

"Oliver where are Laurel's things?" Sara asked. The sonic device she had taken was not with her other belongings.

"Her locker." Oliver told her. He had never even noticed Sara had taken Laurel's sonic device. He wondered what else she had taken, not that he cared. It all belonged to her as far as he was concerned.

"Alex you got a minute?" the Canary asked her.

Alex shrugged her shoulders and followed Sara to a locker behind a glass case, containing a black outfit, different than the one Sara had on. She supposed it had belong to Laurel. Opening the small locker, Sara took out two clubs.

"What weapons does Nyssa have you training with?"

"All of them." Nyssa answered with a smile, walking up behind her love, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You know what these are Alex?"

Alex nodded. "Tonfas."

"Laurel would have loved you. She was that kind of person. A lot nicer than me. She carried these on the streets. These belong to you now. A hero carried them and a hero should keep carrying them. Make her proud. I know you will."

Sara walked away, taking her father's hand and left the lair. Alex stared at the two black tonfa in her hands.

"I suppose we should begin training with these to add to your ever expanding arsenal. She is right. Laurel would have loved you. Will you have time to get some sleep before you have to talk to the maniac?" Nyssa asked.

"Yeah, Joe has slept in that chair all night and his back has to be killing him. Star City PD will want first crack at him anyway. Coming to the hotel?"

"I suppose. I reserved the room next to yours after all."

"Of course you did. I need to call Mom and Caitlin and let them know what is going on with Kara. Apparently last night Kara was…"

"Shot, yes I listening."

"Of course you were." Alex said with a defeated tone. "So this is how Kara has felt all these years."

Unfortunately for the Central City and Star City Police Departments the man they had not identified yet as Dr. Crane, remained silent all week. Alex and Joe gave up after the first day, promising to keep in contact with the Star City detective in charge while investigating motives and links between victims on their end.

Kara spent the week performing her regular job duties, reviewing and improving marketing ideas, approving press releases, scheduling interviews for Ray with different outlets, and conducting initial interviews for potential PR employees over the phone to screen for possible in person interviews. She performed her job perfectly as always, all while spending the week in her suit, strapped to a seat at S.T.A.R. labs while Harry, Eliza, Jeremiah and Caitlin analyzed her cells using biometric scanners and wavelength markers. She was exposed to red solar rays in the sun room at night and sometimes using the bracelet. Barry slept with her every night which would have been romantic if the two weren't under constant surveillance by one scientist or another. Alex even volunteered a shift during nights as well despite being up early for work.

By the end of the week, she had gone two days without any red solar radiation and the results that were found were not good. Several times a day, for periods lasting anywhere from two seconds to a minute her cells were drained of power, even after not being exposed to red solar rays in 48 hours. The cells always came back strong, but the drain was confusing. No one could find a link between her power outages.

By the time the second week ended, Crane was in Iron Heights, still refusing to speak, still unidentified, no further attacks had occurred in Star or Central City, and Kara was ready to burn her suit and melt her phone and laptop. Joe and Alex had finally linked the two gas victims, as former friends, and according to Quentin Lance, the Central City victim was one of the men he suspected Gallo loaned out foster kids too. The bombing victim from the Steak House was another suspected accomplice that Gallo wouldn't turn on. The link had been made between the unknown bomber, the unknown killer in police custody but no clue as to who was aiding them, nor who set up the drone attack, Barry, Joe and Alex suspecting it was the same man but having no proof and no idea who to go after.

Barry did his best to keep Kara occupied and luckily only a few minor crimes occurred where he was needed. No major disasters or homicides so his girlfriend did not feel left out. Kara did enjoy the time the two of them had, whatever watchdog assigned to her at the time did their best to give them privacy when Barry was off work. Ray had made an embarrassing comment about people being surprised by how much size mattered in public which Kara was spinning into a work related discussion topic involving nanobots and not what the papers were making it out to be. The truth is Kara wasn't sure what Ray meant and didn't want to know.

Friday morning of the second week, Jeremiah, Alex, Eliza, Caitlin and Harry sat at a table with Kara, after she refused to be kept in the lab any longer than the rest of the day.

"Kara," Cait began, "the power outage as you know was not a one time thing. They are happening up to 14 times a day now, some lasting as long as a minute. We have exhausted every possible reason but haven't discovered one yet. I think we should try…"

"I'm taking off this suit." Kara started before Cait could go any further. "I haven't felt any power outages."

"If you stubbed your toe during one I promise you would." Caitlin retorted. She missed her roommate at night as well but had been keeping herself … entertained.

"So what? What are we supposed to do? I'm just going to lose my powers for a minute at any time of the day? If that is what I have to live with then I will."

"Until you drop out of the sky after traveling at Mach 2. It should only take about 10 seconds for you to cause a crater in the ground and kill you." Alex reminded her. "Of course if your are over the city you may kill a few people near your crash site."

"The power outages are going to become more frequent but won't damage you long term. In fact they won't last forever." Harry told the group. "And it has nothing to do with the bracelet itself."

"We agreed that it had to, Harry. There was no other variables that had changed in her life. This started less than 24 hours after her first use of the bracelet." Caitlin reminded him.

"I didn't agree Caitlin, I just had to wait to see if my theory could be proven. Enough time has passed and now we can find out for sure."

"What theory?" Eliza asked.

"For bioengineers I have to admit I am a bit disappointed that you hve all forgotten about the bio parts of your titles. You are focused on the solar rays, not the reason why the bracelet was made in the first place." Harry pulled a package out of his backpack and tossed it across the table to Kara.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Its a stick. Go pee on it."

Kara nearly laughed.

"I don't think thats necessary. That's impossible." she told the man.

"Then humor me. You aren't losing your powers. Something is draining them, a little at a time. Something is feeding off your energy, not all of it, just enough that you feel it temporarily. This will continue for the next nine months if I am correct. Sporadic outages, probably greater lengths of time the farther along you are. You may lose all your powers by the time you are ready to deliver but on the bright side you can have as much sex as you want without worrying about wearing that hunk of metal."

"You two didn't use protection?" Eliza asked softly.

"Uh no. I can't get any diseases and Barry can't and even if he could he has been studied enough by Caitlin that I think it would have been discovered."

"I'm talking about against pregnancy dear."

"I can't get pregnant."

"You have your cycle. Why on Earth would you think you couldn't get pregnant? I know we had this talk when you were 14."

"That was a talk about the general mechanics, of which by the way, you left out a lot of stuff I had to learn the hard way. Eliza, Clark told me I can't get pregnant. Our DNA isn't compatible with humans."

"Clark? You took what Clark said at face value? What the hell does he know about DNA? Its a miracle he can spell it Kara. Just because he and Lois were never able to doesn't mean… Kara, really, I'm the expert on alien physiology and you took Clark's word and never asked me?"

"No… I mean yes… Oh Rao can we not talk about this? I'm not compatible."

"You accepted Barry and Cisco's blood. Truth be told, you most likely would have accepted normal human blood as well." Harry told her. "DNA aside, it is very possible you are pregnant. Judging by the fact that we are having this conversation tells me Kryptonians and humans are very compatible in private situations at least."

"We only had one night!"

"How many do you think it takes?" Alex asked, torn between joy and concern.

"Kara, honey? Go pee on the stick." Jeremiah suggested in a manner that indicated he was not suggesting. Kara grabbed the package and moved off towards the restroom to avoid his gaze. Ten minutes later she walked out, looking quite pale.

"Well?" Eliza asked, fascinated.

Kara showed her the stick. Every one around the table looked at it. Most smiled. Harry shook his head and Jeremiah's face was blank, devoid of all emotion, not even shock or anger. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, happy for Kara or extremely worried.

"I guess we need to get you set up for a gynecological exam." Caitlin squealed, thrilled. Eliza and Alex were also beginning to get very excited. It was new territory, frightening territory but still, this was amazing.

"A gyno what? That thing Alex has to do every year? The one I won't let you talk to me about? No Caitlin. Not happening."

"Its kind of important Kara. You're going to be a mother, and examinations are a part of it." Caitlin told her softly.

"But Eliza never made me…"

"I didn't think you would have any problems since you were immune to just about everything. But now, yes, it is going to be necessary."

Kara felt as if she had motion sickness. Alex had told her … enough. She would rather live on a plane.

Then it hit her. She was going to be a mother. She had to tell Barry. They were superheroes. They… Oh Rao, what was she going to tell him?

"Barry is going to be happy." Caitlin told her, hoping it was true. If it wasn't then she would personally hurt him.

"I… I need a minute. I guess since we have this figured out I can go home?"

"Yeah. I'm coming with you. We have a lot to talk about." Caitlin told her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the locker room to change. The rest of the table looked at each other.

"This should be fun." Harry said with a chuckle, enjoying the reactions of the table. "I'm really glad Jessie wanted to stay on this Earth now. I definitely wouldn't want to miss the birth of the first ever metahuman, Kryptonian hybrid. I can wait to see if the baby's first step is at Mach 1. I need a burger. Anyone else hungry?"

When he received no answer, Harry shrugged his shoulders and walked off. Eliza and Alex followed Caitlin and Kara home while Jeremiah begged off, opting to stay at the lab, saying he planned to research potential problems Kara could face. Eliza found this strange since the two had planned to look at a condo this afternoon but shook it off to his surprise at the news.

At five PM, Jeremiah asked Cisco to leave for an hour or so. Cisco, not having heard the joyous news yet, recognized Jeremiah seemed a bit off and left as requested. Ray was still at the office and Jax was with Dr. Stein at his home having dinner. That left the lab empty.

Barry was surprised to not hear any noise when he walked in. Normally, always, someone was here and he briefly wondered if Kara had revolted and flown away, sending everyone looking for her. Then he noticed her suit back on the mannequin.

He heard the noise but didn't bother to turn around, not recognizing it immediately. He definitely felt it when it hit his leg, He turned as best he could to see Jeremiah, weapon in hand.

"So this is the B.O.O.T. huh? Cisco showed me how it worked last week. Does it really immobilize you? Keeps you from running away?"

Barry sat down as best he could, stretching his leg out and trying to ignore the slight pain and heavy weight of the boot around his thigh.

"You could have just asked me." he hissed.

"Yeah I suppose I could have, but I didn't want you running off to Kara before we had a talk. Alex told me you planned to ask Kara to marry you at Christmas?"

"Yea… yes sir."

"Guess what? You are going to ask her a lot sooner than that."


	29. Chapter 29

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N thanks for all the reviews last chapter. They really keep me writing faster. I've written 20K words in the last three days and am already started on the next one. I can't believe we are on 29. I have so much farther I want to go and I hope I don't bore you all on the journey. I have a feeling this story is going to be massive when I finish. But I do have an end in mind, we are just a long ways from it. I think I'm not then I look and see 220K words plus and I'm like holy crap I am getting wordy. Stay with me, because I love hearing from you and corresponding. Okay here we go.

Chapter 29

Barry tried to ignore the cramping in his leg and focus on what Kara's father had just said.

"I'm going to ask her sooner? I don't understand." he admitted, thinking Christmas was a perfect time. "Her birthday is in three weeks, should I ask her then?"

Jeremiah sighed, pulling a chair in front of Barry, and shook his head.

"How old are you Barry? 26, 27?"

"27…"

"Did you know your Dad is moving to Central City?"

"What? No… I haven't spoken to him in a few weeks."

"Yeah, Joe told us he is moving in a couple weeks and going to live with him, pay rent, can you imagine? See Kara had a talk with your dad, made him understand the importance of family. Eliza and I owe Joe but he refuses to take any money. Eliza found us a really nice condo and we are moving in this weekend. We don't have much, but thankfully we have jobs now and can buy things, start over, which is really nice. It's like getting a second chance, you know?"

"I'm not really sure what this has to do…"

"Its time you got your own house, Barry. You are an adult with a job and a millionaire now at that. Wouldn't you agree its time?" Jeremiah asked.

"Uh… I only moved in with Joe because Iris moved out and I didn't want him to be lonely. Plus its easier for me to get in and out than my old apartment, being the Flash and all."

"Thats great but it's time to buy a house. I would recommend one with a big, fenced in backyard. You see, we found out today what is causing Kara's power outages."

"Thats great! Wait, what does this have to do with buying a house and you shooting me?"

"Don't be a wimp. It doesn't hurt… much. At least thats what Cisco said. I told Eliza I was going to stay at the lab for a while and do a little research on potential problems Kara may face . I have no way of knowing what problems she might face physically down the road. The best we can do is watch her closely. The main problem I see is you."

"Me? I am not a problem! You know I would do anything for her!" Barry told him, putting up with this strange situation but becoming a bit angry.

"Yeah, but you see, Kara is fragile. Don't argue with me because you didn't know the little girl I knew. The one who ran from a room when a vacuum cleaner was turned on, the one that was hurt that she had no friends but wouldn't admit it. She was pretty popular on Krypton and then her friends were dead. She can get hurt easily. Eliza tells me that hasn't changed. One potential problem I plan to prevent is you hurting her inadvertently. This probably may not be my place to tell you, but I like to think after all this time I still know her. Right now she is in her apartment, pacing, wanting to vomit because she is so nervous. When she tells you what is causing the outages, you are going to be shocked. I am still shocked. And like men typically are, when shocked, we don't have the best response to things. Barry, you got my daughter pregnant."

Barry froze, the B.O.O.T. not bothering him now. He was completely numb. His mouth opened to say something but no words came out.

"Yeah, right there. Thats the reaction she can't see. When she tells you, you are going to be excited, you are going to act like I didn't tell you so she will see your first reaction is one of complete joy. You are happy, right?"

Barry's mouth stayed open but still no words were present.

"Barry? Answer me."

Barry nodded, still trying to process this life changing information.

"Do you understand now why I didn't want her to be the first to tell you? You are a smart guy and yet you sit there, mouth open, looking like an idiot. Barry, did you know Kara was very religious when she first arrived on this planet? She would pray every night facing where Krypton had been and Rao. She could see Rao, just a small distant star I worked very hard to find. Raoism was a vital part of the Kryptonian culture, especially in families. On Krypton family was everything. The members of a family did not just get married out of love. There were no arranged marriages but before someone could be accepted the family had to approve. Astra lost the family privileges inherent to the Zor name for marrying Non because he wasn't approved by the house according to Kal El's records. It was one of the many things that drove Alura and Astra apart, I'm sure. Women did not have sex with men or women before marriage, ever. It was unheard of, even by bastards like Non. As Kara grew here she adopted more of Earth's unfortunate relaxed beliefs but her religion still remained deep in her soul. She gave you more that night than just… she gave you everything she had. She gave her soul to you. Less than 24 hours from the night you two spent together, the fetus, even at a cellular level began draining small amounts of solar energy from her cells. These will increase as time goes by and she will likely need to spend time under solar lamps to remain strong. She will do this though, because even though she is shocked now, she is going to love this child with everything she has in her heart, and she has a lot. But right now, at this moment, she is frightened of what your reaction is going to be. What is your reaction Barry?"

"Uh…"

"Uh? You think I survived 12 years in hell for you to say Uh to my daughter? I will always be grateful to you for saving her life but if you hurt her, what this Zoom monster did to you will seem light in comparison. I made Doomsday under duress. Can you imagine what I can make when I put my heart into it? What is your reaction going to be Barry?"

"I'm sorry! This is kind of a surprise! I…can you give me a minute?"

"And this is exactly why I didn't want her to be the first to tell you." Jeremiah told him.

Barry tried to digest this information. Kara had said she… they… but she was obviously given wrong information. She was pregnant.

With his child.

The information was being slowly processed by his super fast brain, a million thoughts going in all directions and unlike Jeremiah's early prediction he could not control them all.

"We are having a baby." he finally whispered, a small smile gracing his face.

"Your reaction is getting better. Keep going." Jeremiah encouraged him.

Thoughts of a little blonde toddler running… at faster than the speed of sound… Barry frowned at this. But the smile that toddler could have, broke the frown. He wondered if he or she would squint their eyes when they smiled, just like he loved to see on Kara.

"Wow." he finally said.

"There. The shock is over. You can go to Kara, let her tell you, then if you want to say you already knew go ahead. If not, don't. But it should be that smile she sees. Followed by a huge diamond ring and the planning of a wedding that occurs while she can still fit into the really tight suit Cisco deemed necessary, that I have yet to talk to him about."

"What? Oh yeah… but she will think I am asking her because…"

"Alex will tell her you planned to ask her at Christmas. Things are just going to be moved up. I think a wedding near Christmas, perhaps even just after Thanksgiving, will be a great idea. I'm glad you thought of it."

"Yeah. Yeah of course."

"Make sure the house has a fenced in backyard. Kara always wanted a puppy. You know she loves dogs. We never could have one because we lived by a cliff and she was scared of her puppy falling off and not being there to catch it. She will want her daughter or son to have one. Also make sure there is at least one big tree so the kid can have something to play under that won't expose the little tike to sun rays all day. We have no way of knowing what challenges we will face when all is said and done. The child could grow normally into the powers the yellow sun will provide, but considering you are a metahuman that adds a whole other dimension. Because the baby will only be half Kryptonian the child may not grow to be as strong as Kara but with your speed, it is possible the child could have so much power it will take all of us helping to harness it. Even red solar rays may not slow this kid down. This will be a challenge that is worth it."

"Yeah, I'm going to have a … we are… this is unbelievable."

"No it isn't. Its what happens when you have unprotected sex. You are a scientist, you shouldn't have trouble believing this." Jeremiah pointed out.

"But she said her cousin told her…"

"Her cousin is really great at flying, breaking things and beating up bad guys. Thinking? Not so much. Why do you think he needed Eliza and I to help him understand his powers? Kryptonians are extremely intelligent but growing up on a farm seems to dull those genetic predispositions. He is a good man though even if he shouldn't talk about things he has no idea about to my daughter."

"Okay… wow. I'm going to be a dad."

"The best Dad. You better be. Lets talk about your powers."

"My powers?"

"Yes, your powers. You have been working with Wells on vibrations, speed, unlocking more secrets to something called the Speed Force?"

"You know about…"

"Yep. I pay attention. You are a major part of my daughter's life. You really think I wouldn't find out everything I could about you? You can tell Wells I don't exactly unconditionally trust him either. I can understand where he is coming from though. After what I have been through trust is hard to come by. I'm trusting you to do the right thing and I vaguely trust him because despite his rough demeanor, he is obviously dedicated to you. Your work is going well but there is a mad man loose. He may have been quiet since the Star City fiasco, where my two daughters once again could have been killed, but he is still out there. I have known evil men Barry, and evil doesn't stop. He isn't giving you a break, he hasn't given up, he is planning. Now Kara isn't helpless but we are going to proceed as if she is. You need to get better, stronger, faster and you don't have time to do it halfway. You are going to be there for her and you are going to train to protect her. If your job gets in the way, out of those three things I would say your job is the least important, right?"

"I can do all three." Barry told him. "I'm good at multi tasking and my best shot is to be in a position where I can find out everything the police know about him."

"Fine, but your real best shot is getting together your band of friends, and becoming organized."

"Cisco and Caitlin…"

"I'm not talking about that band of friends, I'm talking about Palmer, Stein, Jax, Oliver and Thea Queen, John Diggle and anyone else you find, Nyssa and Alex included. There needs to be a system in place, teamwork, organization and more of you, anyone you can trust who can fight. You need to find them and bring them together before whoever this is, picks you apart one by one. You aren't just protecting Kara now, you are also protecting your child. Remember that."

"I will. I'm getting better. Yesterday morning I destroyed a boulder with one punch standing in one place and didn't break a single bone. I'm able to make myself heal faster. Harry cut me three days ago and I healed it in two seconds."

"Good. Keep me updated and let me know how I can help. Caitlin is the best and she knows your body better than anyone… outside of Kara I suppose." he remembered, disturbed, "but anything I can do to help, to understand this Speed Force, to help you use it, then I will. We all will because she is a target. A very vulnerable target and her child is even more vulnerable. Find others who can fight. Now let me get that thing off of you and you can go talk to Kara and be very, very happy. Over the moon happy."

"I understand…"

"Or else."

Jeremiah moved to figure out how to take the cuff off when Barry began vibrating. His whole body blurred and he brought his hand down, break the large metal cuff off and standing.

"How did you do that? Does it not work?"

"Works fine. Speedsters are a special class of metahumans and I have been working hard to be the best. Zoom broke out of it once. Anything he could do, I'm going to do better. I'm going to surpass him. I won't let anything touch Kara."

"If you could take it off at anytime why did you sit there with it on?"

"It would have been disrespectful to take it off and I will always respect you Jeremiah. I need to go. I don't want Kara worried any longer than she has to be. Thank you for telling me this. You were right, it is a shock, but one I am glad I got over away from her. I'll be able to help you move this weekend and maybe next weekend you and Eliza can help me and Kara look at houses?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan Barry." Jeremiah agreed, shaking the young speedster's hand. Barry took off, quickly as usual, once again leaving Jeremiah momentarily disoriented.

"I'll never get used to that." he mumbled then smiled. Kara would be okay. She would be fine. He would make sure of it and Barry would as well.

Or else.

While Barry and his soon to be father in law had a heart to heart, a blonde Kryptonian was pacing the apartment at such a high speed, Eliza, Alex and Caitlin were having trouble seeing her.

"Kara!" Cait yelled suddenly, causing Kara to stop.

"What?"

"You are going to burn the carpet, literally with how fast you are moving. Sit!"

"Sit? How can I sit?"

"Stand with your back to a chair, bend your knees and drop." Cait patiently explained.

"He is going to be freaked. I know he is. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. I've never kept a plant alive, Eliza would never let me have a puppy, what if the baby…oh Rao, I just said baby again, what if he or she doesn't like me? What if the baby starts using X ray vision as soon as its born and sees nothing but skeletons? That freaked me out when I first landed. Skeletons that young can cause trauma later in life. What psychiatrist can the baby go to who would understand? What if the baby does decide it doesn't like me and flies off? Sure I can fly but I can't keep up with Barry on the ground and if the baby can fly as fast as Barry can run, I am going to be so screwed. What if it skips into another universe accidentally? You think Cisco can track it down? There are like infinite Earths. Infinite is a big number. That's a lot of Earths. This little pod inside me is already soaking up solar rays. What if it is born fully charged? Am I going to have to keep a solar bracelet on its wrist and one of those oversized Boots on its leg? The baby will grow up with a limp, have to wear glasses, I got picked on just for the glasses because I couldn't explain to the other kids that it was impossible to make lead lined contacts."

"Kara…" Eliza tried.

"And don't even get me started on Barry. He is going to freak. He is going to stand there with his mouth open and not say anything for minutes when I tell him. Oh no! He usually meets me at the lab. Dad is there! What if Dad says something and he really does run to Europe in 20 minutes? What if he drowns on the way? How am I supposed to explain that to a kid? Your dad drowned trying to escape across the Atlantic when he found out about you. How do you think that is going to go over? What if the military finds out? A child with so much power? They may leave me and Barry alone but what about a child? I'll kill them all and it is going to start World War 3… wait you guys have had two World Wars, right Cait?"

"Yes Kara."

"Thats a relief, I should have said spoiler alert or something. This has potential for disaster Cait! Disaster! I promise you, when I tell Barry he is going to look like one of these people under Myriad and I'm not sure I have another speech about hope in me!"

"Kara!" Eliza yelled, surprising them all.

"Yes?"

"Sit down now."

Kara move slowly to a chair, sat and then considered getting up again before a glare from Eliza sent her back down.

"Everything will be fine Kara." Eliza told her softly this time. "Look at what you have gone through, our family has gone through and we are still here, still together. This is a happy discovery. Our family is going to grow. We can help the child, all of us, to harness any powers he or she may have. Or maybe you will have twins."

"Twins! Oh crap that reminds me, I really have to have that exam? I mean really? Thats just disturbing. Plus labor. I can even think about labor. My suit won't fit, not that I can wear it anyway since I could fall out of the sky at Mach 2 according to Alex and kill people. This has so many problems and Barry is going to be so freaked! He isn't calm like I am!"

"This is calm?" Caitlin asked.

"Yes! This is as calm as the situation calls for! Okay, okay, I just need to breathe. I'm breathing. Give me a second to breathe."

"Take an hour. I'm going to need therapy when this day is over." Alex suggested.

"This isn't funny Alex!"

"I'm not joking! Calm the hell down!"

Kara was surprised. Alex was using her serious tone, the one she usually reserved for when Kara was going off the deep end.

"Okay. I'm calm. I am the picture of calm. I am relaxed…"

Eliza looked at her phone and saw a text from Jeremiah.

"Barry is on his way here now. We should give you two some privacy." she told her daughter.

"No! No privacy! I'm not calm enough for privacy!"

Eliza and Alex walked up to her and both hugged her.

"We will talk to you later sweetie. We have an exam to plan and I want to go check out the condo, make sure it is what it looks like on the pictures, sign a lease and prepare to pack our belongings. Mostly photo albums and you and Alex's childhood memories she kept in your old apartment. Jeremiah and I also have to begin looking online for furniture. He still isn't doing well in large crowds. Talk to you later, sweetie."

Eliza and Alex walked out, followed by Caitlin.

"Whoa! Hey best friend? Roommate? Where are you going? You live here."

"Yeah, but I have plans for coffee with Winn."

"Coffee? With Winn? Screw Winn! You can't drink coffee this late! You won't sleep tonight!"

"I'll get decaf. Besides it's only 6. Just relax. Barry will be cool about this." Caitlin assured her.

"Sure, I'll just explain good old cousin Superman gave me some bad info that I took as truth and oops, you are going to be a daddy. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. We get married, raise a puppy first and then go from there."

"Yeah and Barry wasn't supposed to slip into another universe in National City when he wasn't near the coast on this Earth at the exact time you were falling out a window. I told you Kara, some things are just meant to be. You can't fight it. You will be fine. Both of you will."

"My mother and father are in Rao's light right now and sooooo mad. I mean extremely, extremely mad. I just know it. I can feel my mother's judgmental gaze on me, even from the afterlife. She was a judge you know."

"You've mentioned it."

"Yeah, there is a whole lot of judgement coming my way. I don't even think I'll be able to look at the night sky for a while. My father? Forget about it. I would have had to come to Earth regardless of what happened to Krypton if this had happened… oh yeah, I don't think I could have hid anywhere short of a black hole."

"Maybe you aren't giving your parents enough credit. I bet they would have been extremely happy and…"

"They would have Barry sent to the Phantom Zone. I'm not kidding either. He probably could have just popped out since he has a habit of breaking physics laws but yeah, Phantom Zone for sure."

An amused Cait decided to play along.

"Don't forget about your cousin and his reaction." she reminded Kara. Kara's face changed from worry to anger.

"Oh don't worry. I haven't forgotten about him for one second. I could care less about his reaction. Wait until he sees mine. He is going to wish he was the one who got stuck in the Phantom Zone for decades. He is soooo… yeah this is all his fault."

"His fault?"

"That is what I am going with, yes." Kara nodded.

"Maybe its not anything for anyone to be at fault for. Isn't a part of you, under all that fear and worry, happy? You are going to have your own child, Kara."

"This isn't like Teen Mom where everybody is upset about the unplanned pregnancy and then when the parents realize they can't do anything about it, decide to be all supportive. There is no reality show for this Cait. No Unwed Alien Mom show that I can fall back on. Oh no… can you imagine how much this child will eat? I can't breast… breast… I can't even say it, much less do it! I wouldn't have anything left! Oh no, how long does it take to house train a child? I have no idea. Diapers… do you know what that is going to be like for someone with super senses? Any idea? You think it smells bad, try smelling the world from my point of view. This is a disaster."

"So you are not happy?"

"Of course I'm happy! I… I am. I really, really am but I need Barry to… Caitlin what if he isn't? What if he says he is but really isn't? We aren't even married. He did try to ask me to marry him the night… this all happened but I wouldn't let him on account of me being naked but if he isn't happy he will still tell me he is."

"Kara, Barry is a horrible liar. You will know if he is lying. He won't lie to you. He may freak out about the same things you are right now…okay, not as badly, but he won't lie and he will be happy… did you say he asked you to marry him when he saw you naked?"

"Sort of? I … yes when you put it that way I suppose he did ask me the first time he saw me naked. I don't know if that is sweet or disturbing. What do you think?"

"That you two are made for each other and I need to exit this doorway before a streak of lighting knocks me over. Bye sweetie."

Cait practically ran out before Kara could grab her, leaving the blonde, pregnant alien alone in her apartment.

Kara resumed her pacing for another ten minutes until she heard a soft knock on the door. This was unusual since Barry didn't usually bother to knock when he came over. She used her X ray vision and saw it was him until the vision faded after a second.

"Kid! You have to let me know when you are going to do that! We need to work out a system." Kara tried again and her X ray vision was still gone. She waited another ten seconds and it was back. Barry was still standing there. She walked over slowly and opened the door.

"Hey Barry! I probably should have called and told you I wasn't at the lab any longer. It kind of slipped my mind. Thats my bad. So… what are you doing here?"

"Huh? Uh, I came to be with you. You know, hang out, be in the same general area, watch TV or any other activities you might find entertaining."

"Oh wow. Thats so sweet." Kara told him, still holding on to the half opened door.

"Can I… can I come in?"

"Oh! Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't you? Or we could go out? Yeah thats a great idea. We could go see a movie or … sing! Yes we can go to the karaoke bar and…"

"I was kind of wanting to just hang out. Its been a couple weeks since we have been alone without you constantly wearing your suit and being watched by one of our friends."

"Yep, been a while. So… come in. Make yourself at home. I can go pick up Chinese or maybe Thai? No, I could do without spicy food right now. Pot stickers? Orange chicken? Fried rice? We can race to the bottom using chop sticks and picking up a grain at a time. That will be fun, won't it? Won't that be fun?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, walking inside despite Kara half blocking the doorway.

"Of course. Never better. Glad to get out of that suit. I swear I felt like I wanted to take a shower every ten minutes. Temperature has never bothered me but yeah, kind of confining. So I guess you stopped at the lab first, right?"

"Yep." Barry answered, sitting on the couch.

"See anyone there? Cisco? What is that crazy Cisco doing today?"

"He wasn't there. The whole place was empty except for your Dad. I'm not used to the lab being that quiet."

"Dad? Dad was there? Of course he was. Where else would he be?"

"Did you know my Dad was moving to Central City?" Barry asked.

Kara was momentarily surprised by this. "No, I had no idea."

"Yeah, apparently he told Joe a couple weeks ago. He is going to be taking my room which Joe has not told me about. Your Dad said you had a talk with him about the importance of family?"

"Oh no. I probably shouldn't have said anything. I was emotional and you had just been hurt, I should have stayed out of it…"

"Hey calm down. I'm glad you talked to him. It means a lot to me that you would do that. It will be nice having him around. Of course I have to find a place to live now but I can afford it. I was thinking of a small one bedroom. It's just me and for you, if you want to spend the night. We don't really have a need for a lot of space."

"We don't?" He is so, so wrong, Kara thought.

"I don't like being far away from you.I would ask you to move in with me but I know, at least I think I know, how much you like living with Caitlin and since you wouldn't let me ask to marry you when you were naked, I figured you aren't ready for that yet. Its cool though, I am very patient. I will wait for when you are ready."

"You will?"

"Yep. Your Dad mentioned that they figured out the reason for your power outages but wouldn't go into specifics. So what is the cause?"

"There is a Game of Thrones marathon on. Wouldn't that be fun? Let's watch Game of Thrones."

"Seems like a lot of violence. I'm not really in the mood for violence. We have enough violence in our life, don't you think? So what is causing your power outages?" Barry asked again.

"Uh… I'm not really sure how to tell you this. Its weird and totally Clark's fault. It's going to come as a surprise and I can understand if you want to leave and take a little time, not much, to process this."

"Just tell me you are pregnant."

"Okay Barry I… wait what? Dad told you didn't he? What did he say? What did he do? He's mad isn't he? I knew he was mad. He had this blank, catatonic look on his face and I think he was just… you didn't try to run to Europe. This is good. This is a good thing…"

Barry pulled Kara close to him and kissed her, hoping it would cut off the nervous rambling, before she made him nervous.

"Yeah, this is a good thing. I know its scary and we didn't plan it but it's a good thing Kara."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I told you I couldn't get pregnant based on the word of a really ignorant superhero who… growing up on a farm you would think this is one area he would understand. I suppose we could have, I don't know, done something to prevent this?"

"Prevent this? Kara this is a good thing. I am happy."

"You are? You're not just telling me that, right? You are really happy?"

"Yeah, I'm really happy."

"But it's kind of out of the blue. We haven't even had a plant yet or gotten married, on Krypton you would have been exiled for this. I would have been exiled for this."

"Then we would have been exiled together and thats not such a bad thing, is it? But I don't think we have to worry about being exiled here."

"Barry, this … there are so many things that can go wrong."

"I didn't say it would be easy. Nothing worth having ever is, but look at we have lived through. We can do this Kara."

"Don't you like my abs? They are going to be gone. After this I don't know if my body will go right back to the way Rao intended it to be or if I am going to have to work out and watch my diet. I'm not great at either of those things. Thats more of Alex's thing. I can't even make it up two levels of the salmon ladder in the red sun room."

"Thats what you are worried about?" he asked. "You should have seen me before I went into a nine month coma. I didn't exactly work out for my abs either. I think we are going to have a lot of challenges and you are picking every one of them to death. I love you, abs or no abs. I don't care how big you get."

"You think I'm going to be big? Like glowing, pregnant big or big, big, big?"

"Kara, would you relax? You aren't a vain person so I know you don't really care about that. I think you know me well enough to know I don't either. What is really bothering you?"

"This whole thing. It wasn't supposed to happen ever and I am glad it did, but now? We aren't married, we don't have a house, we don't even have a car, except the one you say is yours that actually belongs to Joe. We can't just fly the baby to daycare. We can't even send the baby to daycare. What if some kid takes the baby's favorite toy and little he or she melts the other kid's face off? How are we going to explain that? Because I'm clueless here. Is there a card for sorry my kid melted your kid's face off?"

"Probably not." Barry admitted. "but I bet the little brat won't take anyone else's toys."

"This isn't funny! What are you going to do if you try to put the kid in time out and he or she turns around and knocks you through a wall? You aren't exactly strong Barry. It could happen. I'm not saying our kid would be mean but when they are young they do certain things without thinking. You know Oliver is going to find out and that means Diggle and that means Lyla and by extension A.R.G.U.S. Diggle is going to be so mad if I have to kill his wife and I really like Diggle."

"You won't have to kill Lyla, I promise."

"I might."

"You won't."

"She tries to touch my kid and I'm killing her. She can say hi to Savage while she is up there. Wait, there is no sound in space. Nevermind. Maybe she can use sign language."

"Kara, relax! It is going to be okay. As far as the rest of the stuff, I'll buy a car. We can figure out how to teach her to control her powers. We have the smartest people on the planet in our family. We aren't in this alone."

"You said her."

"What?"

"You just said her. Why would you think its a girl?"

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "The first time your Dad came to the lab, he asked to talk to me. He wanted to explain why he did some of the things he did, like creating that Doomsday thing. I told him he didn't owe me an explanation. I think he just wanted someone to talk to, talk about things he wasn't comfortable talking with you three at the time. I won't go into detail but what it basically came down to was a conversation about how a father would do anything for a child. I guess I daydreamed a bit, I knew, or thought it was impossible and I was okay with that as long as I had you. But this image of a little blonde girl with your eyes and smile wouldn't leave my head. Then when I rode the train to Star City with Joe and your sister, I was telling your sister I planned to ask you to marry me on Christmas morning. The rest of the ride I daydreamed about us, living together, having a home together, maybe adopting a child one day and that beautiful little girl popped into my head again. I guess when your Dad told me, one of my first thoughts was, she is real. Of course it might be a boy, with dark hair and amazing good looks, sporting the cockiest grin in the world and I'm happy either way. But we are going to have this. Its amazing."

"I'm glad you are happy… wait, you told Alex you were going to ask me to marry you on Christmas morning?"

"I figured you would have clothes on so I would be good. Is that a problem?"

"So you were planning on marrying me? Before this?"

Barry cocked his head to the side. "You doubted I would? Seriously? Who else in this world or any other would I want? C'mon Kara, you knew I was going to ask you to marry me."

"Yeah I hoped, like one day. Anytime really except, when I am naked, but I wasn't sure when you would be ready."

"Well I am ready. I have been ready. I wanted to wait for Christmas or your birthday but I think the day we found out we are going to have a child is pretty good, right?"

"Uh, oh wow. Yeah, but I'm wearing jeans and shouldn't I dress up or something? You look great, you always look great… Barry?"

Barry had dropped to one knee, and pulled a small box from his coat pocket. "I bought this the same day Ray bought S.T.A.R. from us. I had planned to take Alex and Caitlin with me but I like to think I know you pretty well. I had to get it sized so it wasn't ready until this afternoon ironically. Timing seems to be everything with us, doesn't it? Its always perfect."

"You bought me…"

Barry opened up the box. Inside was a eight carat diamond ring. The band was simple white gold and led to the Princess cut diamond setting on top.

"Barry…"

"Eight carats was the biggest I could find in Central City. I could have ordered online but I wanted to see it with my own eyes and I didn't want to leave you to go to New York and look in person. So how about it, Kara Zor El? Will you marry me?"

Kara put her hand to her mouth to stifle a sob unsuccessfully. It had been an emotional day, full of happiness, terror, anxiety and a dozen other emotions Kara couldn't describe.

"Yes, I will definitely marry you."

Kara forgot her strength for a moment when she grabbed Barry by the sides of his arms and lifted him up to his feet. He grunted a bit but more from surprise. Kara reached out her shaking hand and Barry slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit of course.

"This must have cost a fortune." she whispered.

"Yeah, but when you become a millionaire for the first time in your life you have to buy at least one big thing. It was either this or a Porsche. A Porsche would only slow me down." he teased her.

"Yeah, I guess so. Its beautiful." he leaned down and kissed her.

"Is this the time for one of those cheesy lines like not as beautiful as you?"

"Yeah, this would be a pretty good time." she admitted.

"Then it's not anywhere as beautiful as you are."

"Thanks." Kara replied, blushing a bit. "Okay, wow. I really need someone to freak out with me about this baby. Can you do that with me?"

"I refuse to freak out. But I can listen to you freak out if it makes you feel better. I'm going to sit here and dream about you in a wedding dress and a little blonde haired girl. Maybe a boy, but I'm betting the baby is going to be a girl and she is going to have that same light inside her that you do. Neither of us have had exactly normal upbringings and maybe this is why? We are going to be there no matter what for our child. We won't die, we won't let him or her be hurt, we are going to make this work. We are the two most powerful people in this universe Kara. If anyone can do this, we can."

Kara laughed a little, still looking at her ring, her eyes squinting as they always do when she is happy.

"I didn't need you to save me." she whispered.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"The first words I ever said to you. I didn't need you to save me. I was so wrong."

"Yeah? Maybe we saved each other. Thats what partners do, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I need to call Caitlin and Alex and Mom… but right now, just hold me, okay? I'm not going to freak out. We have this. We can do this. I know we can. We are going to be good at it, right?"

"We are going to be the best." Barry led her to the couch and she cuddled into his side, staring at her ring.

"I think we are going to need more space than a one bedroom apartment." Kara reminded him, hoping to keep a diaper genie in a garage.

"Yeah, I was thinking next weekend we could find a realtor and start looking for a house. Maybe a big backyard? Something tells me Kid Flash's mommy is going to get her a puppy."

"Kid Flash?"

"Of course. I know how you feel about Supergirl and Kid Superwoman just doesn't have the right ring to it."

"You've been waiting to use that name since you saw me in your extra suit, haven't you?"

"You have no idea how badly I have wanted to use that name. Now we are going to have our own little Kid Flash. I bet Cisco can make some incredible onesies."

"Yeah… what is a onesie?"

"We should probably go to a book store tomorrow too." Barry admitted.

"Aren't there movies we can watch?" Please tell me there are movies. Oh by the way I have to have a gynecological exam because of all this."

Barry shook his head. "Thats rough." he admitted. "Unfortunately I can't tell you this time that it will be okay because the same thing happened to me. You are on your own with that one."

"You are going to be on your own when it comes to a lot of things if this exam gives me nightmares."

At Joe West's house, Eliza and Jeremiah had just sat down with Joe and Iris for dinner. Eliza had cooked every night at her own insistence for the hospitality Joe had extended them and because she had figured out that if it couldn't be grilled or involved pasta it was not in Joe West's wheelhouse. Midway through the meal, Eliza decided to break the news that Joe would be a grandfather and Iris an aunt. Unfortunately she did so just as both were taking a sip of water.

"So Barry and Kara are having a baby." she said casually.

Joe spit his water on the table and Iris swallowed hers nearly choking the woman.

"Excuse me. It sounded like…" Joe started.

'Barry and Kara are having a baby. She is only two weeks along. That was how long it took for a pregnancy test to be accurate. We told you about her power outages and getting shot in Star City. Apparently the fetus began absorbing small amounts of solar energy from her cells less than 24 hours after being conceived. She probably wouldn't have noticed for another month it she hadn't been injured. But still it is amazing right? You are going to be a grandfather Joe."

Joe looked at Jeremiah who was focusing on his food.

"Uh… uh…"

"That was Barry's reaction when I told him." Jeremiah told Joe.

"So Barry… Barry Allen is going to be a father? Really?" Iris asked, shocked beyond many more words.

"Yes. He is going to be a great father. Right Jeremiah?"

"He better be." the man mumbled in between bites.

"This is… good news?" Joe asked or said, he wasn't sure and neither was anyone else at the table. Iris laughed.

"Good news? Barry couldn't keep up with Titus. Now he is going to have a child? Oh this should be good." Iris remarked, with too much glee in her eyes.

"Titus? Who is Titus?" Eliza asked, looking between Joe and Iris.

"Barry asked me for a dog. He begged me for a dog." Joe explained. "So we went to the shelter and adopted one, a big half labrador, half hell hound mutt. He promised he would look after it, take care of it, take it for walks and such. The second day we had Titus, Barry let him out to do his business and then got distracted playing video games. By the time he went out four hours later Titus was in the wind. No amount of missing doggie posters ever led to a clue as to his whereabouts and the case turned cold."

Eliza laughed.

"Joe, he was a kid. Kids get distracted…"

"He was 18."

"Oh." Eliza responded.

"Oh God." was Jeremiah's response.

"Remember the egg project in eight grade Dad? Barry went through ten eggs in a week! I hope this child is as strong as Kara. Barry isn't the most graceful when handling delicate objects." Iris giggled. "But this is great! So is he going to ask her to marry him?"

"He better." Jeremiah mumbled. Both Iris and Joe noticed he was less than joyful and dropped the subject. Dinner was finished in relative silence, Joe and Iris deciding they would have to get Eliza away from Jeremiah to hear the whole story.

Once the dishes were washed, someone knocked on the door. Joe answered and ushered his guests in, motioning to Iris to follow him into the kitchen, giving the four time. Eliza and Jeremiah were a bit surprised to see Alex and Nyssa. Alex usually dropped by at strange times but rarely this late.

"Is this a bad time?" Alex asked. Eliza noted Alex was hesitant. She was dressed as she normally was, acting as if black was the only color in the universe but did have stone washed jeans on tonight. Nyssa of course looked impeccable, a simple dark red floor length dress, Black stiletto boots helping her tower over Alec, long dark hair cascading down her back.

"Its never a bad time. I was just going to box up a few more clothes, make sure all the photo albums and home movies are secured, things like that. You just missed dinner but since Barry and Kara weren't here tonight for obvious reasons we have plenty remaining. It would only take a second to heat it up."

"Actually Nyssa and I… I would like to talk to both of you. I wanted to before, but with everything that has been going on it has kind of fell through the cracks but …"

Eliza motioned them both in and had a seat on a love chair near the couch with her husband. The two women sat down on the couch and Nyssa gave Alex a reassuring smile.

"So I have an announcement to make and honestly considering what we have learned today this isn't that big of an announcement." Alex started. Both her parents nodded their heads while Jeremiah internally prepared to hear that he would be having a half secret agent, half assassin grandchild to go along with his half Kryptonian, half metahuman grandchild. At this point he was ready to believe anything.

"You know I've been living with Nyssa, but its not like a roommate thing… uh… Nyssa is my girlfriend. We have… we are in love with each other and …"

Jeremiah and Eliza continued to stare at the two.

"And we yeah, we love each other." Alex finished, figuring she had said all that needed to be said. Hearing nothing she looked at her parents who were still staring intently at her, not saying a word. She glanced at Nyssa who also seemed confused.

"Mom? Dad? Could you say something? Please?"

Eliza shook her head in confusion. "Say what dear? We are waiting on your announcement."

"That was my announcement. Nyssa and I are in love and living together."

"Thats your announcement?" Jeremiah asked, and looked at Eliza, shrugging her shoulders.

"It took a lot of courage for me to say this to you both!" Alex practically shouted. Nyssa placed her hand on Alex's to calm her down before she became too emotional.

"We are sorry Alex. It's just… we didn't… you thought we didn't know? I just figured you were being private as always." Eliza explained.

"You knew? That I was gay? That Nyssa and I…"

"I didn't until your mother told me but in my defense I have been held captive for twelve years, but yeah, I'm sorry baby girl, I thought it was kind of a given. Can we have a do over?"

"Did Kara say something to you Mom?" Alex asked, a bit confused by her lack of reaction. Sure Kara had suspected her Mom knew but Kara was clueless about many, many things.

"Kara knows? Oh thats a relief. I was afraid she would ask me. I didn't want to be the one to tell her. She would start asking things like who does what and who decides and what equipment is used. She would probably buy you embarrassing gifts for birthdays and holidays and think she was being supportive. You know how curious she can be. Well, except for asking about the birds and the bees. I guess she was always more interested in the work and not the finished product. Something tells me after her first exam she may have night terrors for years. A few new recurring nightmares to add to the rotation. I am sorry Alex. I thought… we can do this again and pretend to be surprised but you two aren't exactly subtle."

"Told you." Nyssa hummed and looked away, fighting back laughter.

"So you knew? When did you know?" Alex asked her mother.

"That you were gay or you were with Nyssa?"

"That, both, I don't know, either?"

"I've known you were gay probably as long as you have. I kept waiting for you to tell me, to open up but you never did. I wasn't sure if I should ask you, because I know how private you can be and once we started drifting apart… anyway I assumed if I talked about it or pushed you to talk about it then you would resent me more. I wanted to hear about dates and girlfriends in college but you never said anything. I knew you resented me so I let it go. Then after college you never really said anything so I just assumed that you knew I knew. As far as Nyssa I knew you were in love the first time you looked at her in the hangar."

"Yeah I kind of figured any woman who would have followed you into that hell pit was in love with you." Jeremiah agreed.

"Right? Is this why the two of you don't come around as much together? You thought we didn't know?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah… I mean Kara said that she suspected you might know but Kara doesn't know if she should believe herself half the time."

"I'm really surprised she figured it she walk in on the two of you… having relations?"

"No, a really big alien gave her a concussion."

Both Jeremiah and Eliza nodded their heads in understanding. That made perfect sense.

"Okay, so I am sorry we sort of ruined your big announcement. Would you two like me to heat up some dinner?"

"Actually I think your reaction was perfect. Alex had been so worried and I assured her she had nothing to worry about." Nyssa told the woman.

"Nyssa? Is it true you are married to Oliver Queen?" Eliza asked. "Isn't there some kind of mystical divorce ceremony or something or does one of you have to kill the other? How does this work?"

"The marriage was never consummated and was only recognized by the League. Since I have disbanded the League the oaths pertaining to all members are no longer binding. So short answer is no I am not married to Oliver Queen. There have been times when I stood by his side, respected him, admired him and there have been times I wanted to slaughter him, his family and anyone he ever loved in the past and present and we have never had sex with each other so in that way our relationship is much like a married couple. But that is as far as it goes."

"I can understand that." Jeremiah agreed. "You should have met Eliza's mother. I wanted to…"

"Jeremiah!"

"Sorry dear."

"Well I'm glad to hear you aren't married Nyssa. So I would love to hear more about your life if you ever want to tell us." Eliza assured her.

"I am not sure you want to know much of my life. It isn't a very happy story."

"I created monsters underground for a group of bastards who threatened to kill my daughters everyday for the past 12 years. I can handle it if you can. So you killed your father or Oliver Queen? I guess he would have been your assassin husband at that point, huh?"

"Oliver killed my father before I had a chance to, yes. But at the time he was the one appointed by my father to be his successor so it was his right at the time. I still regret that I was not given an opportunity to kill the bastard with my own hand."

"That is a tough break. When Eliza's mother died I was sad of course but a part of me wished I could…"

"Jeremiah!"

"Sorry dear."

"Uh okay, we should probably go home. We will be back early though, probably around 8 to help set up the new condo. Are you having furniture delivered?" Alex asked.

"Yes, and the boxes will probably take a while to unpack. I want to frame the photos and I need to go grocery shopping. But you can bring donuts here. Ray said he would be there around noon and hook up the TV, Dish, Wireless, and security system? He said the security system would be quite impressive. It won't involve killer robots or anything, right?"

"Knowing Ray, probably. Have you heard from Kara? I haven't heard from her, but I didn't want to bother her."

"She is fine." Alex's Dad stated confidently. "Barry asked her to marry him. She said yes, They are going to get married probably shortly after Thanksgiving."

Eliza and Alex were both surprised.

"You talked to her?" Eliza asked.

"Nope."

"Then how …"

"Its what better be happening right now. They will be here in the morning and Kara will have a giant diamond on her ring finger or else."

"Or else what?" Alex asked, trying not to laugh.

"Or else Nyssa gets to pretend Barry is her father."

Alex felt quite bit of pity for Barry at that moment. Nyssa didn't.

"Okay, so I guess we will see you two in the morning." Alex concluded. Hugs were passed out, including Nyssa of course. Alex briefly thought of calling Kara but instead texted Caitlin. Caitlin told her Barry had texted her a thumbs up so she would be staying the night at a hotel to give the two some privacy. Satisfied her sister was okay and not freaking out, she went home with her love and fell asleep in her arms, ending one of the strangest days of her life.

 **Opal City**

Roy Bivolo was an extremely nervous man. He had been on the run for a year, before that held in the Flash's private prison and would have been taken to the South China Sea if not for the intervention of Leonard Snart. Not being keen on owing Snart anything or being found by the Flash or worse, the damn Arrow, he had stayed low, not used his gifts, only supporting himself by petty thefts and burglaries that went mostly unnoticed by the police. He lived in a horrible motel room but at least he could enter and leave when he wished, not like the damn Flash's pipeline.

So to say he was surprised when a large bald man in a fancy suit and a Russian accent knocked on his motel room door would be an understatement. Then to be told by the man that he would be speaking with his employer immediately had him very on edge. Bivolo briefly considered using his talent against the imposing man until he spotted a small laser dot on his chest.

Deciding he had everything to lose by not obeying instructions he sat in a limousine and traveled to what looked to be a former publishing house headquarters that threatened to fall into disrepair. He did not have to wait long as he was escorted into the first floor and to a chair in front of a desk. The floor was dark, the floor plan open and the desk and chair were the only items in the room. Bivolo sat down and tried to see the man behind the desk in the dim light. He made out a suit, a very nice suit from what little he could tell. It was the man's face, or lack of one that disturbed him. Where a face should have been a large helmet covered his head, metallic with a dark visor across his eyes. When he spoke his voice was modulated, low, threatening. Whoever this was set him on edge.

"Roy Bivolo. Failed Bank Robber. Failed metahuman, failure at life."

"And I don't think I have ever had the pleasure of meeting you?"

"No you haven't."

The helmeted figure lifted up a briefcase and dropped it onto the desk.

"One million dollars. More than you are or will ever be worth. You are going to do a job for me."

"I'll consider it."

"You will do it and take the one million dollars when it is complete. Do you know why? Because the money is not a payment for services rendered but a reward should you do well. Refusal to take the job means that you die. I can kill you myself here. I can have one of my men do it anywhere you like. I am a generous man. If you turn down this job you are committing suicide. It is a simple task. You are going to go to Central City and meet with a Miss Kara Zorel. She is an employee at Palmer Technologies."

"No way in hell am I going to Central City. Kill me now because I am not going to Iron Heights or that damn pipeline again. I step foot in Central or Star City and I am done for. Plus the Flash got his new girlfriend flying all over the place, blowing stuff up with her eyes, no way, go ahead and shoot…"

Bivolo's rant was cut short when Prometheus stood up and tossed the desk to the side, then grabbed the man by his throat, lifting him in the air.

"Listen closely. You will do as you say and if you follow my directions then you will not be caught, you will have one million dollars and can start over anywhere you like."

Prometheus tossed the so called Rainbow Raider to the floor.

"The reason you were caught is because you were an idiot. You were too high profile. You started riots in banks, were caught on camera and practically called out to the Flash to take you down. You didn't anticipate using your gift would bring the Green Arrow into play. You didn't know they are friends because you didn't do your homework. You were sloppy and pathetic and had you been working for me I would have burned you alive. Now you are going to be working for me and you will not fail if you follow my directions. Are you going to listen or do I need to find another metahuman to fit my needs?"

"I'm listening." Bivolo wheezed from the floor.

"Good. As I was saying my driver will escort you to Palmer Tech's new branch office in Central City on Monday morning. You will speak to the security agent on the first floor and introduce yourself as Tim Bradford. The real Mr. Bradford has an interview with Miss Zorel that he won't be making."

"You killed a guy just to get me in?"

"I've killed any people for much less. You will go to Kara Zorel's office and when you meet with her, use your gift. Only use it on her, no one else. Once it is done, immediately turn around and go back downstairs where my driver will bring you back here to collect your money."

"And I'm just supposed to trust that you will pay me and not kill me?"

"I won't kill you simply because I may have use for your one single talent in the future. If you follow these simple instructions you will have a new life and no chance of being caught. If you deviate from these instructions and are caught I will have you killed."

"Why? Who the hell is this woman?"

"Let's just say she is someone I am very interested in. Emotions can be a weakness. I want to know how much anger she has in her and exactly who it is directed towards. What I do with this information is my business. Now go and take care of yours. I have a hotel room for you that is not inhabited by cockroaches, waiting for your arrival. Stay there until it is time to leave."

The bald driver assisted Bivolo off the floor and dragged him to the car. Prometheus sat back down in his chair and briefly considered taking his helmet off. The thought was cut short when another man walked in, holding a clear plastic bag. He handed it to his boss.

"This is it."

"You are sure?"

"Over one hundred rounds fired at the dock and only one bullet found on the ground with blood on it. Forensics report indicated the bullet was most likely dug out of someone on scene. The blood has a type of DNA that is unknown so I am guessing it must be the new vigilante. Some of the drug smugglers told police that a new player was on scene. This one was wearing a blue hood. I guess if they get an orange, pink and purple they can have their own Power Rangers team."

The employee laughed until the helmeted face looked at him.

"Sorry boss."

"Did you have any trouble getting it out of evidence?"

"Nah. Star City Police department is a joke. Its no wonder they need that Arrow guy so much. Not like they can do much on their own. I stole a uniform, walked right in and took it."

"Good work. A blue streak of light was reported flying over Star City streets on the same night. Unless there are now two flying superheroes who favor blue I would say sweet Kara Zorel was on a field trip, visiting her good friend Oliver Queen. Of course Crane failed but I never expected much out of him. I am surprised he failed to even poison Lance though. It appears that Laurel Lance's little sister has taken up the Canary mantel once again. Our thin, short haired, female warrior also made another appearance. Facial recognition has finally pinpointed her as Alexandra Zorel, sister of Kara Zorel and the newest partner of Detective Joe West. To make matters worse, she has been seen in the company of Nyssa, apparently living with the woman and most likely sleeping with her."

"You mean … that Nyssa? Like Al Ghul, Nyssa?"

"How many Nyssas do you know that are worth mentioning? Bring my car around. We are going back to New York tonight. I want to learn everything about this DNA that I can. I know she is a metahuman and all metahumans have a weakness. Perhaps the secret is in her blood."

"What about paying Bivolo?"

"Demetri has instructions to shoot him in the head when he is done and has the appropriate eye protection to defend himself. Bivolo's pathetic life is coming to an end quickly. It would be best if we are far away from Central City when Zorel is struck. I would imagine she will go on a rampage that makes the Flash's run on the wild side tame by comparison."


	30. Chapter 30

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N I'm kinda curious for your opinions. Are the long chapters bugging ya'll? I can try to cut them down or split them up if it would be better. I don't want to bore anyone, it just seems these conversations between characters happen quite a bit and can be long. Let me know. As opposed to the last chapter which was lighter and humorous this one is a bit darker and more serious.

Chapter 30

"So why am I here at 7:00?" Jax complained. "Superhero stuff takes a lot out of me and this is Sunday. I sleep in on Sundays."

"You sleep in everyday." Ray reminded him.

"Exactly and Sunday is part of everyday. Now what are we doing and why in the hell did you bring this big moving truck? Is it some sort of emergency field vehicle thats gonna transform into all your weird toys that work half the time?"

"No, its a big moving truck. The furniture Eliza and Jeremiah bought couldn't be delivered today because the store is already booked with deliveries so we are going to pick it up and move it for them."

"Uh… I know you seem to have trouble remembering this, probably because your brain has shrunk and enlarged so many times it doesn't know whether it is coming or going, but you are a billionaire again. Why the hell can't you just hire a moving company?"

"Because we are a big family. Family helps out. Hiring a moving company would be impersonal." the Atom explained patiently.

"I'm not related. I didn't even get to kill big alien mutants on that other Earth. We had to stay here. That was BS. I wanted to kill big alien mutants. Instead we get to listen to Cisco all day, Barry phased through a huge death machine and killed it, Kara tunneled underground and broke through a concrete wall… bunch of BS. Get me in there and I would light up every one of those hallways, clear a path and nothing left standing."

"And probably burned up Alex and Kara's dad. Its a miracle Martin doesn't beat you with a cane every time you two are separated. They are family and you know it. If we can't rely on each other who do we have Jax?"

"A moving company you hire maybe? We could have that. How about Kara? She is the one who can lift the Earth. Why isn't she here?"

"She can't help here. She is still having power outages. She can't be seen lifting couches with one finger and the second her powers leave, the couch is going to drop."

"Oh yeah. They figure out whats causing that?"

"Harry did yesterday. Barry and Kara were not reachable last night except a thumbs up he sent Caitlin. Anyway Harry came back to the lab last night at some point who told Cisco, who tried to get a hold of Barry and couldn't, so Cisco called Alex and then called me, and I called Martin. I guess you got left out of the loop."

"You still haven't told me what the damn reason is."

"Kara is pregnant." Ray told him. Jax stared at him for a minute.

"That kid is going to melt the face off the first little brat who tries to take his favorite toy. You realize this, right?"

"No I don't. We have the greatest scientific minds in the world, all in Central City, under one roof. I think we can handle a little super powered, half alien, half metahuman baby."

"Yeah… man, can you imagine Kara in labor? Girl is an enigma. She can go toe to toe with Savage and his damn staff, cut bullets out of her own shoulder, but she stubs a toe and you think she is being murdered. I can imagine what labor is going to be like. They better have a lot of red sunshine in that delivery room and strap her down or she gonna go ballistic. First baby ever born in the sky, without a plane. I don't know if I want to see that cause it's going to be funny as hell or run back in time again with Rip."

"Tough call. Kara will be fine." Ray told him. "I mean… at this point she really doesn't have a choice. Caitlin is going to have to deliver the kid, in case the kid flies out during delivery. Can you imagine that? Push, push, boom! Where did the kid go? Oh, he flew through the wall and is halfway to the coast. I guess we better go grab him." Ray and Jax both found Ray's potential delivery hilarious. Once the laughter settled down for the two who were not as funny as they thought, Jax thought of the timing.

"Ray, that bracelet wasn't operational that long ago. They didn't waste time, huh?"

"Cisco says they only used it one night." Ray told him. Jax was impressed.

"I guess Barry works fast in everything he does. How come you look so refreshed this morning?"

'Because I haven't slept. New building opens up tomorrow and barring Kara destroying it fighting a bad guy, we have a lot to do. I've made some additions to her office and mine."

"I thought you were going to work out of S.T.A.R? You said you hated offices."

"I do hate offices but with her not able to control when her powers are working, certain things have to be done. Plus until her new EA can get settled in, I need to keep an eye on things. I also have us a fall back spot under the building being built but I am going to have to do the finishing touches myself of course. Workers think it is just a really advanced R&D slash server room. If S.T.A.R. is ever compromised we will have a headquarters to work out of, that is a lot more secure and still have the same capabilities for communication and monitoring that Cait and Cisco have now. Its also going to have a direct line to Felicity and Oliver's team so we can coordinate easier. I'm calling it the A.T.O.M. Cave. I have a lot of work to do, Jax."

"Then why the hell can't you hire a moving crew?"

"Hey, the store is open. Lets go find out where we can pick up our stuff. If anyone can get in contact with Barry and Kara, Barry should be here soon…"

"Hey guys!"

Ray and Jax both jumped at Barry's sudden appearance. "I heard the store couldn't deliver today and you were going to carry the furniture yourself?"

"Yep! Nothing wrong with a little good old fashion physical labor, Barry. It keeps me grounded." Ray explained with pride.

"Why don't you just use a moving company and work with them while Jax and I get breakfast?"

"Why don't you help us move the furniture Barry?" Ray countered. "Who told you we would be here anyway?"

"Cait came home around 5 AM. Kara and I were asleep on the couch. She told me."

"The couch? Why ya'll sleeping on the couch? You already knocked her up." Jax pointed out.

"Yeah and I asked her to marry me. She's very religious, or she was…I mean she kind of is still, anyway the wedding isn't that far off so we decided to… wait."

"Kara is religious? Like she found Jesus or what?" Jax asked.

"No, religion was a very big part of life on Krypton. They worshipped the Sun God Rao…" Barry stopped when he saw Jax shake his head and cross himself. "Anyway lets get this furniture. I promised Kara we would be there by 8 with her breakfast. Also Ray, I need to talk to you after we are done."

"No you don't." Ray told him.

"Yeah…"

"I've already got her an EA more than capable of looking out for her. You know her, worked at Jitters before, makes a mean cup of coffee, has wings and talons, good with a sword, I have my office set up next to hers with a hidden panel holding my extra suit. The window in her office can no longer open and tempt her to fly off, and there is a hidden elevator door in her office wall that can send her very quickly, but safely, to the basement which is being set up as our fallback headquarters and a safe room for her if needed, aka the A.T.O.M. Cave. I miss anything?"

"Wow. How did…"

"You aren't the only one who works fast. I wish Oliver and Dig were here. It's a lot easier to do this with four guys who have muscles instead of two guys and a thin speedster. Oh well, we will make the best of it. Let's move men."

An hour later, a sore Barry, a grumpy, sweaty Jax and an upbeat, caffeine driven Ray Palmer arrived at the condo. Kara, Alex, Joe, Caitlin, Cisco, Iris and Nyssa were preparing to unload boxes with Jeremiah and Eliza. Kara was grinning from ear to ear showing her ring to the ladies while Jeremiah leaned against a tree and watched the men exit the vehicle. He walked up and hugged Barry.

"You did good. I'm relieved I won't have to start Project Zoomsday. Lets get this furniture unloaded." he told the man.

"You already thought of a name for it?!" Barry asked in disbelief. Jeremiah just looked at him blankly so Barry moved on, wanting to be next to Kara and her powers that worked 95% of the time.

"Barry!" Kara called out excitedly, running towards him then slowing when she came closer, the smile leaving and a frown appearing. "Where is my breakfast?"

"Uh… we didn't have time and we couldn't get the moving truck through a drive through and ,,," he noted the familiar look on Kara's face…"and I will be back in less than a minute."

Barry ran into the empty condo, changed into his suit and was gone.

"You literally ate a dozen donuts this morning." Alex pointed out, shaking her head at how trained her little sister had the man.

"I'm eating for two now." Kara shrugged and walked back to begin unloading boxes. An unfamiliar car pulled in and Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak stepped out.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kara asked, hugging Felicity.

"Well, Caitlin told Felicity the blessed news last night so we decided to take Ray's helicopter and come congratulate you. Thats a very big diamond on your hand. Looks like there is more to celebrate than just an unexpected bundle of joy." Oliver told her, giving her a hug.

"Yeah, he asked me to marry him. I'm so freaked about the baby but kind of excited too. Its really weird. Its one of those things I never thought would happen for me and now that it has, I'm still coming to grips with it."

"I'm so happy for you Kara." Felicity told her.

"Did you say you took my helicopter?" Ray asked. Oliver smiled at him.

"Is that a problem, Ray?" Oliver was still smiling. Ray wasn't.

"Absolutely not. I'm glad you brought it down. Uh… anytime Oliver. You know whats mine is yours."

"I'm glad you see it that way Ray." Oliver told him, patting him on the shoulder, causing the Atom to jump. Ray had trained with Oliver to improve his hand to hand combat skills in the past. He learned how to take a beating. Oliver may not have gotten over old feelings about Ray dating Felicity, taking his family company and trying to defeat him when he first learned Oliver was the Arrow and failing miserably.

"So where is the excited father?" Oliver asked.

"Thirty seconds late, bringing me breakfast." Kara pointed out.

"Ahh, that Barry, always late. We stopped by Joe's and he told us he was coming here after he stopped at the station so we thought we would lend a hand." Oliver explained.

"Thank God, Barry can't lift anything over ten pounds it seems. Jax and I were doing all the heavy lifting while he held onto a side and acted like he was actually working. We didn't even bother asking Cisco." Ray told the Arrow. Barry sped up with three large breakfast tacos in hand, ran into the condo, changed and was back in front of Kara.

"Sorry I'm late, I was in my uniform and a few kids wanted autographs."

"Uh huh. I'll let it slide this time since you bought me a huge engagement ring. Look, Oliver and Felicity came all this way to congratulate us."

"Oliver! Oliver? Oliver, why are you here?"

"I heard the good news! Congratulations." Oliver pulled Barry in for a hug, setting off every warning bell Barry had in him. "Hey Eliza, can Barry show me the inside of the condo before we move boxes in? I planned to help Ray with the wiring for the security system."

"I've actually got the wiring handled…"

"Shut up Cisco." Oliver told him, causing the shorter man to turn around quickly and begin talking to Iris once more.

"Go right ahead, Oliver. I need to organize which ones go first and the furniture should probably be unloaded beforehand so the boxes won't be in the way."

"Great! Come with me Barry."

Barry gulped and followed Oliver slowly. Kara seemed a bit confused by Barry's reaction but shook it off when Felicity began talking about her ring.

Barry and Oliver walked into the very spacious condo.

"This is nice." Oliver observed. "Lets see how big the rooms in the back are." Before Barry could say a word, Oliver was moving, through the kitchen past a smaller bedroom and into what must have been the master bedroom.

"I didn't know you knew much about wiring, Oliver." Barry said carefully.

"Oh I don't. I just wanted to congratulate you away from everyone else Barry. I like to think the two of us have a special bond."

Barry relaxed. "Yeah me too. I appreciate you coming all this way. It means a lot to both of us."

"Of course. You are like the little brother I never wanted. Whoa, thats weird. Is there another speedster in town? That guy has a suit on just like yours but its black." Oliver told him, staring out the window behind Barry. Barry zipped around quickly but saw nothing. He let out a breath and turned back to Oliver.

"That wasn't…" was as far as he got when Oliver's elbow hit his chin, knocking him to the ground.

"I thought you were getting better, faster? How the hell can I still hit you, Barry?!"

Barry slowly rose to his feet.

"Lets talk about why you hit me?"

"Why? Why? I don't know, how about weird serial killers, bombers, people who have no identity, not even Felicity can find? Someone who has military grade hardware and kills random people, no matter the body count just to see how you respond. And you thought this was a good time to get her pregnant? You couldn't have waited a few months until we have this guy, I don't know, maybe ask her to marry you first? Seriously Barry, you have got to start using your damn head."

"We didn't plan it. We didn't even know she could get pregnant."

"Your base of operations is crawling with geneticists, bio engineers, some of whom specialize in alien physiology, and you never thought to ask?"

"I'm honestly shocked you can say physiology. Felicity is doing wonders for your…"

Oliver hit the Flash again.

"Would you stop that?!" Barry blurred and his cut lip healed instantly.

"Neat trick. If I knee you in the groin can you vibrate that away too? Cisco developed body armor for me that weighs a pound and is flexible. He developed a suit for you that can withstand extreme temperatures and footwear that can handle you breaking the speed of sound several times over and not burning up. You never thought to ask him to make a condom? You couldn't have gone to the pharmacy and tried your luck with those? She has been all over the news. Everyone, especially whoever is after us, knows how powerful she is. Thats makes her the number one target and you just made her vulnerable."

"I didn't mean to, alright? Back off before I… don't hit me again!" he said as he jumped back, prepared this time.

"Is everything okay?" Eliza asked, walking in to check on the boys. Oliver wrapped an arm Barry and smiled charmingly at Dr. Zorel.

"Everything is perfect. This place is lovely and I am glad to be here. I was just talking to Barry about what a blessed event this is. Exciting times."

"I know, I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother. This is all so exciting, moving in, starting over, having my family whole and happy. Barry and Kara are going house hunting next weekend. Alex is happy. Things are going better than I ever dreamed. Thank you for coming Oliver. You have been such a good friend to my daughters, protecting Kara the way you do, coming to another universe, fighting by her side while all of you freed Jeremiah. I want you to know I consider you family."

"Thank you Dr…"

"Call me Eliza, Oliver."

"Thank you Eliza. Barry and your family mean the world to me and I am very glad to see you happy."

"Oliver, you are so sweet. Don't take long boys, we need to get this furniture unloaded. Joe is bringing a grill over for lunch."

As soon as Eliza was gone, Oliver gripped Barry's neck and swung into him, kneeing him in the groin.

"You are really starting to piss me off Oliver." Barry wheezed.

"When are you marrying her?"

"The weekend after Thanksgiving."

"That's in three weeks. What venue? Is Cisco going to bring the Earth 3 crew in?"

"I haven't talked about it, but yes, I think so."

"Good. The plans for this wedding are to be kept secret. Have others buy what you need, Ray can organize it, you pay for it, unrelated people, people with no contact with us, pick up the items. One handles flowers and one handles… whatever else you need. Kara needs to pick out dresses after hours and make sure, no one outside of family is around other than the store owner. Kendra is going to be her new EA?"

"Yeah." Barry breathed, finally standing up straight, the pain lessening.

"Good, Im going to talk to Ray about having Carter placed in security, perhaps head but always around Kara. We have to assume that whoever is behind this knows our identities. Zoom attacked Central City. Darkh, Wilson, Merlyn, Ra's all attacked Star City. Whoever this is, he is going after two cities at once. That means he is reckless or very, very good. He isn't going after the cities or trying to destroy the world, he wants us. He is also smart enough to remain in the background and make the people who work for him disappear from records and apparently too scared to talk. He wanted to kill Lance just to send a message and kidnap Donna just to see how my team works. Its time we got organized."

"Organized?"

"Yep. We are going to take a page out of Bruce Wayne's playbook. Kendra, Carter, Ray, Firestorm, myself, Speedy, Nyssa, Sara, Diggle and Alex. I may beat Snart until he decides to help if I feel Sara can keep him in line. Throw you in and we are going to have a team. I plan to speak to Mari as well. We could use her but she is somewhat a loner as you know. Ray has offices in Star and Central City now, meaning he has jets in both cities. We can figure out a way for Vixen to get to us quickly from Detroit. We are going to become organized. We have the best tech, the best minds, the best fighters and the most powerful warriors with superhuman powers. I'm also getting Constantine or whoever he suggests to handle the magical side of things on standbye. I don't want to just rely on Vixen and I want to be prepared if this is another Darkh. Whoever this guy is, we take him out and take him out hard and fast because I promise you he is planning to do the same to us, one by one, starting with the most powerful first, and we both know who that is. If we can't handle this before it becomes obvious she is pregnant then we are going to have to keep her more protected than the President and you know she is going to hate that. Having Carter and Kendra around will be hard enough for her to take. With all of us working together it shouldn't take long."

"You really think you can get people from different cities to work together as one team, train together? A lot of us are used to working alone, you included, or at least your team."

"No, I can't get them to work as a team. You and Kara can. You both inspire people. You can lead, Barry. People follow you and they will follow Kara anywhere."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I would follow either of you anywhere. Next week we are all meeting at S.T.A.R. Felicity is going to double check the security today. Ray is going to make upgrades and you Cisco and Caitlin may have to operate out of Ray's new hangout in the basement at Palmer Tech because the damn roof really needs to be fixed on S.T.A.R."

"If Kara and I are the leaders, why are you telling me what to do?" Barry asked. Oliver just smiled.

"Because every leader needs someone to advise him from time to time. Thats my role. Lets get to unpacking. Then we are going to celebrate and help Ray make this condo into a safe house if it needs to be. Remember, we assume he knows who we are. That means he may know who our families are. They are the easiest targets to get to. He knows who I am and went after Lance. He could very well know who all of us are. Tell Cisco to hurry up on Alex's suit. She needs more than just a tac vest and black clothes to go to war."

"Yes sir." Barry mumbled.

"Hey Barry? I really am happy for you. I wish it had been at a better time but if anyone deserves this, you do."

"You're not going to hit me again, right?"

"No."Oliver brought Barry in for a hug.

"Hey Oliver, can I just say one thing before we go out there?"

"Of course…"

Oliver never saw the punch but he definitely felt it in his jaw. Unlike the last time they had fought, Barry's bee stings of the past had turned into a powerhouse as he put everything Nyssa had taught him into it, but not everything he had. He didn't want to blow Oliver's head to pieces. Barry stood over a stunned Oliver on the floor.

"Let's have a quick talk about temporal backlash. I told you to tell Felicity about your kid. You decided she was better off not knowing and he was better off without you, without even talking to her. You almost lost her because you didn't follow my advice. So get off this idea that you are always right. Now lets talk about Kara. What the hell were you doing while Dig was taking a bullet for her? She had never been in a situation like that. Aren't you the one always saying we shouldn't treat her like she was invulnerable? Why didn't you run after her to back her up? You knew their was a killer after us in the city."

Barry grabbed Oliver and lifted him off the ground then pressed him against a wall before the Arrow could blink.

"It is blind luck those first bullets didn't wind up in her chest!" Barry, brought his knee into the man's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"If she is going out with you then keep an eye on her until you know what she can do. You are the one who treated her like she was invulnerable. Yeah we are having a child but at least we are honest about it and not hiding things from each other. Never, ever hit me again. I love you Oliver but I am not taking any more of your criticism especially when it comes to Kara! Do we have an understanding? I blew apart a boulder two days ago. I would really like to avoid doing that to you."

Oliver caught his breath and smiled. "You are getting much, much stronger."

"I was holding back."

"I appreciate it. You are right. It scared the hell out of me and I was stupid. I've been stupid about a lot of things in life."

"You're not stupid Oliver. You are frustrated and I know the other night scared you almost as much as it did me. You just have a hard time figuring out how to vent. But you have stopped torturing people, so you can learn to and I'm proud of you for that. Cisco is going to be my best man, and Wally is going to be up there with me. I'd like it if you would be too."

"I wouldn't miss it Barry." he told the man. "I'll even be early." he told him, taking Barry's offered hand and pulling himself up from the floor.

"Thanks man."

"I'm pretty sure you have saved my life enough times that there isn't much you could ask me that I would turn down. Those really were nice moves. Nyssa is doing a lot of good here."

Oliver and Barry walked out side by side, both getting a not very nice glare from Kara, who both had somehow forgotten had super hearing.

"You boys get all the testosterone out of your system? Ray and Jax need help and I don't want Dad straining himself. He needs exercise before he attempts to lift heavy furniture." Kara informed the men.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to Cisco and I will be right there." Oliver told her.

He found Cisco still talking to Iris. "Hey Cisco, can I interrupt for a minute?"

"Course man, whats up? Your jaw is bruised. Barry hit you?"

"We had an impromptu sparring session. He did great. Hey, tomorrow I need to send someone to the…" Oliver let out a breath, resigned to saying it…"the Batcave. Think you can handle that?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"Felicity and Ray have a package for Oracle he is going to hand deliver. He will also contact those people who need to be here for the wedding. I want more than just the cousin and the Martian. I want Wayne and any other people who can fight, for security at this wedding. If whoever this guy is, decides to come at us there, I want him turned back before Kara notices. Its going to be a special day for her with no problems. He will let them know when the next breach will appear and where it will appear and all the guests can come through then."

"How long do you want me to keep this breach open tomorrow? Or should I open it up later when whoever is ready to come back?"

"Roy isn't coming back. He needs a place he doesn't have to play dead anymore and can have a new life. Bruce is going to help him have this. He has been on the run, trying to stay low for too long. He can use a fresh start. I contacted him and he will be at the lab at 4 PM tomorrow. Can you handle it?"

"Yeah, I can handle it. I'll make sure he gets there safely." Cisco told the Arrow. He had always liked Roy.

"Thank you Cisco. You have no idea how important you are to us all. Things are going to get rougher before they get better and I am glad you are here, for everything. Now stop hanging out with the women and help us unload this furniture."

The next morning Kara walked into the new and improved Palmer Tech building. She had been impressed the first time but seeing how much nicer things were now, she was almost glad she destroyed the first building. Once she reached the top floor, she noted that instead of her office next to Felicity's smaller office, there were two large offices, with a secretary's desk in front of one. Ray stepped out of what she assumed was his.

"Good morning Kara! Have you seen your new office yet?"

"Hey Ray, I was just going to check it out but I wasn't sure… so that one is mine?"

"Yep and your new EA will be here in a couple hours. I also have a new head of corporate security name Carter Hall starring later today. He is just for show, to keep reporters and such off of you. It is pretty much standard procedure for all VPs to have at least one bodyguard with them. It would look weird if you didn't have one."

Kara stared at Ray Palmer for a moment.

"That didn't work at all, did it?" he guessed.

"Nope. I don't need a bodyguard Ray. Even if I have one of my very brief power outages, I can defend myself." she told him confidently, walking to her office.

"And if it was just you, I would completely agree and respect that, just as I am sure that you will admit that while you can protect yourself it is never a bad idea to have too much protection for your baby."

Kara froze, then turned back to face Palmer.

"You're good." she admitted.

"Thank you." Ray smiled.

"I haven't interviewed any EAs. I thought you wanted me to hire an EA?"

"She is an old friend named Kendra. Doesn't have much real world work experience so I thought I would cut her a break. She used to work at Jitters. She makes a great cup of coffee."

"Uh huh. And what else does she do?"

"She is great at answering phones?"

"Uh huh. And what else does she do?" Kara asked. Ray dropped his head.

"Sprout wings, flies really fast, pretty damn strong and her fingernails can turn into talons. She is also amazing with a sword and a mace."

"This is the Kendra who was the only one who could actually kill Savage?"

"Yep."

"And Carter…"

"Also sprouts wings, doesn't use talons that much but is amazing with a mace. He died on us once so we picked up a reincarnated version of him in the future. It may be a little awkward because Kendra and I were sort of having a thing until we picked up her brainwashed soul mate again. But thats all in the past, or future I suppose, time travel gives me a headache, and we are great friends now. All of us… all three of us."

"And I thought you would be working at S.T.A.R?"

"I need to be seen at the office. You're in charge of PR. Don't you think that would be a step in the right direction for investor confidence?"

"A step would be you to stop telling waitresses that size is important in restaurants where reporters can hear you."

"That was taken completely out of context and I appreciate you handling that as well as you did… I will keep comments like that to myself from now on…promise."

Kara raised an eyebrow but didn't argue, instead walking into her office. She checked the view and noticed something different about the windows.

"Ray?"

"Yes?" he answered quickly. The man must have been standing right outside her door. He looked nervous.

"My window doesn't open."

"No, most windows on high rises don't open. Don't want you to commit suicide on a bad day right? Haha… that wasn't funny was it?"

"If something happens, how am I supposed to get out so my baby will be safe?" she asked innocently.

"You can't break the glass?"

"Of course I can, but then I would have to explain to maintenance how the entire large window shattered."

"I was under the impression you wouldn't be flying?"

"Its better than dying." Kara fairly pointed out.

"True, but I have my suit in my office in a hidden panel… oh let me show you this!" Ray pressed a number into a keypad, Kara had yet to notice, inside the wall. The wall slid open to an elevator door.

"6515. Elevator opens and closes quickly and begins to move immediately down to the basement where my new Cave is. Its going to be our fall back spot if S. . is ever compromised."

"Uh huh. You built me an elevator that leads to a safe room? And if I can't get to the elevator?"

"Then Kendra can fly you out, or at least fly with you to make sure you don't randomly drop." Ray reasoned proudly.

Kara stepped up to Ray, who took a deep breath.

"Kara, you agreed for your baby's sake you would stay out of trouble, I mean not involve yourself unless absolutely necessary. Barry is worried enough. The poor guy has a wedding to help plan, a house to buy, his Dad is moving back, his baby is only a couple weeks old and inside the woman he loves and he is already devoted to the kid. He can't be with you 24 hours a day or handle anymore loss and is stressing over it. You know him better than anyone and you know how he is. You don't want to give him nightmares do you? Just humor us okay? Kendra and Carter have nowhere to be since you took out Savage, and they really do need jobs. Them being with you and me being here makes Barry fell better and I know you want him to feel better because you love him. So let it slide, for his sake?"

"Damn you are good, Almost as good as Ollie at guilt trips. Fine Ray, whatever. I have interviews to conduct for PR team members so I guess whenever Kendra is ready…"

"Her and Carter are in human resources completing some paperwork. They are both excited to meet you… Kendra is. Carter doesn't get excited about much. Truthfully he is kind of a jerk but he is a pretty good jerk to have around when bad guys strike."

"Its going to cost you though." Superwoman told him, giving him pause.

"Protecting you is going to cost me?"

"Nope. Me not being difficult about being protected is going to cost you."

"And what do you want? A raise with your new position? Because you already have one and I made your fiancé a millionaire."

"Not a raise."

"Okay…"

"I want to fly."

Ray sighed. "Didn't we just discuss this?"

"No, I want to fly in your suit." Kara smirked.

Ray froze. His suit?

"Kara you can't just get in it and fly. It takes a lot of training. Its complicated technology and in untrained hands…"

"Felicity told me she put it on, flew off and saved Oliver when he fell off a really high bridge. She had never been in it either. Doesn't seem that complicated. I am an expert at flying. I also want to know what it is like to shoot lasers from my hands. Using the eyes gets old after a while."

Ray stared at the woman, who had her hands propped under her chin, elbows on her desk.

"You can't shrink. I can't take the chance of you pressing the wrong button."

"I don't want to. Size matters, according to you anyway. I wouldn't take that risk with my baby, but I need to fly. I love to fly. If I am going to spend the next eight and a half months without being able to use my powers whenever I want I need another way to fly, and I refuse to be carried by my EA who apparently can grow wings."

"I'll build you your own suit that just flies… and I'll add the lasers for free. So long as you use it only at certain times and in places we know you can't be watched."

"Deal. Now shoo. Go back to your duties as CEO and bodyguard for the most powerful woman in the universe. I have to get ready for this Bradford guy. His resume looks impressive."

"Yes ma'am, Miss most powerful woman in the universe… 90% of the time."

"I'm pretty badass the other 10% of the time too!" Kara hollered after her retreating boss. Her phone rang and she was informed her interviewee was here. Time to get the day started. Superwoman definitely needed a normal day for once.

At the station Alex was getting her first taste of the paperwork associated with being a police officer.

"Why can't I just tell the Captain what happened? Its called a debriefing. It can be recorded." she asked her partner, who found this amusing.

"We were involved in a home invasion by armed men, four men were possibly killed after firing on us and we arrested a man who attempted to commit murder. You seriously didn't think there would be paperwork?"

"Aren't there some metahumans or giant telepathic gorillas we can go after instead?"

"Don't wish for that damn gorilla. Scary thing, took me and Barry out once. Hell it kidnapped Caitlin because it loved her or something. We were lucky to get it out of this universe." he told her seriously. Alex rolled her eyes thinking of the telepathic aliens she had fought and then remembered the description of the animal and admitted he probably wouldn't be anymore fun to fight than the giant man shark.

"Hey, there is my freak show assault team. We got a shooting I need you to investigate. Take Allen with you." Captain Singh ordered.

"Captain we aren't next on the rotation. I got a lot of paperwork from the Star City field trip you had us…"

"It involves a metahuman and happened ten minutes ago."

"A metahuman shot someone?" Joe asked doubtfully.

"No, A metahuman was shot in the head and is now cooling on the sidewalk. One of the guys we have been looking for. Bivolo? Also he is in front of the Palmer Tech building and he was seen exiting the building."

Joe was immediately concerned. He remembered Bivolo well. Everyone did. Alex seemed confused at his sudden concern for a dead guy.

"I'm getting Barry, Meet me in front with the car." he told Alex.

"Whats wrong Joe?"

"This metahuman can make people go crazy, cause their anger to go out of control just by looking at a person. He got Barry once and it wasn't pretty. If he was shot as he was leaving…"

"Kara." Alex whispered and ran for the car.

"Don't leave without me." Joe picked up his phone and rang Barry.

"Yeah Joe?"

"Bivolo was just shot dead in front of Palmer Tech. He was leaving, Barry."

Joe didn't need to hear the phone click off. The whoosh was all he needed. Running out he was grateful Alex hadn't left without him.

"Barry is on his way."

"How bad is this Joe?"

"Barry went on a rage fueled rampage. It took Oliver to bring him down and that was a near thing. He pretty much attacked Iris's boyfriend at the time. Its bad."

"So if he looked at Kara… Oh God, not this again. No… maybe it won't work on her. J'onn could never read her mind. Maybe Kryptonian brains aren't wired like human brains. They are essentially the same as far as makeup but the temporal lobes maybe aren't the same. The ones that handle certain emotions could be switched. At least that's what J'onn theorized. We were never able to do an EEG. We should have checked but I never wanted her to feel like a lab rat."

"What do you mean not this again? She has been hit before by someone like this?"

"Not someone, something. A guy on our old Earth tried to recreate a substance that can kill her, the same one those bullets were made out of that nearly killed her. He messed up and instead created a substance that made her deepest and darkest thoughts come out. She went on a rampage herself. The jerk who made it, came up with a weapon to cure her but… Joe is there a cure for this? How was Barry cured?"

"I'll call S.T.A.R. There is a light show they came up with that reversed the effects."

"Great. Now we just have to get her to stay in one place long enough to look at them." Alex sighed.

When they arrived on scene, Barry was talking to Ray rather animatedly. Ray seemed confused.

"Whats going on?" Alex asked.

"Bivolo, whats left of him, walked up to the top floor using a fake I. D. posing as a guy Kara was supposed to interview. Ray says security cameras show him walking into Kara's office and then walking out thirty seconds later followed by Kara shortly afterward. Ray was playing with his damn toys and didn't see any of this." Barry explained.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect the Rainbow Raider to make an appearance. I didn't even know what he looked like. Kendra and Carter were still in personnel, Barry."

Barry took a deep breath. "I know its not your fault Ray. I'm just worried. I've got to find her."

"Go. I'll call another forensic guy and Alex and you can head to S.T.A.R. We need to figure out a way to get Kara to come in before it is too late." Joe ordered.

Barry ran from the scene, while Joe started interviewing witnesses, trying to figure out who the hell would have sent Bivolo on a mission and then kill him. But of course it was obvious. The same guy who had been studying them was trying to find a weakness in Kara. If he saw how Barry and the others tried to apprehend her, it would give him a clue as to how to take her down. Joe let out a breath, already suspecting that whoever did this was probably as long gone as the strike team from Star City.

Barry made lap after lap around the city, searching the skies as well but found no trace of her. He checked the apartment and it didn't seem tampered with. Having no other ideas he headed to the lab to find the entire staff plus Oliver, Felicity, Nyssa and Jax present.

"Any luck?" Alex asked.

"I have no idea. She isn't anywhere that I could find and I checked everywhere. Its been three hours, she could be anywhere in the world. Of course she could be hiding in any number of abandoned buildings or even in the mall or some other shop or restaurant. I couldn't exactly check them all." he explained. "Anyone tried calling her?"

"Yeah, but she isn't picking up. I'm triangulating her phone now. I should have just put one of our team trackers on it but I thought her suit would be enough." Cisco told him.

"This is bad. I could barely hold Barry down and both him and Kara are more experienced than he was then. Barry you are going to have to get that bracelet on her." Oliver told him. "You are the only one fast enough to do it."

Barry hesitated. He had told Kara once before if something like this happened he would trust her.

"I…"

"Barry, I think I know what you are thinking. You don't want to have to trap her. But we need to get her in front of these lights. You can't hold her down. When this happened before, Kara was devastated by what she did. If she was here she would be telling you the same thing." Alex told him softly.

"She is right Barry. Kara would want you to do this. You can't let her down." Caitlin agreed.

Barry took the offered bracelet from Cisco.

"You all realize whoever sent Bivolo after her is probably watching us to see how we contain her. If he sees a bracelet… no. I'm going to try and talk to her first. It took a while to completely take hold of me. She may be confused somewhere but not totally under its control. I am going to try and reason with her before she goes off the deep end. She isn't really angry at anyone here, is she?"

Everyone looked towards Alex who threw up her hands. "She and I are good. We had a long talk, no more issues, I swear." All around were relieved.

"I have her phone…" Felicity told the group. "It's at… thats weird."

"Where is she?" Barry asked impatiently.

"She is here."

"In her room?" Caitlin asked, relieved.

"I don't think so. She is right here. With us. Can Bivolo turn someone invisible?" the blonde hacker asked.

Everyone looked around confused, thinking maybe Kara had left her phone here for some reason and left before anyone could see her. Then Barry looked up.

"The roof. She must be on the roof. Everyone stay here."

"Barry, take the bracelet." Caitlin begged.

"No. I told her if this happened again, if anything like this happened again, I would trust her. I will get her inside and she will let us do what we need to do but I am not tricking her. I trust her. She isn't on a rampage, she is on our roof. End of discussion."

The Flash zipped out and headed up the side of the lab. The last time he had done this he had been fighting Thawne.

She was there, sitting on the roof with her knees up, still wearing the yellow form fitting dress she had worn to work this morning. He walked slowly up to her. Kara smiled slightly at him when she heard his steps then looked back at the river.

"I know what you are thinking but I didn't fly up here, I jumped and landed very softly."

"I know you wouldn't do anything to risk our child Kara." Barry told her, sitting down next to her and drawing his knees up in the same manner she was.

"Where is the bracelet?" she asked.

"I told you before, if anything ever happened like this I would trust you. I do trust you. The fact that you are on top of our roof instead of destroying the city is proof that I am right. How are you feeling?"

Kara chuckled.

"Bivolo actually apologized. Thats his name right? I remember Cisco telling me. He is the guy who was the reason Oliver had to stop you? He made a mistake."

"What mistake is that?"

"You were the Flash. You were saving people and you were happy. You buried your anger deep and when it came to the surface it was strong. Me? I'll let you in on a secret, fiancé. I'm always angry, so what he did? Not much difference. I'm just better at hiding it. Sure I want to tear apart some people but none of them are here except me."

Barry grabbed her hand and started rubbing it.

"Kara, its okay to be mad. But you know what is going on. These feelings didn't hit me at first. They came on slowly until I snapped. We can fix this right now."

"I know. We will, but I want to be mad a little while longer. I'm not stupid, you know? Sometimes I act stupid on purpose. The more I play the shy, naive girl the less people are afraid of me. If I'm funny or awkward or just Sunny Kara, no one is thinking about the fact that I can crush every one of them with a finger. But I won't because I love them all. This world is really, really different. It somehow seems bloodier. But me? I started changing before this. I'm not talking about Astra either. I think it started with Non. Barry, I knew I killed him but I never wanted to admit it to myself. I pretended I didn't know, so Alex could break it to me gently if I ever saw her again and assure me it wasn't my fault. Inside I knew, just as I know I was glad I killed him. I felt a rush and I couldn't deal with it but then I thought I would die and it didn't matter. Do you know what I would be doing if I was on my old Earth right now?"

"I'm guessing it doesn't involve food?" Barry tried, hoping a little levity might break her from this mood.

"I would kill the President of the United States. I would find out who was behind Jeremiah's imprisonment and torture them. This Order? Yeah, I should have stayed. I was scared. I knew what I had in me. I know the monster there. If I found them… I would have given into the darkness, the anger. Oliver told me there was a light inside me and that may be true, I hope it is because there is a darkness as well. I want to be angry. I am angry. But I'm angry at my mother and she is dead. I'm angry at my father who didn't feel the need to build a space ship for two and he is dead. I think sometimes, somewhere deep inside me, I hate Kal El. I love him but a small part of me hates him and wants to rip him to shreds and throw his remains all over Kansas. How is that Sunny Danvers looking now, Barry?"

"Its okay to be angry Kara. But you are here, talking about it. That's good."

"I'm here because everyone I want to hurt is either dead or over there except for me and I can't hurt myself. I have a baby, a baby I had no right to bring into this world and I am selfish anyway, I want this child so badly. But I never felt normal. What is this child going to feel like? She is going to hate me one day. Just like I hate my mother."

"She won't Kara."

"You are saying that to make me feel better but I know. I know the difference. There is someone else I am very, very angry at and I can't find him. Not yet. I thought I could. The one behind this? The coward is sending others to fight his battle. I saw Bivolo get shot. I followed him out, wanting to make him talk but he was shot."

"I know. Kara you have to stay calm. I think your rage is growing the more you talk about this and…"

"Jeremiah is messed up."

That caught Barry by surprise.

"Why do you say that?"

"I listen to everything. I pretend I don't and sometimes I let my guard down, I purposely avoid hearing things but most of the time, when you are around, I listen to everything. I want to know if there is a threat to you. I heard what he said to you about Project Zoomsday?"

"He was kidding Kara. Please don't be angry at him."

"I'm not. Its my fault. Jeremiah was… is the most comforting, sweetest man I have ever known. He is nice and loving and … even now he is so good to all of us. He would never, ever make a joke about something like that when I first knew him. He has hardened, Barry. Eliza and Alex notice but they don't say anything. Everyone didn't know what to expect but other than some issues with anxiety around other people, he seems on the outside to be doing fine, but he isn't. Those years took something away from him, made him distrustful, even a bit mean outside of Eliza, Alex and me. Thats my fault. I don't give a damn what he said about it not being my fault, it is. Who can he talk to? What therapist could he go to and talk about this with? Even if he could, what good would it do? He has changed, as much as I have changed. When I started, the idea of killing someone disgusted me. I just wanted to help people. But I killed Non and I killed Savage and if the man who is behind all this senseless violence were in front of me right now I would rip his heart out, literally."

"I know Kara, but it's because you are very angry. Bivolo did this."

"Bivolo was a tool. He was a bank robber. He had no reason to come after me. You realize that means this man knows who I am, knows who all of us are most likely."

"We can handle it. We will keep them safe. I promise you. Why don't we go inside and let's get those lights set up. It will only take a minute and you will feel better."

"Yep. Back to Sunny Danvers. Yay… I really do love you. Only you would come up here without that bracelet. I heard them down there. They were right. It would have been smart to bring the bracelet. You always see the best in me, don't you?"

"I see you, the good and the bad, the same as you see me. I love all of you."

"I'm horrible. I played God. Did you know that? It was Non's fault but I think he wanted to prove a point to me. Prove to me that I wasn't better than him. During Myriad he had this really nice lady who smiled at me every morning, jump out of a top floor window. James and Winn jumped too. I had to decide, that was his whole point. I saved James and Winn because they were my friends. What about her? What about her friends and family? I never told Alex but I went to her funeral. A lot of coworkers went but I stood away, watched from a distance. I saw her husband, kids, friends, all crying because of me. I shouldn't have gone to Catco but I did and I made them a target. I made them all a target. I went there because it was safe and I waited for Kal El to come. She died because of Non but also because of me. I wish I could kill him again."

"Thats an impossible situation. You know what we do, Kara. The first time I went after Martin, the first metahuman I went after, someone died because I screwed up. We've talked about this. Some things are out of our control. Please, can we go inside? I think you will feel better, more yourself, and then we can talk about this. Right now you are focusing on the negative because you are angry but you are strong. You are handling this better than I did, believe me."

"And if I don't? Then will you try to put the bracelet on me? What will you do if I turn into hell on Earth, Barry?"

"I guess I'll go to hell with you, begging you to stop the entire time, but I'll be with you regardless. Thats what partners do. It won't happen though. You are angry right now and I get it. Everything you feel, every negative emotion towards anyone is flowing through you brain and you are strong enough to resist the urge to act on it."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You are wrong Barry. I'm not that strong. I play God. I hate my mother and I love a child that is only weeks old inside me whose life is going to be hell because of me. I hate, Barry. I hate a lot and no one wants to see that. I can't afford it. Alex can be angry. Eliza, Jeremiah, Ray, they can be angry because they can be stopped. They haven't killed. They don't know what its like. Me and you though? We know. We know how it is, how easy it can be to solve our also know that we can't be stopped. Not if we don't want to be."

"Alex and Nyssa have killed. Would you trust them?"

"Yes, but they can't crush someone's skull with a finger or stick a hand in them without having to break though the skin. Barry, I don't think I'm a good person."

"Do you think I am?" he asked.

"Yeah, you're the best person I know. I will never understand why you love me."

"Because you are the best person I know and that isn't going to change no matter how much you think you don't deserve it. Let's talk about this after we get you fixed okay?"

Kara nodded her head and let Barry lift her in his arms. They ran to the ground but he put her down outside the lab and held her hand, the two walking slowly inside. The room was still crowded but no one was surprised to see them. Cisco had been listening to the whole thing on the speaker in case Barry needed help. It wasn't their business and they should have turned it off but none could stop listening. No one, not even Alex, realized how much self loathing Kara had in her. Jeremiah was struck by her words, about the edginess he had and began reflecting on his behavior. Eliza did as well, content to think that everything was perfect, her family whole, but being forced to realize that maybe it wasn't. Alex was crying silently, being held by Nyssa.

Kara looked at none of them, instead taking Caitlin's hand and being led to the front of a group of very large lights. She stood there, looking at the multi colored strobes and after a few seconds relaxed.

She looked at her gathered family, all of them and despite the headache she had, told them what she knew.

"I saw who shot Bivolo. He was in a black Mercedes. I chased after him and as soon as he made a turn, I jumped into the car. I threatened him, he knew who I was and what I could do. I was very, very angry. He had just killed that man. I thought he might be the one behind it all but he wasn't. We pulled into an alley and I threw him in the trunk and drove out to an old farm I have flown over a few times. It always seemed abandoned. It still was. I dragged him into the barn and found some old rusty chains. I used my heat vision to weld them around his wrists and hung him by his arms. He told me he wouldn't talk so I slightly burned him. I had branded him by the time he decided talking would be the best route. His name is Demetri Strolav. He grew up in Moscow. The man who tried to kill Detective Lance is named Jonathan Crane. Like Barry and Alex suspected, Joe as well I suppose, he and a bomber who Demetri only knew as Adam, wanted revenge for abuse they suffered at Gallo's hands and his mob buddies as well. This man gave them the names and weapons in exchange for distracting us with other pursuits I suppose. Maybe he just wanted to see how we performed. Maybe Crane was supposed to lead us to Star City. He didn't man behind this never gives his name to anyone but he calls himself Prometheus. Demetri was recruited by him in Russia. All he knew was Prometheus was very strong, very deadly with any weapon or his hands, and is a genius, creating the gas that Crane used, among other things. Prometheus has solid white hair but isn't old. He wears a strange helmet at times and Demetri thinks there is something weird about it, like its not just a helmet but some sort of weapon in itself. It overs his entire head and he wears it at odd times for no reason Demetri can figure out."

The entire room never moved, listening to her flat telling as if she was bored and was informing the group what the weather was outside.

"He has only one goal, and it is not world domination or killing thousands. His goal is to kill anyone who tries to fight for justice. Police at first, FBI, even A.R.G.U.S at times. But his ultimate target is us. He thinks we are heroes or something. Some of us are. I know I'm not but he seems to think I am. He wants to beat us and be seen beating us. He knows who all of us are, including our families. Demetri also heard Prometheus on the phone say that he has met you before Oliver, though you wouldn't remember him. That is why he came after you as well. You must have done something in Russia pretty heroic for him to decide you had to die. Thats all I found out from him before he passed out. He is still hanging in the barn, has third degree burns all over his torso, a broken leg, a couple of broke fingers and may be in shock. I don't have it in me to go back out there. It's not fair to ask but could someone call an ambulance for the guy?"

Kara turned and walked towards her room at the lab. She needed to be alone and when Barry moved towards her she raised her hand and met his eyes. He understood. He would give her space.

"I need to go take care of this." Barry told the group. "Its not her fault. That damn Bivolo, Kara never would have tortured a guy if she had been in her right mind."

"Yes she would. He is a threat to you and your child now. I would have tortured him if she hadn't. Stay here, be here with her when she comes out. Nyssa and I will take care of getting him help." Alex told the Flash, who nodded his head in gratitude and moved towards Kara's room, planning to stay outside until she told him he could come in.

Once Barry was out of sight, Oliver looked at those assembled.

"I am going to take care of this. It is never to be spoken of again, especially to Joe. We can't exactly explain away burns from heat vision and snapped legs, or a murderer hanging by his arms from a barn ceiling. As far as Joe or any of the police are concerned the killer got away. Felicity please check traffic cams and make sure if there are any showing Kara getting into this guy's car they are wiped clean. Nyssa, Alex, stay here. I will do what needs to be done."

"What are you going to…"

Eliza's question was cut off when Oliver looked at her sadly. She knew what he planned to do and silently thanked him.

"We are going as well, Oliver." Nyssa told him. The three drove in silence in Nyssa's car with Oliver in the back.

"I'll take care of it when we get there, Nyssa." The Arrow told her, already prepared to snap the man's neck and bury his body.

"I have a few more questions, don't you Oliver?" the former assassin asked. She wasn't sure if she was a target but she knew Alex was. That meant this Prometheus had to die.

He agreed silently. If the man was coherent he did have a few more questions. The important thing was to get rid of this man, hide the body so Kara could never be implicated in his torture and move on the information she had gathered. He was worried, very worried. Visions of Amanda Waller and the first time he had tortured a man ran through his mind. Like this Demetri, the man he tortured was scum, a bomber who killed thousands. It still was one of those events that changed who he was at a fundamental level. Torture was different than killing. Killing was quick, more easily justified, you or them. Torture was a conscious decision, one a person made when he or she decided just how far they would go to get what was needed. Oliver had made a second step in his descent into darkness when he tortured the man who was responsible for Tatsu's son dying. He hadn't tortured the man for information, he had done it for revenge, plain and simple. He had loved the boy too. These were the steps he desperately wanted to keep Kara and Barry from following and why he would always do what was necessary so they wouldn't have to.

Once they reached the farm in question, Oliver, Nyssa and Alex walked in, prepared to find a dead man, a nearly dead man or a man who was simply in a lot of pain. Instead the three found empty chains, a puddle of blood underneath the chains and a note hanging from one of the chains. Oliver grabbed it.

 _I am impressed. I really did not think she had it in her. I cleaned up the problem for you. Demetri will never again talk about anything as a matter of fact, much less his torture at the hands of a cheerleader. We can't have one of the symbols of hope for Central City tarnished. It would make defeating her and all of you seem less if she was less. I was honestly looking forward to watching you heroes take her down and try to hide it from thousands of eyes. I would reconsider talking to Crane as well. He knows nothing I do not want you to know and will most likely be dead by the time you read this, a casualty of a prison riot, reminiscent of Laurel Lance. None of you are safe. The real game is about to begin. Enjoy the time you have left. Please extend my congratulations to Miss Zorel and Mr. Allen. That is a lovely ring she is wearing. I'm sure the wedding will be beautiful._

 _Prometheus_

Nyssa tore up the letter and laughed.

"Something funny, Nyssa?" Oliver asked.

"Not yet, but when he meets my sword it will be quite humorous. Let us return. I need to speak to Kara."

"Nyssa? Shouldn't I…"

"No Alex. She needs to talk to me before she is lost. I will bring her back from the edge, I swear."


	31. Chapter 31

Do now own CW or DC characters

A/N Okay I didn't get to put everything I wanted in this chapter so the time frame it covers is about one night and day. Eventually we will have a few weeks of down time for our heroes. Next few chapters if all goes well, we will see some of the features and weapons Alex new suit will have, a little Kara, Kendra, Carter bonding time, some Kara and Barry wedding planning and house hunting and towards the end the start of the first official Justice Society meeting. Thats what I hope. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter. Each and every one mean a lot to me.

Chapter 31

"Kara, open the door." Nyssa ordered, after sending Barry away from the front of the heroine's personal room. The room someone thought was a good idea not to have an override access panel installed in.

Hearing nothing, Nyssa walked away and came back shortly with the tools that would get her inside. Unlike this fool Prometheus, Nyssa knew Kara's weakness and how to exploit them to get what she wanted.

"Open the door. I have chocolate shakes and french fries. I will eat both orders while you watch me with your X ray vision. Then I will get more. Perhaps a pizza. I'm thinking meat lovers with mushrooms. I won't sit on the floor like Romeo does, waiting for you to give up your pity party. I will have Cisco bring me a table and chair. I will enjoy every single bite. I know you will watch me. You will see the melted, hot, gooey cheese, I would venture a guess that you can smell the pizza even from inside your insulated retreat. But first the french fries. Delicious, horribly unhealthy, crispy…"

Kara threw open the door, a look of resignation on her face. "You really don't play fair, do you?"

Nyssa smirked, handed her both shakes and walked inside with the bag of fries.

"You can have both. I am grateful I was not reduced to those pot stickers you love so much. Disgusting delicacies. So this is the famous room of solitude? Alex spent time at your cousin's giant fortress and described it as resembling someone named Elsa's castle. She didn't make it sound flattering either. Rather homey here though, you even have a refrigerator and recliner now, to go with your sofa, and look, a very large television."

"I like to watch Blu Rays in here sometimes." Kara explained, reluctantly dipping fries into the first shake and trying not to moan when she bit. She felt horrible, horrible about her actions, horrible about what she had become, horrible about many things.

But french fries dipped in chocolate shakes were so good. Nyssa continued to walk around taking in the scenery. Kara's paintings were beautiful, shaded in a light red, many exotic structures, Nyssa imagined were of Krypton. She saw the portrait Kara had painted of a woman she assumed to be her mother. Where the woman's eyes had been, there were small holes, surrounded by scorch marks.

"You are your own worst art critic it seems."

"I didn't want to see her looking at me. I didn't want to look at her."

"How long ago did you do this?"

"About a month ago, and I burned her eyes out seconds after it was complete." Kara admitted.

"And where is the necklace Sara was intent on getting for you?"

Kara reached to her neck and pulled the pendant out from under her dress.

"You hate your mother yet you wear the last thing that she gave you. You hold on to it like a talisman. Interesting. I loved my father. I had every reason not to but I loved him all the same, almost as much as I hated him. I asked when I was a very young girl about my mother and was told her identity was of no consequence and that she was dead. He was a bastard in every sense of the word. Unlike your mother who sent you off alone and decided to stay behind and die out of guilt, he never felt guilt. He never felt love. I'm not even sure he felt hate. I am not sure which is worse, a loving mother who let you down or an evil, emotionless man. What do you think?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders, not really caring at the moment.

"The man you tortured, Oliver, Alex and I traveled to the barn where you left him hanging. Oliver planned to kill him and hide the body and I would do so if Oliver was reticent to, as he has been known to be. A true enigma that one, a good man and a dark man, all in one soul. Poor Felicity likes to believe that she sees the good in Oliver and tries to make him a better person. She is lying to herself. She is as attracted to his darkness as much as his light. Oliver battled Malcolm Merlyn. Malcolm refused to yield and told Oliver he would have to kill him. Oliver looked at Felicity as he always does and we all saw it. She nodded her head slightly, indicating Oliver should kill the monster. Of course Oliver didn't, but Miss Sunshine gave him permission. The lives we lead change us, don't they? Even Felicity, the bubbliest person I have known, besides the person you show the world, can approve of killing."

"Did Oliver kill him?" Kara asked, then took another fry.

"Oh no, that man was dead regardless. Prometheus had already found him, somehow got close enough to see your engagement ring, and killed the man. He was even kind enough to take the body and leave a note. Lives are expendable to someone like him."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Kara asked her.

"Whatever gave you the idea I was here to make you feel better? Barry could do so. He would tell you that you are a saint, that it wasn't your fault, that you never would have given into the darkness inside you if not for the man with the ridiculous villainous name and the even more ridiculous actual name. Eliza would hug you, Alex would rock you to sleep, Caitlin would stay up with you all night to soothe any nightmares you may have. I simply came to congratulate you. We learned more about the man who is causing so much death and destruction, who was willing to kill a little girl with a drone simply to see if you could save her, because you used the darkness inside you in a focused and productive manner. We were listening to you on the roof. You said you pretend to be stupid, a mask to show the world so they shouldn't fear you.

Kara, people like us are always feared. It does not require super powers. 90% of the world's most dangerous assassins would run if they knew I was coming after them. Caitlin may trust that I will always have Alex's best interests at heart and therefore yours, but make no mistake, she fears me. They are right to fear me. Cisco is somewhat of a relaxed fellow, always a smile and a joke on his tongue. Oliver Queen makes him very nervous. You see, other people know instinctively who is dangerous and who probably isn't. You are dangerous but Caitlin is comfortable around you because she trusts you completely, as does Cisco."

"Do you think they trust me now?" Kara asked.

"Absolutely. They may look at you with new eyes, but the eyes will still see a woman who will do what is necessary to protect the ones she loves. A dangerous woman? Yes you are. It is okay to be dangerous. Sara once told Oliver to fight the unthinkable you have to be prepared to do the unthinkable. She was right."

"No she wasn't. When I was… I fought my aunt once, I defeated her, or at least I thought I did. Turns out she let me. But I brought her into the DEO and handed her over. General Lane, the same man who carried out my attempted execution later, began torturing her. I screamed for him to stop and told him we were better than this. Do you know what he said? We are but they aren't. I'm him now. That man had information I wanted and I took it. I was supposed to be in a rage, some unthinkable, unimaginable, anger driven haze but instead, I felt what I had always felt. The difference is I didn't hold back. I had never done what I did to him. I used my heat vision, not as a weapon to battle bad guys but as a tool to purposely cause pain. I did other things, things I probably didn't have to do but I kept thinking of Barry on that table with shrapnel in his legs and chest, Sara screaming after being poisoned, the 62 people who died in that apartment bombing, the twenty bodies on the street after the drone attack. I thought of the man who placed a gun to my head, the hate in his eyes as he prepared to finish me off for good. I thought of James Harper, that self righteous bastard, I thought of Lane's arrogant face, I thought of Non threatening to kill me, taunting me, thinking he was stronger than me. When I was affected by Red Kryptonite I felt like… I guess every vile thought I ever had came flowing to the surface and I either couldn't stop them or didn't want to. I felt pride, lust, jealousy, the need to show all those around me that I was better. I felt spitefulness. But this time I felt none of those things. Instead I just felt anger and I liked it. I didn't just do it Nyssa, I enjoyed it."

"You enjoyed having power over a man involved in multiple homicides? You are more human than you give yourself credit for."

Nyssa walked to the framed costume on the wall, the one that had been cut off of Kara on her arrival to Earth 1.

"This is a very pretty costume. I especially like the skirt. It helped right? It was bright and optimistic and when you put it on you believed that you could help people and be above the darkness. You had to be the bastion of hope, of all that was right in the world. You wouldn't get dirty, you would stay above it all, fight the good fight the way it is supposed to be done. But faced with a man who was minutes away from killing three billion souls you got dirty. You tasted the truth."

"What truth is that?" Kara asked quietly, not wanting to look at the costume.

"They should have framed it as it was." Nyssa told her, changing the subject. "Bloody, torn, ruined."

"Why?"

"Because that was your baptism. You always had the darkness inside you from the moment your mother put you on that ship, rather than living with guilt and protecting you, she was too weak and chose to die. Instead she soothed herself with the idea that she had saved her child, ignoring the fact that she rocketed off a young girl into the unknown, defenseless. You had a chance to let your darkness loose on Non and it felt good. You saved the world but honestly Kara, how disappointed were you when you woke up alive so you wouldn't have to deal with the feelings you had while killing him?"

Kara dropped her eyes to the ground.

"I thought so. Lets see your second costume. It is sewn together as well but the back which we cannot see is nearly burned out, correct? You took a dose of raw magic from that staff. Normally a wound in the back would be considered cowardly, but not you. You turned towards Felicity, wrapped her in your strong arms, made yourself vulnerable and took it, knowing it would hurt, knowing it could possibly kill you. Very nice. Honorable even, The actions of a true hero."

"You never told me what truth I tasted." Kara reminded her, wanting to change the subject.

"Why should I? You know. Barry knows. Oliver thinks he can keep you both from realizing it but while an amazing fighter and warrior he can be quite ignorant often. It is why he and Felicity are so perfect for each other. He needs a genius to balance out his lack of a brain."

"I can't escape the darkness." Kara admitted.

"Exactly. I lied to your sister, not something I like doing, but it was necessary. I told her I was here to keep you from falling into the darkness. But we both know that isn't true. You and Barry fell long ago. I am here to tell you how to control it. Kara, you do not don a costume, pledge to fight evil and expect not to be sullied. Barry would never admit it, but he is glad he killed Zoom. He wanted to kill that monster. That demon beat him, nearly killed him, paraded him around the city to show the citizens he was weak and Barry wanted revenge. Did he defeat Zoom to save all these multiverses? To protect his loved ones? Absolutely. But never think he didn't get a thrill from the act. It is human or Kryptonian or any other species in this universe."

"I'm not you Nyssa. I don't know if I can just set it aside and get over it."

"Do you like me Kara?"

"What? Why would you ask that?" Kara stuttered, confused by the change in topic.

"Its a simple question. I am in a committed relationship with your sister and I want to know if you like me."

"Yes I like you! I love that she is with you. I have never seen her this happy. You are great for her."

"But you know the things I have done are things you would never have approved of when you started out. When did your belief system change, that now you include vigilantes and assassins among your family?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't see them as those things or you. I just see you all as heroes." Kara admitted.

"I will let you in on something that probably won't shock you. If I had been in your place today, I would have cut and cut and kept cutting until he told me every single thing I wanted to know. I wouldn't have needed a ridiculously named metahuman to encourage me either. Would that have changed how you feel about me?"

"No."

"I know it wouldn't. When doing something like that, understand it is sometimes necessary but is to be avoided if at all possible. Start worrying when something like torture no longer bothers you. That is when you have lost your soul. You did what you had to do and I will not tell you to forgive yourself because there is nothing to forgive. The time has come to stop acting like a child. You feel bad and that is fine, this will bother you and it should, but you are a hero. You have to make the call and you have to be strong enough to live with it. Being a hero isn't always about saving cats from trees while wearing a skirt and cape, and you know this. Everyone, your family especially, looks to you for strength, even Alex. By moping around because you did something you consider bad might be what you feel you deserve, it is not what they deserve. No one out there blinked an eye when you told them what you had done. Oliver told them all that no one was to speak of it again and your mother, your true mother, the one who would have lived with guilt if it meant being there for you rather than sending you to another planet alone, was grateful when she realized he planned to kill the man and make him disappear. Eliza is a woman who has known darkness, known loss and knows that she would do whatever it takes to protect her daughters, even torturing someone herself if absolutely necessary. She would feel horrible about it but she would never let you know that. You are right, while I did not know Jeremiah before he was taken captive I recognize his eyes. Before he may have wanted the best for everyone, not only his family. He wished to make the world a better place. But going through what he did has changed him. He wants the best for you, Alex and Eliza and he would do whatever is necessary to make sure of that, to hell with the rest of the world. He is right to do so."

"I know," Kara admitted, sitting on her couch while Nyssa continued circling the room slowly.

If you want to be a hero, always try to find another way if possible but if not, do not believe you can fight darkness without some touching your soul."

"So don't feel sorry for myself? Act strong in front of others?"

"Don't act! Be strong for others, for yourself, for your family, for your friends, for your husband and for your baby. You cannot be weak any longer. Your powers may weaken more often, very soon. Do you plan to hope they work when you need them or will you start working with me, learning how to use a knife, a sword, a star, a staff, a bow, or even a gun when you are too big to move? Are you prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect your child, your love and your family? Are you prepared to shoot a man who tries to take your life and killing your unborn child, if necessary?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let the people call you a hero, let your family call you a guardian and a symbol of hope for the world if they wish, but above all be strong, no matter what, for all of them. Call yourself whatever you wish, Supergirl, Superwoman, Kara Danvers, Kara Zor El, Kara Allen, it doesn't matter, but do not make the mistake of thinking you do the things you do because you want to be loved by all. If that were the case you would not have made it this far. I told your sister when I first met her that she had to figure out for herself what she was fighting for. Without that knowledge how could a fight be won? But you? I have watched you long enough Kara Zor El. You don't fight to protect others, you do not fight to save lives. You do both and you do them both very well because you are a good person, but it is not at the core of your reason, not where your fire was born. You have the heart of a hero but the strength comes from somewhere else, somewhere more primal. Maybe it was when your mother put you on that ship, maybe it was the first time you were picked on in school and had to take it because you couldn't risk injuring a child by fighting back. Maybe you are constantly fighting for the home that has already been lost or the one you wish to have. Maybe you know, maybe you don't, but you must figure this out and accept it, embrace it and become it."

"I know. I mean, I don't know if I know. I think I know. I think I fight…"

"Don't tell me. That is yours. That is what you hold on to. We each have our own and it is to be protected, because when that reason is gone, so is the part of you that makes you a hero."

Kara nodded and looked back at her hands folded in her lap, not even being bothered by Nyssa's constant exploration of the small room.

"When you donned that skirt you gave up the luxury of always relying on others to make you feel better. You have to be the one who comforts them now. When you need comfort, that is when you open up to your closest, to your sister, to Barry, to Cailtin, in private, away from everyone else who relies on you for strength. Understand?"

Kara steadied her face and nodded. Nyssa was right. The darkness was there and brooding over it only brought others down. She had to be strong enough to carry it inside. Whatever she was, hero, vigilante, mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, she was someone who would do whatever was necessary to protect her loved ones. She had to be.

"One other thing before you walk out of this room, no longer brooding, no longer depressed, no longer weak. There is nothing wrong with hating your mother. Stop hating yourself for it. Paint a picture of her and leave the eyes whole. Wear your necklace and look at that portrait and remember all the good she did and relive it. Remember all the bad she did and promise yourself to not repeat it now that you are going to be a mother yourself. But never try to forget the fires you were forged in. You are strong Kara Zor El. You have been baptized in blood and fire and came out a not only a warrior but a legend. I am proud to call you my sister."

Nyssa turned and walked out, leaving Kara alone for a moment. She wiped her eyes, that she had just realized were wet.

Taking a deep breath she walked over to a hidden compartment in the wall and pulled out a pair of jeans, her favorite sneakers and a red Superwoman long sleeve tee shirt. She was hungry, the fries were cold, the milk shakes had melted and Nyssa had made her hungry for pizza. Then she planned to take Barry to her bed, for nothing else other than sleeping and making sure both their nightmares stayed away. Somewhere Demetri's body was burned or buried in an unmarked grave and Bivolo was in a morgue and she felt bad about both. They were all pawns today, pieces on a board, set by a mad man whose only goal was a strange need to harm those who did good. Her family and friends would not suffer. She planted a smile on her face and walked out of her room. Barry was of course waiting on her, leaned against the wall, grin on his face.

"I'm starving, how about you? Chinese?" he asked.

"Four meat lovers with mushroom pizzas. And we are going to eat it in bed… hey, thanks, for trusting me. I wouldn't have blamed you if you tried to cuff me but you will never know how much it means to me to know you didn't believe you had too."

Barry threw his arms around Kara and pulled her tightly into a hug. He knew what she was feeling and tonight she may cry in her sleep while he held her but that was okay. It was why together they were stronger. Crying with someone always beat crying alone.

 **Earth 3**

Bruce Wayne sat at his work bench in the Bat Cave, doing his best to solve the riddle in front of him. He often sat here talking with Lucius on the work being done on Watchtower, sharing information with his fellow teammates, both new and old about possible situations that may require intervention or new dangers lurking that could be dealt with before they became out of hand. Clark Kent had foregone a return to Metropolis but still visited from time to time, electing to stay in National City instead. That left most of the eastern seashore for the Batman, and some of his new friends.

Today however was different. The past week had been different. He had finally replicated the chip that Felicity had given the specs for, the one he hoped could help Barbara walk again. She had restrained hope, optimistic but not expecting much. It was a natural defense mechanism, one he used quite often himself. Now he had a prototype of the chip but powering it was a different story. How was he supposed to develop a power source that would last decades and be small enough to fit into a chip not even an inch long and few centimeters thick?

Before he became frustrated and crushed his monitor, the already dim lights of the Bat Cave dimmed more and the air became electric, static making his arm hairs stand on end. He knew intellectually what this was but still walked over to the weaponry closet and grabbed two exploding boomerangs in preparation should an enemy walk through. The portal opened and he relaxed slightly when he saw a young man, short but muscular with a flat top hairstyle step out of it. Oliver Queen had spoken to Bruce about this before he left. As soon as he was out, the breach closed.

"Roy Harper?"

"Uh… sometimes. I kind of use quite a few names. Roy Harper isn't wanted here, is he? I would really hate to hide from the police in two universes."

Bruce chuckled a bit at the dry humor. He was exactly as Oliver described him.

"Welcome to Earth 1, Mr. Harper."

"I thought this was Earth 3?"

"That's Oliver's hubris talking. It is good to have you here. I understand in addition to other skills that might aid us in our pursuit of justice you are also a mechanic?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good with cars. I've been a car thief, valet, and mechanic. You already got a job lined up for me? Or you need a car stolen? Cause I don't really do that anymore."

"You think you can work on that?" Bruce motioned with his head behind him to the Batmobile.

"Holy… yeah. Yeah I think I could… wow. What the hell is that thing?"

"It's what I drive when I'm not on my Ducati or in my Lamborghini. Let me show you upstairs. I have been waiting for you for a while."

"Hold on. First I got some things in my bag to give you. This is really important." Roy explained, opening the bag and handing over the black small cushioned case. Bruce opened it with uncharacteristically shaky hands and looked at the chip, complete with power source, already energized.

"Ray Palmer says it is an early Christmas present for Oracle and hopes your company can produce it here. There is also a list of instructions he said you needed to give a doctor, probably one you sneak in on the sly since this isn't exactly board approved."

"Thank you very much, Roy. I i wish I could thank Mr. Palmer himself."

"You can. Thats the other thing I got for you." Roy handed Bruce a sheet of paper, a list of names written on it.

"Thats a guest list. A portal is going to open here in three weeks. If you could ask those people if they want to come, then they are welcome. Superwoman and the Flash are getting married. Oliver says he needs everyone you can spare for security. Some super terrorist is after them all, knows their identities and seems one step ahead. Any help you can bring would be appreciated. He really doesn't want the day to be ruined for Kara and Barry."

Bruce immediately tensed. "Does he need assistance taking care of this terrorist?"

"Nah, he just said he needs security for the wedding that is a stronger than a typical security guard can provide."

"I understand. Anything else?"

"Yeah, Superwoman? She asked me if I could fire an exploding arrow at her cousin. She said you knew the guy?"

"Yes." Bruce laughed. "an interesting practical joke Kara asked you to play."

"No joke. She told me to make sure it blinded him at least and to let him know she is pregnant and he is an idiot."

"Oh… that's not going to go over well. Maybe you should hold back on the arrow. I'll break the news to him." Bruce suggested. "So you go by Arsenal?"

"Yeah, I used to anyway. I got a new suit Cisco made for me but haven't exactly tried it on yet. Oliver told me under no circumstances should I let you try to get me to wear orange and green. I'm not sure what that is all about but he said if you even suggest it, I should kill you. I won't… kill you I mean, or wear orange and green. Red is more my color."

"I can see that Arsenal. Lets go upstairs, and I can show you a place to hang your bow."

Bruce turned around to lead him towards the elevator when Barbara's voice stopped him from the other end of the cave.

"Is that?"

"Yes it is. Overwatch has come through for us. I'm going to look it over and contact Dr. Mcgee. She is game if you are. Are you still?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"Let me get Roy settled and this put in a safe. We can contact and meet her together. I have a good feeling about this. Oh, also Roy says Kara and Barry are getting married and Oliver would like as much security as possible. I'm sure Kal El and J'onn will be there but… please call Diana and ask her if she would agree to be my date for the wedding. Also please contact Victor and see if he is available for a couple of days. If we are going to be security we may as well do it right."

 **Earth 1**

 **"** I have got to start getting some sleep at night, Cisco." Winn complained, having stayed awake all night, missing Caitlin, who had gone home at a reasonable hour, playing video games on the giant screen at S.T.A.R. "If we are going to stay up shouldn't we do something useful like tracking down whoever this guy is thats doing all these horrible things?"

"Prometheus? Not much we can do right now." Cisco told him then realized what he said.

"You have a name? How did you find out a name… oh wait, is this one of those things where you give villains names? Because Prometheus doesn't seem strong enough for this guy. We could call him Captain Non since he is apparently a man bent on genocide."

"We … Oliver has a source that told him a man who calls himself Prometheus is behind all this. He is hitting the streets, doing whatever it is he does when he isn't shooting arrows into people, trying to find out more info. Everything is good so until we have a bigger lead, nothing to do but play until you go to work… in an hour. Hope you got a lot of Red Bull, man."

"I have got to stop hanging out with you." Winn whined. He would crash the minute he got back to the apartment he and Cisco shared after work. Despite being a millionaire now, Cisco still insisted on living like a pig in his own personal slop heap. Caitlin had talked him out of buying a Porsche but other than that, he hadn't spent much. Winn had a feeling he was building up the excitement of a spending spree or had just been too distracted lately. Both heard the beeping sound coming from the main control screen but only Cisco realized what it was about. Barry was up at 6 AM speeding, running fast enough to break the dimensional barrier. Cisco ran to the station and checked his vibrations and the electricity around him and was pleased to see he was not in danger of skipping universes that he knew of. Time travel was a different story.

"Good morning Barry." Cisco said cautiously into the com.

"Morning Cisco. Can't really talk right now."

"Is a disaster about to happen that you need to time travel back… nope, forget I asked."

"I'm not time traveling. I am practicing. I have to be able to control these vibrations to stop accidentally skipping dimensions or time traveling unintentionally. I know what I am doing, trust me."

"Okay but why are you wearing the Tachyon device?"

"I'm not." Barry answered.

Barry was running everywhere, he had made it to Star City and back in fifteen minutes, moving faster than he ever had ran without the device, perhaps with the device. He had to figure this out, he couldn't afford any mistakes, accidents that could take him from Kara's side. The feel of the electricity in the air was a drug to him, the feel of the wind giving way to his power, the lightness he felt, almost as if were flying his feet barely touching the ground before moving again.

"Barry you are setting a record man. Your speed is…"

"I know, I can feel it. Let me work Cisco."

Cisco frowned not used to hearing Barry so serious when running. This sounded less like practice and more like a mission. Then Cisco saw where Barry was heading.

"Hey brother, I know you made the bridge jump chasing Trajectory but you have never made the cavern jump. I don't have drones out there to catch you this time."

"I don't need drones. I need to run Mach 3.3 and I passed that a long time ago, Cisco."

"Yeah but that place has always been kind of a mental block for you. Shouldn't you try a broken bridge again? Maybe one not so high?"

"Mental blocks are gone. I have a reason to beat it now."

Barry continued to move, passing Mach 4 with ease, the trees blowing by some being knocked over by the sonic boom he was creating. He had reached Mach 6 when the cliff came into view and jumped at the last second, soaring through the air. The Flash knew he could make this jump now, no question, even without the Tachyon device. He didn't need it and wouldn't rely on hardware that could fail at any moment. Jumping the cavern wasn't his ultimate goal this morning though.

Barry landed on the other side and never stopped moving, weaving in and out of trees then stopping on a dime and heading back to the cavern without the momentum he had from his huge lead up. In less than a half mile, he had reached escape velocity again and jumped, landing a second later on the other side and continued moving.

"How in the hell did you do that? That was awesome man! That is the fastest zero to holy crap that I have ever seen!" Cisco yelled in joy. Barry did not have time to enjoy the moment. This was not about playing, not this morning. He wanted to be back before Kara was up, eat breakfast with her and make sure she made it to work before he made it to his. He continued running until he reached a certain abandoned farm that he knew had been the one Kara brought Demetri too. It should have been him. She shouldn't have had to do what she did. While Barry knew some of it had to do with Bivolo, a lot of it was her doing what needed to be done. He had asked Oliver what was wrong with him once, after witnessing the Arrow torturing a guy. But he sort of understood now and it scared the hell out of him. What would Barry have done to save lives, protect the ones he loved, his team, his wife, his child? The answer was simple. He would have done whatever it took.

Stopping in front of the barn, he vibrated his body quickly, never moving from his spot and in less than a second had what he was looking for, a lightning bolt. Grabbing it in his hand that was nearly incorporable, he felt at one with the electricity and tossed it into the barn, the equivalent of a lightning strike, knocking down a wall and catching the barn on fire immediately.

He stood and watched the fire, and somehow caught a glimpse of the rusty chain lying on the floor.

"Uh Barry, did you just make and toss a lightning bolt in less than a second? It usually takes you a few circles to do that." Cisco reminded him, back at the lab and watching the barn burn.

"Running in circles takes too long. Harry and I figured out how fast I have to vibrate to cause enough static in the air and make lightning. I got the idea from Zoom when he grabbed a lightning bolt I tossed at him and sent it back at me. So long as my hand can meet the same electrical pulse as the lightning I can toss it like a spear. It took me a second and a half last week. A half a second is better. I won't always have time to run in circles around an enemy Cisco."

"Okay then…" Cisco mumbled and then saw Barry throw another lightning bolt at the barn. After a few minutes Barry caused a vortex and extinguished the fire, then took off, once again running faster than he ever had.

"Why is Barry wearing the Tachyon device?" Caitlin asked, setting her cup of coffee down and looking at Winn with a look of disapproval for playing games all night instead of sleeping. Then she focused on the screen. "Please tell me he isn't dimension hopping."

"Nope, he isn't wearing the Tachyon device. He also just threw two lightning bolts without having to run in circles to generate speed. Caitlin these numbers are amazing. Look at his readings. We haven't seen vibrations like that since…"

"Thawne. Barry became as fast as Zoom but was never at Zoom's destructive force because he couldn't generate as much energy as Zoom could due to his mass. Thawne did though. He wasn't as fast as Zoom but had a better grape of the frequency of the surrounding air. But Barry is exceeding it now, exceeding both. I suppose this makes sense." she finished and placed her purse next to the console.

"How does this make sense? Is he getting faster the older he gets? You think its an age thing? Because at this rate he could circle the globe in a minute when he is 35. He hasn't gained any mass. He isn't eating differently." Cisco pointed out.

"He's never had a wife and child to protect Cisco." Caitlin reminded him. Cisco realized she was right, her reasoning making perfect sense. The longer they were together, the larger their family grew, the more they had to lose.

"I wonder what he has against that barn?" Winn asked jokingly. Cisco and Caitlin looked at each other but neither said a word.

Barry prepared to run back to Kara but stopped and returned to the farm. Something struck him as he looked around the area. Trees circled the old barren crop land.

"Cisco?"

"Yeah Rocky? Want me to put some Eye of the Tiger on?"

"No, I want you to look at any satellite readings you can find that would notice strange, small electrical fields in the air yesterday between 8 AM and 11 PM. The electrical wires leading to the old house are cut. There is no electricity out here. If there were any, it could tell us if a drone was in the area. If a drone wasn't in the area, that means he had to have followed her here somehow. Text me if you find any evidence of a drone. Considering she was driving it wouldn't have been impossible to follow her. If that is the case I plan to search every potential vantage point for any clues. Everybody leaves something behind."

While Caitlin did not bother to come up with a lie but instead told Winn to trust her because he did not want to know, Barry took off, heading to Caitlin and Kara's apartment, changed in an alley and was up the stairs, just as Kara was sitting up in bed.

"Hey you. I woke up earlier and you weren't here." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"I went for a run. Trying to stay healthy and all. How are you this morning?"

"Still not made of glass and about to shatter." she told him pulling him in for a kiss. Kara moved quickly to the shower, ran out in a towel and began to dress when her powers left her. She nearly fell, Barry catching her quickly. Of course her towel came loose.

"There is a sight I have missed." he grinned. Contrary to a month ago, Kara didn't blush.

"I can't wait for the wedding. And the wedding afternoon."

"Afternoon? Don't you mean night?"

"I'm not waiting that long. Sorry you had to catch me. I tripped trying to put on my… anyway you get the idea."

"Yeah, I'm not really sorry I had to catch you but maybe you should do things at a slightly more normal pace so you don't fall down? We could take some of the extra solar lamps and place them down in Ray's clubhouse. Maybe throughout the day you could take ten minutes here and there to sunbathe."

"Not a bad idea. Running in the morning makes you pretty sharp. I have to get to work today and pray that no metahumans or immortal mad men attack. I really, really need a normal week, even a day at this point."

"Sounds good. Breakfast?"

"Duh. Let me get dressed as soon as my powers…" Kara levitated a bit… "there they are. Kid Flash and me haven't worked out a warning system yet." Kara was back in a minute, dressed impeccably in a navy blue dress, high heels and her long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. Barry remembered how she dressed for work as Kara Danvers and though the reason for the style she had then was apparent, without a reason now, she always looked amazing. Kara wasn't afraid to let her beauty show and she hardly ever touched the bridge of her nose anymore, trying to adjust non existent glasses.

After a quick breakfast, he walked her into the building and up to her office, where he was glad to see Kendra sitting at her desk, in front of Kara's office. He introduced the two and left Kara safely tucked away. When he entered the elevator, Carter was walking out and caught his eye. Carter didn't smile but did wink at Barry and offered his hand.

"I got this. You protected my love once. I'm not going to let anything happen to yours."

"Thank you Carter. You have my cell?"

"Your's, Oliver's, Ray's, Jax's, Martin's, an Alex Zorel I don't know, a woman who I was told I only needed to call Nyssa and I didn't want to know why I didn't want to know her last name, a Joe West, Cisco, Caitlin, some guy Cisco called Dick Wells? Also Felicity,Thea,and John Diggle and… yep thats it. No wait, an Eliza Zorel?"

"Her adopted mother. Call me first, then Alex. I will always answer and be here in seconds. Carter, she is strong, fast, can break the sound barrier in the air and on the ground and nearly tripped putting on her clothes this morning because she had a power outage."

"Barry, I swear to you, I will be dead before anything happens to her. Since she killed Savage I am feeling pretty good about my chances of staying alive. Relax and trust me, trust Kendra and trust Ray as a very last resort. We got this."

Barry clapped the man on his shoulder and headed to the station. Once inside he saw Alex grumbling about paperwork. Barry slid up to her, not seeing Joe around.

"Want to come with me? I need your eyes."

"For what?" Alex asked, excited to get away from a desk and paperwork.

"If this guy knew Kara was wearing a ring he either had to see her from the air or a scope in the surrounding trees. Cisco is checking for electrical disturbances in the air but I doubt even in the state Kara was in, that she wouldn't have noticed a drone. I think he was on the ground, followed her from the Palmer tech building after he saw her get into Demitri's car and watched her from a distance. We need to determine where the most likely places he could have watched her from would be and see if he left any trace evidence behind."

"And we can't take Joe because he doesn't know that Kara was out there." Alex realized.

"Yep. He can entertain himself or a while. I'll get the Captain to come up with some excuse."

Alex stood up then hesitated. "Barry, I know you and Joe are close. Does it bother you to keep this from him?"

Barry didn't think long.

"No it doesn't. I love Joe and I don't like to keep things from him but this is about Kara. He knows enough to know we will never catch Bivolo's killer. The circumstances surrounding this killer's disappearance won't change that Alex. I won't lie to Kara but I will lie to anyone else to protect her."

"You really think he would care, since he knows what Bivolo can do?"

"He probably wouldn't care but if he knows then he has to keep it a secret from everyone else, namely his coworkers. It's our secret to hold. Joe knows there is a madman on the loose. I'm going to tell him Oliver had a source in the Russian Mob who gave us the info Kara got but that is as far as goes. Its just not his business. My loyalty and yours lies with her. No one knows about it outside of the people in the lab yesterday and that is the way it stays."

"Great, let me grab my…"

"Detective Zorel! There is my new rookie detective with a background in black ops agencies. You have a minute?" Captain Singh asked. Alex groaned. "Allen, don't you have work to do?"

"Alex, Captain knows the truth about me and Kara but doesn't want Joe to know that he knows because Joe lying keeps him entertained. Captain if you want honesty, I usually finish a week's worth of work while I am having my first cup of coffee in the morning. I spend the next 39 hours and 55 minutes of the work week, working on special projects I find interesting or following up on evidence sent to outside labs."

"Uh huh. I guess thats why you are never behind while you are gone most of the time. Fair enough. Detective Zorel…"

"Please call me Alex."

"Call you Alex? Fine Alex, where the hell did you learn to write reports?"

"Uh… is something wrong with the after action briefing I gave you?" she asked innocently.

"After action briefing… that is probably the start of the problem. I asked for a police report, a case report, a shots fired I get this.

Detective West and I contacted the subject Quentin Lance at residence. Nine hostiles entered the residence, eight armed with fully automatic assault rifles of multiple calibers. Detective West and I engaged hostiles and neutralized them without firing a service weapon (No shots fired report needed). One hostile attempted to use a weapon that emitted a poisonous gas and was taken into custody to be transported to police unit. Due to manpower issues the other eight hostiles were left behind for containment at a later date. On arrival in parking garage while en route to police unit, Detective West, the hostile in custody, the subject, the subject's girlfriend and I were fired upon by four additional hostiles. Hostiles were neutralized when they appeared to have all suffered from spontaneous loss of blood, cause unknown, but likely due to a pre existing medical condition each of the four hostiles likely had."

"Yep, pretty much what happened." Alex tried.

"We haven't gotten to my favorite part. While en route to police station so hostile could be contained, I took my fifteen minute break, mandated by the Central City Police Department employee handbook, and was left at a donut shop. When Detective West returned, I was informed the eight hostiles who had been neutralized in the former combat area, as well as the four hostiles in the parking garage who died of apparent natural causes were no longer on scene."

Singh looked at a smiling Alex.

"Pretty good huh? For a first police report, I mean."

"Did you look at Joe's report? His is twelve pages long and doesn't sound like a BS after action report of a Navy Seal Team raiding a terrorist compound in Libya. It also doesn't try to cover up strange disappearances by using a fifteen minute donut break as an excuse. His report says the two of you were together the whole time."

"Oh… I guess…"

"Spontaneous loss of blood, hostiles, neutralized, mysterious disappearances written off as fifteen minute breaks at a donut shop? Let me ask you one question. If there was a giant guy in front of the police department right now who was made out of living tar, what would you do?"

"Go to Barry's lab and hope I can find enough ingredients to make a nitrous grenade possibly two, depending on how large he is, throw the grenades at him and hope they work, cooling him so quickly that like normal asphalt he would crack and hopefully fall apart under his own weight. If I didn't have the ingredients and chemicals needed for a grenade the second best option to buy time would be to soak him in massive amounts of water, There are four hydrants within this square block that should work. I could maneuver him, preferably not using my gun since I don't want to fill out one of those reports, and trick him into destroying the fire hydrant himself or better, call the Fire Department and have him hosed down."

"Uh huh. Okay thats why you get to stay even though somehow, you are a worse liar than Barry and your sister. Allen, start writing her reports for her."

"What?! But…"

"It will take you like ten seconds and you have enough history with Joe to know how to corroborate his BS reports. So what is on the agenda for today since Alex doing paperwork is a hopeless waste of tax payer money?"

Barry looked at Alex and spoke quietly to the captain.

"I think I have a possible location where the man who has been coordinating these attacks might have been yesterday. I want to examine the area, see if he left any clues. I also don't want Joe to know I know about this place because I would rather him not find out how the information was obtained."

Captain Singh looked at Alex.

"Anyone have anymore spontaneous bleeding caused by a pre existing medical condition?"

"Not that I am aware of sir. At least not that we were, not that Barry and I, were involved in. I'm afraid Barry would have to write another report for me if you want to know more than that."

Singh shook his head. "Fine, I'll keep Joe busy this afternoon, you two go do whatever it is you do that I don't want to know about. Oh, and Allen? I need Alex's paperwork before the end of the day."

"How is that remotely fair?" Barry asked.

"She figured out how to beat Monteleone in ten seconds and it took you a couple days. Plus she has ways of being around when bad guys die from sudden blood loss of a natural sort. I want to keep her and if the Chief ever reads one of her reports we will both be out of a job. I'll tell Joe you two are following up on an anonymous tip in regard to hostile enemy combatants. Get to work."

"I can't believe this. I have to do your paperwork?" Barry asked Alex who shrugged her shoulders.

"It will make me look good which will win you points with my sister." she pointed out, grabbing her coat.

"I don't need points with your sister." he reminded Alex. Once they reached the parking garage, Barry followed her to an unfamiliar car, seeing he would have to hold his bag rather than putting it in the back seat.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"What?"

"What is this?"

"Uh, my car. Nyssa tossed me the keys today and told me to stop stealing her Mercedes. I guess she had this lying around."

"She bought you a silver 2016 Porsche 911 Carrera S because she didn't want you to use her car anymore?"

"Actually its a 2017. Nyssa knows people who know people apparently. You should buy Kara one. She might be able to handle a convertible without vomiting and she will need to drive the baby around."

"Yeah, I think I'm going to hold onto our money, maybe buy a minivan. Considering how much our child could possibly eat, I may be broke before Kid Flash is in high school. I didn't figure you would be the type to let Nyssa buy something like this for you. Not that I'm judging!"

"I wouldn't have in the past but screw it right? Nobody let's Nyssa do anything. It would be a sin to let a car like this waste away because I was too proud to use it. At least that is what I am going with."

Once the two were on the road, at a very impressive speed, Barry admitted, Alex asked the question she had wanted to ask all morning.

"How is she?"

"Safe. I got her to her office surrounded by metahuman bodyguards and Ray as a very last resort."

"I mean how is she?"

Barry sighed and thought before he answered.

"I think the talk with Nyssa may have helped. She didn't seem devastated like I thought she might have. She didn't really want to talk about it, just said whats done is done and we needed to move on. I'm not sure if she really believes it or just wants me to believe it but I think I know her pretty well and she seems to be okay, calm, accepting. I honestly was afraid she would be depressed for months but she isn't. Either she isn't or she has gotten a lot better at hiding her feelings from me and I don't think thats the case."

"No… she is … not growing up. Kara has never been as naive as she wanted people to think she was. About some things? Yes Kara was very naive and still can be but others… I wanted her to hold on to that innocence as long as possible but when she put on that symbol I knew this day would happen. It happened for you already as well, hasn't it?"

"Yeah." Barry admitted. "That loss of innocence that comes with every hard decision, every loss, every mistake and every betrayal."

"She is being strong because she feels like she has to be now. She can't hide anymore behind glasses real or not. She has a kid to protect and I think she finally came to realize what she would have to do sometimes to accomplish that. What we all have to do. But she is still Kara. She is still my loving, goofball little sister and its up to us to not let her forget it. She needs balance. We all do."

The two arrived at the abandoned farm, Alex a bit shocked at the state of the barn. She raised an eyebrow at Barry.

"Have a little healthy venting this morning?"

"I worked out. I have to be better and that barn seemed like a good place to practice throwing lightning."

"At least we will have a clear view of the surrounding area. The Demetri guy said this Prometheus wore a helmet. He may not have needed a scope. I am sure if he as smart as we assume, he must have toys like infrared, and telescopic sight." The brunette pointed out.

"It wouldn't matter. For him to notice a diamond on her hand he would have been either in front of her which doesn't make sense because she had the man hanging with a wall behind him. She was facing him. Sure she may have turned around for a second. He was hanging, facing the door, right Alex?"

"Yep."

Both turned and looked behind them, seeing nothing but trees and a thousand places he could have hid if Kara was not using her X Ray vision. Considering how angry and focused she was it would doubtful she would have had a reason to. Barry walked over to the driveway next to the old house.

"Tire tracks, both yours and Kara's. You practically parked on top of one another thankfully."

"Thankfully?"

"Yep, because these treads here must have belonged to the retrieval team. Looks like a van, full size, long wheelbase, if these are factory Goodyears, the vehicle is a Ford E Series, most likely gutted and modified to move assault teams or carry off dead bodies. I'm thinking Prometheus has already had the Mercedes Kara drove back into the city taken or it would have been discovered by now." Barry noted, talking to himself as he often does "I'm betting the van hasvery dark windows and is white or silver in color to blend in."

"You think it had windows?" Alex asked, wondering how he could tell all this and then reminding herself that Barry Allen was also a very good forensic scientist.

"Had to. If you see a van on the highway that does not have windows it draws suspicion. If you see a van with tinted windows, even those you can't see inside, you are not near as likely to notice it." Barry began crawling over the ground, while Alex stood and waited, wishing she could record this for Kara then thinking that might not be a good idea considering what happened here.

"Yeah, the footsteps have been sort of dusted away but there are still some feint impressions in the grassy areas, looks like at least two men, judging by the different shoe they are, going into… yep, here they are dragging the body out." he called out, rolling over three feet to his right, eye level with the soil.

"I put the fire out before the floor of the barn could be burned. The heat surrounding the structure should have just enough charring to preserve the blood. You have a knife right?"

'A knife?"

"Yeah, I need to cut a section of the floor up. His blood soaked into the wood below him. It would have been corroded but the heat from my run on the pyromaniac side this morning should have been just enough to prevent any other bacteria from being contaminated. I would rather have that than the trace blood on the ground that has been exposed to elements over night. We can use that though if you don't have a knife."

Alex handed him her pocket knife doubtfully.

'There is no way you are going to be able to use that to saw…" she stopped when Barry began vibrating his hand and the knife it was holding. Using the small newly turned buzz saw he cut a six by three inch piece of plywood, covered in dry blood.

"Think you can get DNA off this?" He asked Alex, grinning. She smiled and nodded her head, admitting to herself that he had some skill.

"Okay Sherlock Holmes, you know the vehicle, you know two men got out and you have DNA evidence that I suppose we could use to track associated cases in Russia and see if his involvement in crimes centers around one man or a trail we can follow. I am guessing that hacking into Russian law enforcement systems won't be an issue. Now where was he watching my little sister from?"

"Who is Sherlock Holmes?" Barry asked, confused at the name.

"Oh…uh, he is this English guy, he is kinda of, no not a cop, he has this funny hat and long coat and smokes this pipe, anyway he solves crimes, by guessing things? No, observations! He was really good at seeing things people would miss. Yeah, honestly Kara and I were just getting into watching this new series about him when the world went to hell…" she stopped rambling noticing the grin on Barry's face.

"You know who Sherlock Holmes is, jerk."

"Sorry, It's a game we play with all the newbies to our Earth. I couldn't resist. Now you are the super soldier. If you were spying on my soon to be wife and your itty bitty baby sister and didn't want to take a risk of being seen, but watch the whole show, where would you have been, keeping in mind this guy must have followed by car since he had no way of scouting out the area beforehand?

Alex took a look around. The land was flat for a couple hundred yards in all directions but surrounded by a tree line of Oak trees. He could have hid behind or in anyone of them.

But he must know Kara had exceptional eyesight. Maybe he wasn't completely in the know about X Ray vision but she had scanned that building with the drone remote on top and he had to have figured out what she was doing. He would stay low, avoid the tree tops, knowing the leaves would offer him no protection. Behind a tree trunk, directly behind her a few hundred yards back, most likely using a scope or his helmet to see her up close.

"She was here when? 10 AM?"

"About, yeah." Barry agreed.

"The sun would have been behind her. It would have given him a great viewpoint and kept him from being seen. If he had even been on either side a bit of light could have reflected off his scope or helmet enough to give him away. He would have stayed low, probably next to one of those tree trunks. He would also have seen the big shiny diamond on her hand easily."

"Good point." Barry lifted Alex up, ran straight back from the barn and sat her on the ground a second later at the tree line.

Alex swayed a little. "Kara actually likes it when you do that?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Are you kidding? That was our first date. Isn't that how couples usually meet? One falls out a window and the other runs up the side of a building, catches her then brings her to the middle of nowhere for introductions. Pretty standard stuff."

"You two are so weird. Okay, so do your thing Sherlock. Crawl on the ground and find trace evidence that will lead us back to his evil lair."

"Yeah, yeah…" Barry walked slowly, watching his step, studying the ground, looking for anything from unusual soil residue to indentations in the Earth. Alex copied him, walking softly around tree trunks. She turned by one and looked back to check the vantage point Kara would have been seen at. Not quite making it, she took one more step closer to the trunk when she heard it.

A distinct metallic click. Barry heard it as well and froze.

"Barry?"

"Yep?"

"I shouldn't move, should I? I can't believe this guy left a land mine. He has watched way too many James Bond movies."

"Who is James Bond?" Barry asked, keeping an eye on Alex's foot.

"Really?!"

"Sorry, just don't move… of course you figured that part out. Okay there are two ways we can do this. Oliver saved Felicity from one of these once. He swung through the air like Tarzan, lifted her up and covered her with his body when they landed. Fair warning though, he will probably take his shirt off."

"The second way? Whatever it is, I want the second way." Alex groaned.

"Alex, look at me. I'm going to toss you my jacket. Catch it and then we are going to count to three. On three cover your face with the jacket so nothing blinds you and I am going to move you. Don't fight it, just stand there and before you can blink we will be very clear of the area."

"You are serious? The second I release any pressure, this thing is going to blow."

"Not true. It will probably be about 1.2 seconds. Shirtless Oliver or trust me?"

"I'm trusting you." she told him quickly.

"Don't tense up okay? Here, catch."

Barry tossed his jacket towards Alex. She reached out to catch it, felt a rush of wind and heard an explosion behind her.

"What the hell?!" Alex saw the explosion had occurred approximately forty feet away. "You said three! I was going to catch your jacket, protect my face and we would count to three!"

"Yep and while all that was going on you would have been nervous, even more nervous than you already were. Couldn't take the chance of you tensing up and giving the mine a head start on me."

Alex let out a breath. "Yeah, thanks. I guess I should watch where I step."

"Looks like we all should. I hadn't even planned to come out here last night. This guy had the presence of mind to set a trap on the off chance that we would come out here and that we would actually find where he was watching from."

"It's why he wanted us to know he saw Kara's ring." Alex realized.

"We have DNA of the shooter, but if he was smart enough to leave us a parting gift, he won't have left anything we can use of himself. Let me run through the trees to set off any other land mines so Bambi doesn't step on one and we can get out of here."

"Whose Bambi?" Alex asked.

Barry started to answer then thought better of it. "You know who Bambi is."

Alex watched the yellow streak light up the trees back and forth, so quickly she had to stop watching. Barry was back in front of her in seconds and no further explosions had occurred.

"Should we walk back or you want me to carry you?"

"We can walk…"

"Here we go." Barry offered, opening up her car door before she could process what happened.

"…back. I guess we run. Okay, lets go back to the station. We can run the DNA at S.T.A.R. and I can give Joe our excuse, blame it on wedding stuff and then take off early. Don't forget to have my reports done and double check for spelling. I am a perfectionist when it comes to paperwork."

"Yeah, I bet you are." Barry told her, mentally preparing himself to having to spend five minutes making up bogus police reports that correspond with Joe's bogus place reports. He didn't feel much better. Prometheus had led them to a trap once again, baiting them with the note and letting themselves walk right into it. He doubted the DNA would lead anywhere or Prometheus would have gotten rid of the blood as well. Still it was worth following because the man was not God. He could make mistakes like everyone. If he made the smallest mistake, Barry and Alex would have him.

Barry took a quick look around before he got into the car. It was unreasonable but Prometheus was beginning to make him think he was always being watched. Barry was behind him every step so far and that had to change. Like every other race in the past two years this was one he could not lose.


	32. Chapter 32

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N- sort of a transitional chapter here and much more lighthearted from the last couple. Our heroes need a little fun, right? By the way, Cisco and Alex have a decision to make about head gear. Let me know what you think Alex should choose in reviews.

Chapter 1

"Kendra! My office!"

Kendra Saunders jumped up from her desk, and moved towards her new boss's office. She moved quickly, not stopping until she was four feet from the beautiful blonde VP's desk.

"Yes Mrs. Zorel Allen?"

Kara met her eyes and shook her head slightly in frustration.

"That doesn't sound good either does it?" Kara asked her new friend.

"I don't know what to tell you, Kara. I've been through a lot of reincarnations with different names and once you get total recall and they all come back, there are times you are like, what was I thinking?"

"Okay, but you are the one saying it. How did it feel? Awkward?" she pressed.

"Zorel Allen was much less awkward than Allen El, or Allen Zor El. Is this really a big decision? If you don't want to give up your last name just hyphenate it with his on documents and introduce yourself however you want. Isn't Zorel actually two names anyway?"

"Yeah, my father's name. When women married a man they took his house name. So my name was Kara, my father's name was Zor El and so I am Kara Zor El. Of course my cousin was named Kal and males were given their father's last name only, so one day he could accidentally name a girl Lois Kal El, or some weird name. He's a weird guy. Not grounded like me at all. I think too much time flying is bad for men. Their brains require more oxygen than women's so we can go higher and stay longer in thinner air."

"Thats true. So you want to keep your house name then but you want to share Barry's as well… I can keep running back and forth. It's the most fun I've had all day. Your mean voice is getting much better."

"Still not as good as yours. You have that yelling at employees thing down. I thought Miss Grant was here once or twice. You got skills girlfriend. Let's take a break, have a seat, kick your feet up." Kara offered, slipping off her heels, leaning back in her chair and on putting her feet on the desk. Kendra sat as well, enjoying the feel of her feet being freed from the chains of footwear.

"Sorry this job is so boring." Kara told her sheepishly. Kendra had been so excited but it had been a slow day.

"It's not! It's… kind of slower than I thought it would be actually." the woman admitted. "But it's really cool hanging out with you. I never got to sit behind a big desk and yell before."

"It's really fun, right? But yeah, PR sounds like it would be busy but since we don't actually have any products on the market for this division the only job we really have right now is to be on the lookout for possible competitors trying to discredit us before the product is even ready for trials and covering up Ray's dumb comments. I kept three women from the outside PR team we had before. They are working up new campaigns and I think they will do better without the more experienced jerks who thought they knew everything. I handle cleaning Ray's messes up myself and since he is either in his office, in R&D or at S.T.A.R. thats getting easier."

"Wow. Don't worry about me though, the last job I had in Central City was at Jitters. A boring job in a nice quiet office is a lot better than working behind the counter dealing with the public screaming for their morning coffee. Oh that reminds me, do you want me to pick up coffee on the way to work?"

Kara laughed, warmly remembering all the times she had bumped and pushed her way through a crowded sidewalk with coffee in hand. Sometimes, a part of Kara longed for those days still, not that she would give up what she had now but that really was a simpler time. Not a happier time by any means but much, much simpler.

"No, I can get my own coffee but thank…" Kara's eyes widened as the light bulb went off in her mind.

"Call Carter." Kara whispered, pushing the phone intercom towards her. "Just use Mrs. Allen. I'm liking the simplicity of it."

"Want me to use the mean voice?" Kendra whispered, Kara nodding in affirmation with a smile. Kendra hit the intercom button that could be heard by Carter's desk near the top floor elevator.

"Mr. Hall!" Kendra yelled into the device. Carter woke with a start, shaking his head and realizing the boredom of sitting all day at his desk by the elevator had finally caught him unaware. He had only been called for twice all day and he was beginning to think it was because Kara and Kendra were bored and wanted to see if he knew any tricks he could perform to keep them entertained.

"Yes, Miss Saunders?" he answered sarcastically.

"Get to Mrs. Allen's office now!"

Carter rubbed his forehead and stood up, stretching a bit. Taking his time, he strolled in to see two women, with no shoes on, kicked back, relaxing. Kara even had her arms behind her head, reclining back with her feet on her desk.

"We have a mission for you Prince Khufu." Kara told him.

"I thought my mission was protecting you, my Queen?"

"We have a secondary mission for you, Prince Khufu."

Carter saw the smirks both women had and decided he would not win, so rather than trying, took a deep breath.

"What is my mission your Highness?"

"Your mission is on behalf of myself and your Priestess Chay -Ara, and should you fail your shame shall reflect on both of us. Are you fit for an undertaking or do you need longer to recover from your four hour nap?"

"Yes, Khufu, have you had your beauty rest?" Kendra asked.

"Yeah, yeah, what do you two want?"

"We are bored. You have slept enough and I am five seconds away from prank calling Winn and Curtis. Its time we became criminals and made this place more entertaining. First step, we need… Carter, you may want to get a pen and paper. It's going to be a long list."

A grinning Kendra handed over a note pad and pen to Carter.

"Go ahead."

" DeLonghi Maginifica Super Automatic Espresso and Coffee Machine. They sell around five hunted dollars so don't get anything cheaper. Hey, do you want one for your little desk by the elevator?"

"No Kara… actually a Keurig wouldn't be bad." he admitted.

"Add it to the list Prince Khufu." Kara ordered. "We also need a 60 inch flat screen for the wall facing my desk and a wall mounting kit. I can have maintenance install it tonight. Kendra, you know Cisco and Winn like video games. Have you ever tried to play?"

"No I haven't. We should see what all the fuss is about."

"Exactly. You are the best EA ever. Lets go with a Play Station, a Z Box, an Atari,,,"

"Atari was gone before I was born the first time and its X Box." Carter told her.

"My bad… there is another one of those game systems. Its the nicer one with the cute little plumbers and the evil mushrooms… I can't give you all the answers Prince, it is your quest after all."

"My apologies my Queen."

"Don't mention it. That will be a good start so get to it. Be gone, and do not fail your beloved or your boss. Thats me. I'm da boss."

"What part of the treasury should I use to trade for these items?"

"Oh! Thats the best part. Remember when I said we were going to be criminals?"

'You want me to steal these items?" he asked doubtfully, knowing better.

"Of course not! Stealing is wrong. We are going to steal Ray's credit card. He keeps his wallet in his desk. I saw him put it there today. He locked the desk but you can pick locks, can't you? As many times as you have been reincarnated you must have been a thief or a locksmith once?"

Carter laughed, unusual for him but hard not to around the woman.

"Yeah, I've picked up a thing or two along the way. But whenever he leaves, he locks his office door and it's an electronic keypad lock. I can't pick that."

"Yeah I know. Its kind of insulting. You think he doesn't trust us?" the blonde asked.

"You are ordering me to steal his credit card to buy an expensive coffee machine and electronics that he would have installed within an hour if you asked him for it."

"I know and I never would have thought of stealing from him until I saw him lock his wallet up in his desk. At that point I knew I had to take it. But we are just going to buy the coffee machines with his card. I think the coffee will taste better knowing we took it from him rather than just asked him. Besides I can handle the key pad. Now the electronics, you are going to steal right out from under Cisco's nose. I want the toys he keeps in his workshop."

Carter smiled, "You are evil and you do know how to catch my attention. That little…"

"He's my little brother! No name calling." Kara reminded him.

"Sorry, that completely average in height man is not going to just let me walk out of there without calling down a host of people. I will take them but it going to turn into a fight, fair warning. I know your fiancé has a bromance with him second only to his love for Oliver Queen."

"No it won't be a fight because he will never know. Kendra and I will distract him while you load up the gear into the Lab van and then we make a break for it."

"We make a break for it? Do you think this is a good idea? I promised Barry I would keep you safe, not help you play practical jokes on people while a guy who is trying to be on par with Vandal Savage in body count is on the loose, gunning for you. I'm already looking out for anybody resembling Rainbow Bright or a mist in the air seeping through the vents. I don't have time to play games."

"You have been napping all afternoon." Kendra reminded him.

"And you would be able to perform your job much better if you had perfect cups of caffeine heaven." Kara reasoned.

"I won't do the gaming system right now…"

'But…" Kara started, wondering if she would have to use da boss title again. Adding Da in front of it made her seem more streetwise.

"I said right now, Kara. It will actually be a good chance for us to check the security at S.T.A.R. Construction starts in two days on repairing the roof, so we have a short window to get it out before Cisco moves the merchandise but it can be done. We just have to sneak you out tonight."

"I'm not a teenager. I don't need to sneak out." Kara reminded him.

"Fine, midnight at S.T.A.R. How are you going to get me into Ray's office now?"

"His fingers leave oil every time he touches a button. I can use my vision to see what numbers are used the most and then try every possible combination until it opens."

"That could be hundreds." Kendra pointed out. Kara shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, but I move fast. It will take me two minutes at the most. Barry did it once to help Snart break into a vault. He managed it in thirty seconds and there were thousands of possible combinations. I can do it. I think Ray only used four numbers."

"Fine, but you are both coming with me while we pick up the coffee merchandise. I'm not getting blamed for you getting rainbow blasted while I am out shopping for office accessories."

Kara nodded agreement, expecting as much. Truth be told, she loved being around Kendra and Carter while seeming uptight, loosened up a bit as the morning dragged on and had an adventurous if rough personality.

"Sounds great, I've been wanting to get out of here all day. By the way, I am bullet proof which is ironic because I seem to get shot a lot. Since I get shot a lot and have the worst luck, the next time someone shoots at me, I guarantee I am going to have a power outage and be hit. If you ever wonder if I want you to take a bullet for me, the answer is yes. You two have reincarnated hundreds of times. Reincarnation has not been proven for Kryptonians, especially since we don't have a planet to be reincarnated on anymore and I don't want to be the first test subject. You two know you get do overs. Me, not so much."

"I will lay down my life for you Queen Kara and my Priestess Chay-Ara."

"Nice. I'm beginning to see the appeal you were talking about Kendra." Kara admitted.

"He does have his uses." Kendra agreed, grabbing her purse, the three walking towards Ray's office to begin the afternoon workload.

While her baby sister was starting a life of crime, Alex arrived at S.T.A.R. with the DNA sample. After scraping the sample and finally isolating a clean area, she set up the GC and DNA coder and pushed go. Now all she had to do was wait for a few hours. Wondering what to do with herself she was distracted by the sound of clashing metal. Moving towards the back training room, wondering what was going on, she froze.

Nyssa and Oliver Queen were attacking each other. They were using real swords, not the wooden practice swords, the blades were blurs, sparks flying every time the metal met metal. Neither appeared to be holding back. She wanted to yell at them to stop but was afraid any distraction would cause Nyssa to get hurt.

Finally the two crossed swords and seemed to be at a stand still.

Until Nyssa kicked Oliver between his legs, sending him falling to the mat. Alex half expected Nyssa to jump towards Oliver, plunging her sword into him for a kill. What she didn't expect was to hear laughter from both of them.

"Damn it Nyssa, every time! What happened to honorable fighting?" he asked, standing up gently.

Nyssa smirked. "Says the man who boasts that winning by any means necessary is the only way to fight."

"It worked for you then." he pointed out. "Again?"

"Can you stand much less walk?" she asked, smiling.

"You really think I would spar with you and not wear a cup? I learn from my mistakes, Nyssa."

"Hey!" Alex shouted, hoping to get their attentions. "Are you two trying to kill each other?"

"Of course not love. Just having a bit of practice."

"Practice? Those are real swords! You two were…"

"This is how we were taught to sword fight. We did not use practice swords. You were taught basic blocks and strikes and if you were cut after that, it was your own fault. There was no such thing as half speed. You trained like you fought." Nyssa explained.

Alex took Nyssa in and saw she had no cuts on her that Alex could notice. She was wearing her League armor, robe included, and had a feint gleam of sweat over her that Alex was doing her best to ignore at the moment.

"Would you like to try?" Oliver asked.

"Alex doesn't use swords." Nyssa told Oliver quickly, who let it go with a shrug. Nyssa knew how Alex felt about swords, the memory of being mind controlled and being forced to attack Kara with one, even cutting her, nearly killing her if not for Eliza. That was one weapon she didn't use and Nyssa never tried to force on her.

"No she won't. I have need of the elder Zorel sister." Cisco announced, "Alex, if I may?"

"Sure I'll be right there." Alex turned to Nyssa to kiss her when Nyssa's phone buzzed. The woman looked at the text as confusion colored her face.

"Alex, where is Barry?"

"Finishing my paperwork at the station if he knows what is good for him. Captain Singh was very specific that it be done by the end of the day."

"Were you with him today?"

"Yeah, the two of us went out to the farm, to gather DNA from the blood left behind."

"Uh huh. I'm not sure what these emoji things are, but is that a stick of dynamite followed by several faces of laughing with tears?"

Alex took the phone slowly and saw that it was.

"Barry is weird. Ignore him."

Another text popped up and Alex saw it was the popular Flash lightning bolt Emoji next to a stick of dynamite again followed by several smiling faces with heart eyes.

"I'm confused. Is he saying… has he taken some drug, that Velocity 9 I have heard about? Why are there hearts…"

Another text as Alex's heart sunk.

"The Flash is Alex's hero." What does that mean… did he save you from something? Dynamite? Did someone throw dynamite at you?"

"Someone is going to throw dynamite at Barry the next time I see him. Text him back a dynamite, Flash lightning bolt, gun and Alex saved your ass first."

"No, not until you tell me what he saved you from."

Alex sighed, hoping to avoid this conversation and cursing Barry Allen's name inwardly.

"Barry and I tried to determine a place in the tree line where Prometheus may have watched Kara from yesterday. We found it, I found it. I stepped near the tree and he had left a land mine planted in the ground. I stepped on it and…"

"If the next words you speak involve a shirtless Oliver Queen I am reassembling the League."

"I've been sparring with you all day." Oliver reminded the woman.

"No! Barry told me to count to three and before I could even count to one he had me far away from the blast. I guess he thinks he saved me." Alex finished, shrugging her shoulders.

"He did." the Arrow happily pointed out.

"I would have figured out something."

"Yeah, sure you would. How high you could fly, most likely." Oliver finished and went to the Salmon ladder.

"Don't you have a city to protect, like 600 miles away?"

"Alex lets go home. I want to check you…"

"I'm fine Nyssa."

"You are not fine! Checking hostile ground and not watching your step is not fine! From now on I will go with you."

"No you won't. I am not a child. I made a mistake and it won't happen again. No big deal, I love you but I don't need a bodyguard."

"Not when she has the Flash to save her." Oliver said between rungs of the ladder.

"Shut up Oliver Queen! Look, I'm fine, go back to kicking Oliver in the nuts and I will be right back after I see what Cisco wants."

Alex gave a frowning Nyssa a quick kiss and walked out quickly. She had no doubt she would hear more about it tonight and planned appropriate revenge on Barry. This would not go unanswered.

Alex turned into Cisco's workshop and saw him holding a…gun?

"Uh Cisco. should you really be handling that? It's not loaded is it?"

"Yeah its loaded. I even fired it once but I missed. I need you to fire it for me. See if you can hit that." he pointed to a dummy ten feet away.

"The human size dummy ten feet away?"

"Yeah, its not as easy as it looks. This gun kinda jumps in your hands so be careful; I accidentally shot the wall near the ceiling. I hope Ray doesn't notice the hole. Caitlin ran in and I pretended I was playing video games so…"

"Why am I shooting the dummy?"

"Its not just a dummy. Its a life size ballistic gel pack surrounded by a new material I came up with. Just shoot the thing, anywhere you can. As close to the center as you can get."

Alex took the small .38, raised her arm while looking at Cisco instead of the target and fired, hitting the dummy, mid center mass. Cisco looked back at the dummy and then to Alex who had never stopped looking at his face.

"I see you have some aptitude around firearms. I wasn't sure if you had more in you than close up head shots. Glad to see you do."

"You want to be next?" she asked the impressed man.

"Not if you want your new toys. Lets take a look the fabric,shall we?" he told her, wiggling his eyebrows.

The two walked over and Cisco pumped his fist in victory. Alex peered very closely and was surprised to see no hole.

"I know I hit this. Its just lycra, where is the bullet? Does the material close up after penetration?" she asked.

"The bullet is on the ground." Alex looked where Cisco was pointing and saw he was right.

"But this is just lycra." she told him once again.

"You seriously think I would waste my time making something like lycra? No Detective Zorel, what you are looking at is the culmination of years of theory finally turning into reality. This fabric, while resembling lycra, does not tear. A knife will not cut through, an arrow won't pierce it and a bullet won't break it. It gives, it isn't armor but it will not break. Basically it means if you get shot in the ribs, your ribs are probably going to break. If you get shot in the stomach you are going to feel like you took a wrecking ball to the stomach. But the bullet, blade arrow, will not enter your body. It may beat the hell out of you but it will not cut. This is what your new suit is going to be made of. Now there will be armor, the same type as Oliver's, very thin and flexible. He took a .45 at close range from some teenage girl a few months ago in the chest and stood up with no problems. But while it will protects your ribs, chest and stomach area the rest of you, even your throat should be resistant to anything entering your body, weapons wise anyway. I can't speak for Ny…"

"Cisco!"

"Sorry. That was a totally inappropriate joke. My bad. Don't sic the League of Assassins on me or anything. Anyway, what do you think?"

"I think you just revolutionized body armor technology. This is amazing! You should start selling these to police departments, armed forces, the applications…" Alex rambled.

"Yeah thats the problem. I haven't quite gotten it down in cost yet. The material that I am making for your suit and Kara's that she doesn't realize she is getting, is $20,000. Not something police departments can typically buy by the hundreds. I am working on getting the cost down but I don't expect many sales right now. It was really a project after Laurel… she never wanted kevlar because she needed to move. But what if she had a material that just refused to separate? Yeah Darhk still may have killed her but that arrow he stabbed her with? It wouldn't have gone in and that may have bought enough time for somebody, to do something. Anyway, so you are going to have some padding whether you like it or not. I'm not going to have another Laurel…" Cisco stopped speaking and Alex surprised herself when she brought the man in for a hug.

"Everybody who does this knows the risks, Cisco. What you do gives us a chance at survival, a better chance. You do everything you can but people are still going to die."

"I know. Thanks…" Cisco shook his head. "Okay, put these on. I finally managed to test them without shocking myself. This is not a Cisco Ramon design. I actually stole this idea from Nightwing."

Alex took the long black glove of the same material as that on the dummy but slightly thicker, and slipped them onto her hands. She could feel slight groves on top running from the top of her hand to her knuckles.

"Bend your thumbs into your palm. You should feel a small button between in the space between the thumb base and forefinger."

"Got it."

"Press the button once."

Alex did so and felt a tingle, not much but she knew electric current was running in the slim grooves over her knuckles.

"Wow."

"Yeah, now hit the dummy, ether hand but try both. If you get electrocuted I am sorry and you can die knowing Nyssa will make sure I follow you."

Alex struck the dummy with her right fist and the impact was immediate. She had thrown a hard punch and the dummy nearly broke off the wooden base. Throwing a left she saw sparks jump from where she struck.

"Thats amazing." she whispered, looking at the gloves that weren't even smoking.

"Battery courtesy of Ray Palmer and Palmer tech. Both gloves should get you through a war. Now to turn it off, you have to hit the buttons twice more, but if you only hit it once more, that's megabomb mode."

"Huh?"

"I mean you are going to knock the crap out of anything you hit but your feet better be set. It threw me across the room when I tried it."

Alex hit the button on her right hand once more. The current seemed to buzz stronger through the fabric. She planted her feet, right in front of left and through her body into a jab. The effect was immediate. The dummy did break off the wooden base, flying against the back wall. Alex for her part felt as if her shoulder may have been knocked out of socket. She was pushed back but did not fall.

"Thats going to take some getting used to." she whispered.

"Want me to take the juice down?"

"Hell no. When I get used to it, I want more." she told the grinning man.

"Thats what I like to hear. You are going to love the targeting mask. You are going to be able to see through walls just like little sis."

"No kidding?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, but about the mask, I have the optical tech ready to go but I need to know how you want it, what form anyway. See with you being a cop, and thin and having short hair you are going to catch people's eyes. So if you aren't being a cop and out doing superhero stuff with the cool kids a simple face mask isn't going to work. Kara couldn't get away with it if she spent all day at the station and hers covers quite a bit of her cheekbones and forehead. So the way I see it, you can go with a complete lightweight helmet, a hood, a small one with one of those scarves Nyssa likes, or you can go Black Canary style and we get you a dark brunette wig."

"A wig? Won't a wig, kind of, I don't know, fall off?"

"Not the one I made Laurel. Not sure how Sara's was but I'm sure there was some League of Assassin trickery going on with it. Blonde makes a good target though. Dark hair, dark outfit, complete stealth mode."

"Wow, let me think about it, okay?"

"Don't take long. Your girlfriend's ex husband has told me to step it up. This Prometheus guy has him more on edge than Slade Wilson did. Not that he is wrong. I got a bad feeling about him too. Anyway you need it done as soon as possible. So I know Kali sticks, Nyssa said she had developed some throwing disks for you?"

"Yep." Alex confirmed. She had been getting very good with those.

"And the tonfa's, and two hand guns, both silenced, one with tranq darts and one when its time to get dirty. I'll need to do test on your chest piece and the biosensors on your suit and if they clash with the new material or if the electric currents in the gloves have any effect on it."

"Ohhh, chest piece. What design am I getting?" Alex asked, starting to have fun. This sounded a lot better than the old DEO uniform. If she could have it ready by the wedding J'onn would be so jealous.

"What do you mean? Kara already told me. Your family crest, the same one she wears. She wouldn't hear of anything else. Now do you want it in dark red or like a dark silver? I want it to stand out but since we are going for stealth we don't want to go white… Alex, you okay?"

Alex wiped her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, uh, whatever color you think is good. I trust you. Thanks…"

Alex moved quickly out of the room, nearly forgetting to pull the gloves off. Nyssa ran into her in the hall, shocked to see her crying.

"Alex? What's wrong? I heard gunfire? Did you shoot him? If so, don't cry about it, these things happen and I am fairly certain Palmer or Holt can perform most of the functions Cisco does."

"No." Alex chuckled. "Just got a little emotional. It doesn't happen often and I got taken by surprise. I have a few hours before my DNA test is complete. Lets go home?"

"Yes, of course love. But you are okay?"

Alex smiled and sniffed. "Yeah. I am pretty damn perfect right now."

At the apartment later that night, Caitlin and Kara rehashed their days, preparing to watch the Late Show. An hour later, ice cream eaten, Kara was reminded of something she had been hoping everyone would forget.

"So Cisco is going to fire up the red room tomorrow. If you could be there at 10 for your exam, it would be great." Cait quietly suggested, ordered.

"Exam? What exam?" the blonde tried.

"You know what exam. You are a month along. There might be one or two symptoms but we need to be prepared for the coming months. We need to make sure everything is okay…"

"Of course everything is okay. I'm immune to everything. Nothing has gone on down there out of the ordinary except the night that caused all this. This whole exam is completely unnecessary. Why can't we just do the little cream and run the light over my stomach, uh ultrasound? Or listen to her heart?"

"Her? Number one the heart doesn't develop till the second month, however considering the baby is soaking up sunlight I'm not even sure what effect that will have. I doubt it will increase development time, at least I hope not, because if it does that baby could age rapidly once born too. I don't see it happening. I don't think the baby is going to be a speedster right out of the gate. Barry has lost his powers before as you know, and we had to recreate the accident last time, so he could get them back. Barry's DNA makes him able to absorb the Speed Force but unless something triggers it, I am not sure what will happen. Then again it could be inherent since we don't know of any metahumans that have had children, so the child may very well be a speedster. In any event we need to be prepared."

"Are you saying my baby could die of old age before she is a year old?" Kara asked, suddenly very worried.

"No! If that were the case you would be already showing. No I don't expect it. The Speed Force hasn't rapidly aged Barry but I have to look at all possibilities and anticipate solutions. We also really have no way of knowing how long Kryptonian pregnancies can last. The AI was left back on the other Earth. I doubt your cousin knows. Perhaps if Roy tells him, he could take the initiative to do some research but you said he isn't very bright."

"What does this have to do with me and stirrups?"

"I have to make sure everything is okay, there are no potential problems that could hamper delivery later on, plus you are going to be more and more… powerless the farther into this pregnancy and you need to be as healthy as possible. Speaking of which we need to start you on immune boosters. You have never really used your immune system and I do not want you being hospitalized with pneumonia before you deliver."

"Okay, yeah immune system. Drugs. I can handle that. As far as the rest you just kinda have to get down there and … take a look, right?"

"Well yes… we will have to perform a speculum exam…"

"No! I don't even know what that is but it doesn't sound good."

"It's not bad Kara. Its just a device that I will insert…"

"No!" Kara yelled, covering her ears.

"Its not that bad and I know you can still hear me. We are also going to have to do a pap smear. Thats…"

"I know what that is! No! No, no, no. Bad Caitlin. That is not happening."

"Kara it has too. Don't be a baby. It will just be the two of us, but Eliza will be there if you want her to hold your hand or participate…"

"You realize this is going to fundamentally change our relationship forever right? We may not be able to look at each other the same way, ever, ever again. This is going to be… no! Who came up with this and what… I mean isn't childbirth going to be traumatic enough? Thank Rao there are drugs that can help with that pain… Caitlin? There are drugs, right?"

"Yes, but can't be sure what effect they may have on you, if they will even work or if they could harm the baby. There are too many unknowns, Kara. I think it would be best to have a natural childbirth."

"Natural? My … I'm compatible with humans. Harry said so. Drugs should work on me the same way as they do on anyone else."

"And you know how they burn through Barry." Caitlin reminded her.

"Can you cut the baby out? You've cut me open before. Just do it again, and poof there is the baby. I wake up and I'm a mommy. Easy. Some sun lamps and a few hours and I am good as new. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?" Kara tried.

"C sections are performed as a last resort Kara. It is best for your baby to be born naturally."

"Again, I have to ask you if you understand this could change our relationship forever? You could have a starring role in my next recurring nightmare, Caitlin Snow."

"Maybe, but I will still always do what is best for you, even if it is scary. You are the bravest woman I know. Actually all of your family is pretty amazing. You can handle this Kara. I'm going to bed. I love you. It will be okay."

Caitlin hugged her and left an already traumatized Kara sitting on the couch, thinking about the nightmares that awaited her. Barry texted her and she texted in reply that he wasn't her favorite person right now and he should probably wait until tomorrow afternoon to see her in person.

So of course Barry called.

"What did I do?" was his greeting. "I didn't put her on the land mine, I saved her."

"Hi sweet… wait, who was on a land mine?"

"Alex? She stepped on a land mine this morning? I saved her. Isn't that why you are mad at me?"

"Alex stepped on a land mine? What were you doing? Why weren't you watching out for her?Who put a land mine where?"

"We went to the farm to try and determine where Prometheus may have watched you from. We found it. She moved close to a tree he was hiding behind and stepped on it. I moved her out of the way in plenty of time. She wasn't in any danger."

"Really? She stepped on a land mine. If she hadn't been as smart as she is, her foot could have very well lifted off and boom! No more Alex! Does that sound like she wasn't in any danger Barry? Why was she there anyway? Why didn't you and Joe go?"

"Because she is a cop and Joe doesn't know what went on out there and it will stay that way. I kept an eye on her."

"Yeah, you watched her step on a land mine."

"Kara, I'm sorry. I will watch her more closely but I did save her. Look if you aren't mad about Alex, or at least you weren't, why are you mad at me?"

"Because this is all your fault. You started this chain reaction."

"Im confused." Barry admitted.

"You were the first to put something inside me, then a baby is in inside of me that is going to come out in a spectacularly painful fashion, and now other things are going to be put inside me tomorrow. Do you know what a speculum is Barry?"

"Yeah, its…"

"Well I don't, but I am going to become intimately acquainted with one tomorrow. I have never been intimately acquainted with anyone or thing before you and since I became intimately acquainted with you, other things seem to be wanting to invade my nether regions. I did not travel ten thousand light years for this."

"I'm sorry. I thought you were happy about the baby?"

"I am happy about the baby! I'm not happy about having the baby. Why can't I just be put to sleep for this exam and for the delivery and poof, I wake up and its over? Why Barry? Why does everyone think I deserve humiliation?"

"I… I…I"

"I, I, I ? Thats the best you got, love of my life? The exam is going to be conducted by my supposed best friend tomorrow at ten. Don't be anywhere near the lab. I don't know if I can even look in a mirror after this is done, much less look at anyone else. Its barbaric. They know I am fine. They are doing this to screw with me."

"No they aren't Kara. You want me over? I wouldn't mind sleeping with you tonight, we can keep the nightmares away. I'm kinda needing you right now."

Kara looked at the time on her phone. That wouldn't work.

"Can you come at 1?"

"1 AM? You want me to come over at 1? Why can't I come over now?"

"I have this thing I have to do tonight. It will only take an hour or so. I'll be back by 1."

"What in the hell do you have to do tonight till 1 AM?"

"Stuff." Kara answered. She loved Barry but her plans would be just the kind of thing he would talk her out of or participate in. She didn't want to harm his friendship with Cisco.

"Stuff? All I get is stuff? There is a maniac gunning for us. You are going out at midnight and you are giving me stuff as a reason."

"Yep."

Barry sighed.

"Okay then, I guess I'll see you at 1. You won't tell me what you are doing?"

"Its better you don't know. Just know that it doesn't risk the baby or me, I promise."

"Okay. See you in a couple hours." Barry ended the call and Kara texted Kendra that the mission was a go.

Barry did see Kara a couple hours later, dressed like her sister usually dressed, head to toe black, even as far as black face paint. Carter had brought some along and she couldn't resist. Barry didn't even bother to ask, sure he would find out soon enough. After Kara exited the shower, she fell into a deep sleep in his arms. At 6, Barry got a call from Joe that an apartment complex was on fire and people were trapped. Kara moved to join him until she saw the look on his face followed by him looking directly at her stomach. She dropped her head and lay back in bed, while the Flash went to save the day. It would be a long nine months.

When Kara reached the office that morning, Kendra was already making espresso on the new machine. She had noted the Keurig on Carter's desk but didn't see him until she reached her office and saw him mounting the television that used to belong to Cisco on her office wall.

"You know what would be great? A couch so the three of us can sit and play games without having to worry about these uncomfortable chairs." Kara pondered, doing anything she could to keep her mind off her pending violation by her best friend and mother in two hours.

"Good idea. We can grab Ray's …" Carter started before Ray hollered for Kara. Carter motioned for her to be seated and walked outside her office, stopping the man.

"Carter, good morning. Is Kara in her office?"

"The Queen is in the throne room. She has not had her first cup of coffee yet and does not take audiences with commoners before then."

"Carter… you know I am the owner of the company, right?" Ray asked.

"I know that after I died, you tried to pick up Kendra. I know I have a mace that I can use to tear apart your shiny little suit and if you shrink I will hit you like a baseball… or golf ball depending on how small you go. I know that I was hired to protect Kara Zor El and I am to screen visitors. I know that I can make you feel a world of pain, Ray Palmer. So why don't you stand there a bit longer and tell me about how you own this company?"

Ray gulped a bit and rephrased his request. "Could you possibly, ask the Queen if I may have an audience with her, please?"

"My Queen?" Carter called, never breaking eye contact with Palmer.

"Yes, Prince Khufu?"

"She calls you by your … oh this is getting ridiculous."

"The Court Jester wishes to have an audience."

"Allow him in, Prince."

Carter stepped to the side. "You have five minutes. She has an important appointment to be at this morning."

"Of course." Ray agreed.

"And eyes off Chay-Ara." Ray rolled his eyes and marched in front of Kara's desk then turned around, taking in the gaming stations on the new shelf against that wall and the very large flat screen mounted on the wall. They looked familiar…

"How can I assist you today, Mr. Palmer? Make another comment in public that could be construed as a sexual innuendo?" Kara asked, way too proud of herself.

"Yesterday, after you had left early for the day, I finished my very important work and came back to my office to retrieve my wallet. Do you know what I found?"

"Your wallet?" Kara guessed.

"The drawer my wallet was in, was filled with coffee beans. Top to bottom coffee beans. How can this be? My office was locked. Only I have the code. My desk was locked, only I have the key."

"It does sound like a mystery. Maybe you should ask Sherlock Holmes… you guys have him right?"

"Yes… not the point. I pull out my wallet from the ocean of coffee beans and find my card has been moved to a different pouch so I check my purchases online. Guess what? I bought some pretty expensive coffee brewing equipment, equipment that is the exact same as in your office. So I am thinking since this machine is obviously mine, I will go ahead and take it to my office."

Ray moved towards the espresso machine until Kara spoke.

"My Prince, my warrior Priestess?"

Kendra and Carter stepped in front of the machine and stared at Ray, arms crossed.

"Its like that huh?" Ray asked, nodding. He turned back to Kara.

"I own this company. Do you know what that means?"

"That you finally stopped shirking your responsibilities off on Felicity for the past two years?"

"Uh… yes… but that is not what I am talking about."

"Do you mean that you are going to fire me so I can begin my lucrative career as a trophy wife?"

"You wish. No, what it means is I have a lot of time. I can have as much time as I want during the day. I have the best techs in the world, I have the best toys. You want to start a prank war, Kara Zor El, I promise you, it will be one fight you cannot win. You want to play? Yeah, its on. Never start a childish battle with a childish billionaire with too much money and time on his hands."

"Gather your soldiers, Atom. I have my warriors." Kara told him confidently.

"Barry stays out of this. No one else should be caught in the crossfire. Of course Cisco may not be thrilled to find his gaming system got jacked but that is between the two of you. By the way, turn on your monitor." Ray suggested.

Kara looked at him sharply but reached over and turned it on. Once the screen came alive she wasn't sure what she was seeing but obviously Ray had changed her screen saver.

"What is that?" she whispered, motioning for Kendra.

"Thats a photo I pulled off a medical book website. Thats what a pelvic exam looks like Kara. Have fun today."

Ray walked out but was pleased to hear the Queen of Krypton scream before he did. "Yes indeed Predator, you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into."

At ten sharp, Kendra had Kara at S.T.A.R. Carter was left behind to protect the kingdom but would follow as soon as Ray left the office. Of course Eliza and Caitlin were present, as was Alex.

"Why are you here Alex?" Kara asked cautiously.

"To make sure you don't fly off or run off in the red solar room. Mom insisted on quite a bit of security while you are in the red sun room, so Nyssa and Barry are here. Oliver is also. They are around just in case. Jax also showed up this morning. Please remember that though the lamps aren't used anymore for training, that is still our training room so… you know."

Kara swallowed hard, and moved towards the room before being stopped by Cisco's voice.

"How did you do it? Barry's access code was used last night but the camera's were wiped. How did you do it, Kara? I know Barry wouldn't do it."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Kara told him defiantly.

"You seriously think you can take all my toys and get away with it? I've already sent Winn to check your office."

"Tell him good luck getting past Carter. If Ray can't do it I seriously doubt Winn can. Besides I have no idea what you are talking about. Now go, I have business to conduct."

"Nope. I am sitting right here and I am going to listen to the screams. Have fun Kara."

Kara bravely faced the training room and walked in behind Caitlin with Eliza and Alex on either side of her. She saw the instrument of torture and let out her first scream as the door closed behind her.

While the exam was being conducted, Barry had walked into the control room with Oliver and Joe. All three men winced every time Kara yelled No stop, or just plain yelled.

"She is going to be pretty mad at you." Joe told Barry, pointing out the obvious.

"She was there too, when it happened.: Barry weakly argued. "She is the one who said she couldn't get pregnant. This isn't on me."

"Yeah, good luck with that reasoning. Mention it to her when she is done. After she is done, we need to have a meeting. All of us." Oliver told him.

Barry was instantly alert. "I thought you wanted to wait until next week."

"I do, but I need information before you can address everyone. Sara will be here shortly and I am hoping her and Alex won't attack each other…" Oliver stopped talking when another scream erupted.

"I don't think Alex is going to have energy enough to attack anyone. Besides I think the two have come to a sort of cease fire. Pretty sure anyway." Barry hoped.

"Great. Anyway, I need more information and I think I have a place to start. I want to fill everyone in. No secrets. We are in this together so we all will know what everyone is doing."

"Wow, thats impressive, Oliver." Barry admitted.

"I don't see we have much choice. According to my source…" Oliver mentioned, mindful of Joe being here…" this guy is from Russia or knows of me from my time in Russia. We need more. His motive is strange. Killing police officers, agents, superheroes. It makes on sense, there must be something else about this guy that is motivating him."

Ten minutes after Kara's last scream, a pale and shaken Kryptonian emerged, with her exhausted mother, Caitlin who appeared as if she had been up all night and Alex, sporting a bruised cheek.

All were asked into the large conference room by Oliver. Alex only acknowledged Sara with a nod, instead rubbing her cheek and glaring at Kara who would have looked apologetic had she been looking anyone in the eye. All had a seat, Kara asking to stand but Barry offering her a seat regardless which she took. She also allowed him to grab her trembling hand. Present were Jax, and Stein, Eliza, Jeremiah, Harry, a smirking Ray, Sara, Alex, Oliver, Nyssa, Felicity, Caitlin, Carter, Kendra and Cisco.

"Than you all for giving me a little time." Oliver started. "I believe I know where this Prometheus may have seen me in Russia. I only did one thing that may be considered heroic during my time there…"

"How long were you there for?" Cisco asked. Oliver ignored him.

"As a captain of the Bratva, I and three men journeyed to a small village inhabited by the Kimek tribe in Siberia. It was a long journey and the area was sparsely populated as most of Siberia is. A man who we believed was a mole for a rival mafia was supposed to be hiding with this tribe. My job was to find him and kill him, bring his body back to Moscow. I was successful at this task."

"I'm sorry, did you say you were the hero of this little tale?" Cisco asked, to make sure. Oliver looked at him and Cisco apologized and asked him to carry on.

"After the body had been loaded up in the vehicle a nomadic tribe had descended on the Kimek. Despite the harshness of the climate, the tribe had managed to raise quite a herd of cattle and the nomads wanted them. The tribe consisted of mostly women and children, with very few men able to fight. It wasn't our responsibility or our problem but by that point in my life I had seen and done too much… I fought them off. I killed all 12 of them. Either one survived who was part of the nomads, or this Prometheus was hiding in the village and I hadn't noticed him. I plan to go back to the village. This was only four years ago, so I am sure someone remembers seeing a young man with solid white hair. I honestly can't think of anything else I did in Russia that could be construed as heroic."

"Just to be clear, this heroic act you performed involved the deaths of 12 men, on top of the one you were sent to kill?" Joe asked, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Better 12 men than a village of thirty, women and children included. I am not saying it is heroic, I just can't imagine anything else that would be considered heroic."

"Again, you were there how long?" Cisco asked.

"Oliver, aren't you not exactly in good standing with the Bratva right now?" Barry asked, not crazy about this plan.

"Uh… it's complicated… I think. Probably not but there were some misunderstandings… regardless I won't be dealing with them. Felicity, Dig and I will be landing in Altai Republic by private…"

"Old." Felicity corrected.

"plane under different identities. We will be fine."

"You are going to Siberia to a remote wasteland in an area littered with nomadic mad men who are little better than lunatics. Alex's life is at stake. I will go with you." Nyssa told the man. Oliver was slightly surprised she would leave Alex but indicated silent agreement.

"As is Alex. I can't leave her here with a mad man on the loose." Nyssa finished.

"Uh, I can take care of myself." Alex told her indignantly. "But I would like to go to Siberia. I've never been." she admitted.

"Fine, the five of us go. We leave tomorrow."

"Alex, the Captain may not be happy with you…" Joe started then stopped at her look.

"Just explain that it is part of the investigation. He won't mind. I'll even have Barry write a report about it when I return."

"That is so unfair." Barry mumbled but stopped at the snort from Kara, who still refused to meet anyone's eyes.

"Sara, is your father and Donna secured in the safe house here in Central City?"

"Yep, I'm keeping a watch on Mom too." she admitted.

"Good, Thea will be staying here in the lab. I don't want anyone in Star City for the time being. Our families are targets. Keep an eye out and have someone armed with you at all times or arm yourselves. Barry is going to contact some friends and call a meeting next week in Ray's new hideout. Its time we got organized. Anyone with special gifts or skills who makes a habit of standing up for people who can't stand up for themselves is a target. Barry and Kara will guide a new team, whose sole purpose for now is to stop this man, and afterwards, to develop a system that allows us greater communication and teamwork when crises arise. We will be back in four days at the most. Until then, everyone please be vigilant." Oliver finished.

"Sweet, the first official meeting of the Justice Society." Cisco exclaimed.

"The who now?" Barry and Kara asked at the same time.

"The Justice Society. This guy hates anyone who fights for Justice. We are forming a secret society…"

"Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? Do you ever record yourself and play back what you say?" Harry asked. Cisco didn't answer nor did anyone have any further comment so the meeting broke up.

After assuring Barry, she was okay, also known as lying, Kendra and Carter accompanied Kara back to her office. She needed to check in on her employees progress with their marketing ideas and contact a few media outlets about possible interviews with Ray, then planned to go to her apartment and cry in the bathtub while eating a cartoon of ice cream. Walking into her office, she was pleased to see everything was as she left it. Kendra sat at her desk, planning on checking her Facebook and Instagram accounts while Ray prepared a cup of coffee. Before the cup had finished he heard a scream from Kara's office. Running in he found Kara and Kendra staring at the television mounted on the wall.

"What's going on!?"

Kara pointed to the monitor on the wall.

"Its just came on. I'm not sure what that is supposed to be. It won't turn off." she mumbled.

"I've never seen it from this angle, but it is obviously a woman giving birth." Kendra informed her. Carter took the remote and tried to turn it off. Having no luck, he saw the batteries had been removed. Apparently the television had been set on a timer and he had a pretty good idea who had done it. Reaching behind the TV, he pulled it slightly up on the bracket and pulled the power cord.

"What was that? Was that gooey, bloody… was that supposed to be a baby? Why was the woman screaming?"

"Because it hurts like hell. Kendra has never dealt with it well either." Carter told the blonde.

"Yeah, its kind of like being ripped apart." Kendra admitted. Kara backed up and sat in the chair Kendra had pulled in earlier.

"Ray Palmer did this. He must have had Winn or Curtis help. You realize what this means? It means war has begun and I swear on the honor of my house, we will not loose. I'm going to go home and cry. In the morning we plan our counterstrike."

Kara walked out, followed by Kendra, who walked her home everyday. A block from the office the two were approached by a woman.

"Hi, I'm Linda Parks. I work with Iris. I just recognized you. Iris had shown me a picture on her phone of you and Barry. You are Kara right?"

Kendra was instantly wary. Something about this woman set her off.

"Yeah…"

"I was wondering if you had time for a quick interview? I am doing a story about Palmer Tech's new base of operations in Central City and the purchase of S.T.A.R. Labs. Do you have a moment? I could buy you a late lunch?"

Kara met Kendra's eyes and silently let her friend know to be ready. This could be the break they all needed. The time she had spent getting to know Iris better in the recent months would pay off, because she knew that Linda Parks wrote the sports section and that there were two Linda Parks still on this Earth. It was time she found out why the Earth 2 Linda Parks was here and what she knew of the man who sent her after Superwoman.


	33. Chapter 33

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N Again thank you for all the support I have received. There were some reviews I couldn't respond to last chapter because my wireless provider has broken down (again) and I am using a hotspot which my wife says I have to use sparingly but hopefully it will be back up in the morning and I can get back to all of you. Thank you for the favorites, story alerts and reviews. You guys are really keeping me inspired. I hope you enjoy the chapter. We have a little bit of everything in it, from slight humor, to romance to angst to a thrill ride at the end. Time to see how badass the Flash is.

Chapter 33

"Of course, I would love to do an interview. I was just talking to Iris yesterday and she mentioned you." Kara lied, standing in front of the woman, while Kendra stayed in back, waiting for Kara's signal.

"Great! I know the perfect restaurant, follow me, my treat." Linda Park led the way, while Kendra texted Barry about this development.

"Lets cut through this alley, its shorter, just on the next street over." Park suggested

Kara rolled her eyes towards Kendra. This woman was a worse liar than all the superheroes combined. The old abandoned alley shortcut trick. Barry had told Kara this woman was a small time thief before committing murder. Because the prosecution had Earth 1 Linda Park to testify and as proof of the multiverse, this woman could be brought to justice. Kara reached out to tap the women on the head and knock her out, when Linda turned around, hands and eyes glowing. The heroine was surprised she made a move this fast. Kendra was standing next to her, in the line of fire, and Kara realized as bright and hot as Dr. Light's blasts were, her friend would be a victim while kara would survive. Making a split second decision, Kara grabbed Kendra and threw her in the air, a second before a blast of energy struck the blonde, lighting her up. Kendra's wings spread in the air but all she could do was watch Kara become engulfed in a bright ball of light.

The Flash having received the text from Kendra knew exactly what was going on. No way Linda would have wanted to interview Kara without talking to Barry first. He moved, leaving all in the lab standing in shock, wondering what could make him move that fast and not liking the possibilities. He arrived, just as Kara was hit, flashing past her and striking the woman with his shoulder, sending her flying unconscious to the ground, at the end of the alley. Barry was not sure if she was alive or dead and at this point didn't care.

"Kendra, take that bi… take her to S.T.A.R. and lock her in the pipeline before she wakes up." Barry told a shaken Hawkwoman, who did as he instructed, grateful for something to do. Kara had thrown her in the air! What was she thinking?

Barry looked at Kara who stood still, dazed but alert. She had not been knocked down but her clothing was on fire. Using a small vortex, he doused the flame, most of her dress remaining.

"Kara! Talk to me! Kara? Listen to me, can you… are you okay?"

Kara smiled but said nothing, instead beginning to shake. Barry, figuring this was not a good sign, picked her up and within seconds was at S.T.A.R. filled with concerned scientists, heroes and a frantic mother, father and sister.

"Put her in the med bay! I need…" Eliza started then stopped and broke down, panic freezing her. Caitlin stepped up.

"Put her suit on her now, Barry."

Barry did as instructed, undressing his fiancee and redressing her in a blur. He placed her on the table she had once lain on shot and dying. Kara was awake, warm, her eyes slightly glowing.

"Kara? Talk to me honey. This is Caitlin. I need to know where it hurts."

Kara grinned.

"Hurts? Oh it doesn't hurt. I've never… I've never felt better before in my life. Please tell me no one killed her. I want more!"

Kara sat up, while everyone else unsuccessfully tried to push her back down.

"Kara, lay down now!" Caitlin yelled. Kara frowned at the woman's tone of voice but did as she instructed.

"I need more." she whispered. Caitlin pulled up the schematics on her suit, watching everything. Her heart was racing but not dangerously. Her breathing was a little fast, but the pulse ox was near 100 %. Checking her cells, Cait was surprised to see that not only had Kara not suffered a power drain, her cells were stronger than ever recorded.

Barry touched Kara's cheek, causing her to moan and she began shaking on the table.

"She is having a seizure!" Barry yelled at Caitlin, who turned from the monitor and stared at her best friend.

"Everybody… every guy out. Everyone besides Barry, I guess."

The men looked confused, especially Oliver, not wanting to leave Kara in this state.

"Now!" Caitlin yelled, startling the men into action. Kendra had flown in with a still unconscious Linda Park and all moved towards the pipeline, Cisco leading the way.

"Kara honey, talk to me." Alex nearly cried, grabbing her sister's hand. Kara jerked back with a laugh. "Whoa, that tickled Alexendra. I called you Alexandra."

"Caitlin what's going on?" Eliza asked, being held by Jeremiah who had refused to leave as well. Caitlin let out a deep breath.

"No one touch her right now. She is fine. Just don't… touch her."

"Caitlin. Caitlin where is she? I want to fight her." Kara begged.

"No Kara, no fighting today. Just lie there."

"No! No I want to fly. Lets go flying!"

The gathered crowd including a shaken and crying Kendra now all wore identical expressions of confusion.

"What is going on Caitlin?" Eliza asked.

"Dr. Light… she is able to replicate the energy of a star. Her blasts are concentrated light. Our solar light. The kind that Kara likes. Barry, Alex, remember how good she said she felt when her solar reflectors were activated?"

"Yeah…" Barry agreed, starting to catch on.

"Well, she just took a concentrated dose of yellow sunlight. She is … I guess you could say high? Judging by her vitals, every time someone touches her she is … she is basically on the Kryptonian equivalent of MDMA right now."

"Ecstasy? You have got to be kidding me." Alex told her, shaking her head, while a previous anxious Nyssa held back a laugh in the back of the room. Sara bit her fist and walked out, so she could collapse in the hallway. No way would she be able to watch a high Kara with a straight face. It was hard enough watching a drunk Kara.

"Barry, Barry come here." Kara reached out for her fiance. Barry approached her carefully, moving in slightly closer. She touched his cheek and he noted her hands while not burning up were warmer than usual.

"Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?"

"Uh…"

"Dad, could you give us the room?" Alex asked Jeremiah quickly. He was shaken but nodded his head and scurried out.

"Kara, why don't you lay back, so we can check you out? Please?" Barry asked her quietly.

"Call me baby. I never told you, but in private you can call me baby. It is so hot. Come lay down with me. Call me baby."

Kara jerked Barry by the uniform collar to lay on the table beside her, leaning into him, her head on his chest and her hands…

"You know who hot this uniform makes me? I love seeing you in it. Can we please have some privacy?" Kara asked the room, while Barry tried to pry out of her grip, not having much luck.

"Barry I am so sorry. The woman turned around and Kara threw me in the air so fast, then you were there…"

"Kendra it's okay. Its just Kara, she doesn't think, she just saves…whoa!" Barry finished, Kara rolling him on top of her.

"Kara baby? We need to get Kid Flash checked out. We have to make sure the baby is okay."

"Oh the baby is never better. Whatever she has I want it bottled. I could throw Fort Roz into space from the ground right now. I could vaporize Non. Wow, I feel so good. Mommy? Mommy come here!"

Eliza hurried to her daughter's side.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Mommy, I need privacy. Could you clear the room? Barry? Vibrate for me, please? Somebody get my bracelet! Wait, when did we get butterflies in here? I like the green ones… I've never seen green butterflies.I didn't even know they came in that color. Where are birds? Oh there they are!"

"Bracelet! Thats a great idea." Alex shouted.

"Alex I don't really think now is the time for her to be…" Eliza complained after Alex ran off. She ran back in quickly.

"It's either in Barry's or her room. I can't get into either."

"Alex is right. The red solar rays should counteract these, after five minutes or so. She soaked up a lot of rays." Caitlin agreed. She moved towards the shelf and pulled out a cotton swab. Running back to Kara, she pulled the woman's red boot of.

"I can handle that part, Caitlin, I just really need privacy right now."

Caitlin ignored the intoxicated alien and ran the cotton swab over the sole of the blonde's foot. Kara jumped, squealing and loosening her grip on Barry.

"Run Barry!" the doctor shouted. Barry moved into his room, opening the safe and was back in seconds, the red solar bracelet snapped onto Kara's wrist.

Kara frowned for a moment and moved to break the metal jewelry until Barry stopped her.

"Hey, hey Kara? Baby, look at me. Don't you want to leave it on? You said you wanted privacy right?"

Kara snorted. "There is an elephant behind you. Did you know I stole all of Cisco's video games last night? Shhhh. Kendra, we haven't played yet! Lets go play! I know, I know what we are going to do to Ray next. We are going to…"

Kara's eyes glazed over and she laid back. Her breathing rate dropped as did her heart rate. The room's occupants watched her begin to snore, and all let out a sigh of relief.

"Caitlin, how can we find out if the baby is okay?" Barry asked desperately. Kara was okay but their child…

"I'm going to check Barry. I really have no way of being sure because it is so early in the pregnancy but considering what the rays did to her I doubt there will be any problems. The baby hasn't been soaking up all her energy, just periodic bursts."

Caitlin rolled a 3D spectrometer over Kara where she lay now, still snoring. Everyone in the room except Kendra knew Kara snored when she slept on her back. Barry had already planned to invest in nasal strips and often rolled her over at night on her stomach. This worked… for a while.

"Okay, I'm going to try and isolate the fetus, see if I can find it. The little doll should be there, not really developed yet but we can find the mass of cells forming."

"Barry I am so sorry." Kendra told him once again. "She moved so fast, Kara was about to knock her out from behind and she just turned, no warning or hesitation and Kara moved so quickly, it was almost like you moving…"

Barry walked over to the shaken woman whose wings had disappeared. "Kendra, its okay. That's just Kara. She didn't have time to think and her first instinct is always to protect other people. She wasn't hurt."

"But your baby, may have, may be…"

"Kendra! It's going to be okay. Have a little faith…" Barry tried, though his own stomach was turning.

"Oh crap."

The entire room froze at Caitlin's explanation, not one, wanting to say a word. Finally Barry broke the silence.

"Caitlin? What… what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Its just the baby and Kara absorbed a lot of energy at once and it sort of kick started things. It looks like instead of one month along she is closer to two months. I can see the baby, the heart has formed and is beating, the spinal column, the circulatory system, see the C shaped curvature? The baby is about three to four weeks more developed than it should be."

'Thats bad isn't it? She could have the baby sooner? The baby could grow to fast and something can be wrong. What if…"

"Barry calm down! She was moving along normally before this and things should slow down. The red solar rays are already counteracting the sunlight. I'll keep an eye on her weekly but I am betting the worst that happened is the sudden absorption of power kicked her along. We have to start her on immunity boosters Eliza. She is going to have a rough time with the winter but I think she is going to have to stay under red solar rays as much as possible. She can absorb sunlight periodically but it has to be balanced. The solar energy she had absorbed before, was being regulated and the fetus was not taking it all. It…"

"What happened to my baby?" Kara asked, waking up, the effects of the euphoria she was feeling gone and panic setting in its place. "Caitlin, please tell me my girl is okay? Please? You can do another exam, I promise I will sit and not complain, just tell me she is okay."

"Hey honey, everything is fine. Look at the screen, there is your little girl." Alex rubbed Kara's shoulders while she fought back tears.

"I looked up on this Pampers website, she isn't supposed to be that developed. Is she going to accelerate like I was afraid she would? Is it going to stop? What did that woman… I should have gotten out of the way but Kendra was there and… Kendra! Is Kendra okay?"

"I'm right here Kara. I'm fine but you can't do that again." the woman told her.

"I'm sorry Barry, I just reacted. I didn't expect her to turn around so fast. I was so stupid."

"Hey, you heard Caitlin. So you might deliver in seven months instead of eight. We can deal with that, right?" Barry asked her, hoping to calm her down.

"Are you sure?" she asked her best friend.

"Pretty sure but we are going to watch everything every week Kara, I swear. Everything will be fine, just trust me."

"I trust you Cait." she told her truthfully, lying back down. Caitlin saw the worry in both the parents eyes and knew the perfect thing to take their minds off of it.

"You know, I have a doppler in the back. It hasn't been used in years, I was working on genetic predisposition studies on rabbits before the particle accelerator blew up. Would you like to hear your baby's heart beat?"

Barry pulled his eyes from the screen as did Kara and both nodded. A few minutes later, Caitlin was hooking up the machine. Sliding it over, she ran the doppler over Kara's abdomen.

Kendra, Nyssa, Alex, Caitlin and Eliza stood transfixed by the sound that filled the room. Barry and Kara didn't move.

Eliza and Alex wiped their eyes and motioned for the others to follow, only Caitlin staying behind.

Kara and Barry both had tears in their eyes, Barry grinning but also in a state of disbelief. That was his child's heart beating.

"We did that." the blonde told her fiancé, awe in her voice.

"Yeah we did. Thats amazing." he told her, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I won't take anymore risks Barry. I was so stupid."

"Hey, you did what came naturally, just next time you suspect someone is off, hit first, ask questions later, okay?" He wrapped his arms around Kara as she leaned up to watch the monitor.

"She is real. I mean she is really real." Kara whispered.

"Yes he is. Or she. I guess maybe in a couple months we find out, huh? Now we have to get a house so little Kid Flash can have a room, right? We have a wedding to plan, we have a lot to do but our baby is real Kara. That is the greatest thing I have ever heard in my life."

"Barry, this Prometheus, you know we have to stop him, right? If he finds out about her, he is going to … we have to stop him."

"I will. You have saved the world a lot Kara, saved millions of lives, but only one life matters now right? You let me worry about this guy. I'll take care of him and you take care of her. Deal?"

Kara smiled, listening to the sound and watching the screen. She could barely see the heart beating but it was there.

"I'll protect her Barry, I swear. I trust you. I know he won't stand a chance against you. Caitlin, can you please record this?"

"Its already recording, Kara." she told her best friend, tears threatening her eyes as well. As much as her, Cisco and Barry had been through since Barry woke up from his coma and became the Flash, as many good times and bad, didn't seem as important right now. All the lives lost, sacrificed, all the pain, all the betrayal, all the times they faced certain death and emerged somehow still whole and together, this one life made a difference, made it all worth it and no one would take it away from them. This child belonged to Barry and Kara but in a way it belonged to the whole team, the whole family.

Barry stayed with Kara that night and the two drifted off too sleep in each other's arms, listening to the sound of Kid Flash's heartbeat. The next morning, Kara was met by Carter at the door who had a car downstairs to take her to work. She didn't argue, just said good morning, kissed Barry goodbye and left. She had a busy day planned. Despite everything that had happened, she had the perfect prank for Ray Palmer.

Barry headed to the station where Joe and Alex had transported a slightly dazed Dr. Light into a metahuman containment cell. B.O.O.T. in place, they walked the woman into an interrogation room while Barry watched from outside.

Joe took the lead, having much more experience than Alex in interviewing and being able to stay calm. Alex wanted to take a knife and cut the woman's throat. This afternoon she would be traveling to Russia but this morning she planned to find out everything this woman knew first.

"Linda… is it okay if I call you Linda?"

Park shrugged her shoulders. Barry had hit her quite hard yesterday and Joe had been warned by the jail physician that she may have a concussion.

"Linda we have been looking for you for a while."

"I was in the Flash's private prison. Of course that fool couldn't keep me. I had to run from Zoom. Where is he anyway? I figured the Flash would be dead by now and this city would be ash."

"Zoom is dead actually. I guess the Flash isn't quite the fool you thought he was. So I could ask you a lot of BS questions about the murder you committed here in Central City, banks you robbed, other crimes I am sure I can pin on you. Are you sure you don't want a lawyer?"

"No, I'm good. I am pretty certain I will never see trial."

"And why is that?" Joe asked.

"You know why. You know I don't know Kara Zorel. You aren't stupid or not much anyway. You know I was sent to kill her and I have a pretty good idea what happens to people who fail this guy. Same thing that happens to those who failed Zoom. I had a good thing going till he got a hold of me. Now I'm on another Earth, just trying to survive but my road has ended and I don't even care right now."

Joe was surprised by her candor as was Alex.

"So lets just cut to the chase then. Who sent you to kill Kara Zorel?"

"Don't know his name. I was minding my own business, hooked up with this gang who could fence the merchandise I stole at a decent price in Chicago. I go to bed one night, I wake up with a sore neck in a dark room. Only a desk with a man wearing a helmet behind it. I pull myself off the floor but he tells me to sit so I stay on the floor."

"Where were you?"

"Still in Chicago. I don't know exactly where. I was hooded and taken out, then dropped off at a bus station with my instructions. No promises of freedom, no promises of going home, no promises of any kind. At least Zoom had the decency to lie to me. He tells me to find Zorel, burn her or I die. Gives me her address, work, family, and tells me what to do, so not wanting to die, I do it. Or tried till the Flash came out of nowhere… I guess that is the point of him though, isn't it?"

"I don't think you have to worry about dying. We are going to keep you nice and safe in your solitary cell. So did this man say why he wanted Kara killed?"

Park snorted. "Pretty obvious, he is scared of her. She is Superwoman. I'm not a genius but I'm not dumb. Don't worry, I'll keep it to myself. She scares the hell out of me too. I bet she is still alive, right? I've seen her highlights and she was out of my league but I had to try. The Flash scares him too, probably. He's an intimidating guy with that damn helmet, thinking he is Darth Vader or something but it was obvious he wasn't one of us. He wasn't a meta, and if the Flash killed Zoom and seeing what I've seen of Superwoman on TV, yeah he is scared."

"Why do you say that? Did he say he was scared of them?"

"If he wasn't he wouldn't need me to do the job. I'm guessing she isn't dead right? You would have told me by now."

"Nope." Joe told her, waiting for a reaction. Park just seemed resigned.

"Then I guess I am. I had till nine AM today. Fifteen minutes from now and I am dead. I don't know how but I believed him. I still do."

Joe ignored her statement, knowing whoever this guy is, wasn't coming into the station. He and every cop here were on high alert, no one knowing exactly what happened but the rumor spreading fast that Park had tried to kill Superwoman. That women was every Central City cop's hero. She even knew them all by name. They were ready for anything, drones included.

"Tell me about this helmet."

"What do you want to know? Guy is a weirdo. Meta wannabe I guess. Big purple helmet with a dark visor, claimed he could block my gift and I believed him. I felt weak enough already, like I couldn't even access my powers. He had a deep voice, was wearing some sort of armored shoulder plates with these weird lightbulbs on them. I couldn't tell in the darkness that well but I thought he was wearing a cape. Maybe he is Superwoman's cousin or uncle or something."

"A cape?" Alex asked. This got better and better.

"I think so, but I am not sure. A lot of shadows in that room. He didn't give me details. Just told me what I would be doing or else. What else do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me everything. Where he dropped you off, anything you might have heard where you were, were there any other people around, how did he have Kara's schedule, has he been watching her?"

"Got me. I was told to watch Palmer Tech, S.T.A.R. and her apartment or her parent's condo. I followed her to my old prison, watched her leave with that other woman and approached her on the street. It was supposed to be simple. Get her in an alley and burn both of them. I can't believe she survived. Hey, do all the cops know who she is or just you two?"

"Plan to use her identity to get a deal? It won't work. A guy tried that once and I threw him in a hole and kept him there." Alex told her, before Joe gave her a look begging her to let him handle this. The last thing Joe wanted was an emotional, violent, protective sister, beating up his suspect and best witness.

"I got eight minutes left. If you got anymore questions, ask now."

"Anything seem strange about the helmet?" Joe continued, ignoring her warning.

"Other than the fact that he was wearing it? Don't know. It obviously offered him some protection. I did see his forearms. They were covered in this purple material, a real show off I guess. His forearms were huge. He never stood so I don't know how tall he was. He wasn't wearing gloves and his hands looked rough. His voice was spooky."

"I see. And did he give any indication on how he planned to kill you?"

"Nope. But I believe him."

"How long were you there? How long were you out?"

Park shrugged her shoulders. "I thought I had gone to sleep and woke up in his damn office but I had lost some days. Not sure how many. Probably a lot. I wasn't sure what day he took me to be honest. I've been drinking a lot… I never meant to kill that old man, you know? I never killed anyone before, I just wanted to survive. I didn't even want to kill the other me. I just had to if I wanted to survive. Nothing personal ironically."

"You are a survivor huh?"

"I used to be. I don't know what he did to me or how he knocked me out. Like I told you I had a sore neck and it hasn't gotten better. Its been a week. I think he broke something, a bone or something. Maybe he gave me some slow acting poison. I just know my time is up. I got a feeling it was going to be up whether I killed her or not. Karma and all."

Alex felt something wasn't right. She looked at her watch and saw five minutes remained till 9 AM.

"How exactly does your neck feel?" she asked. "A soreness or a sharp pain?"

"A constant soreness but it is sharp sometimes if I move my neck a certain way, like twist it sharply."

"When you woke you had no idea how long your were out. Did you feel any itchiness, stitches, anything?" she continued.

"My neck was a little dry in the back but no stitches. Do I even want to know why you are asking?"

Alex wondered that herself. There was no way Park wouldn't know.

Of course if she had no idea how long she was out…

Three minutes.

"Joe she has a bomb in her neck, probably at the base of her cervical spine. If he put it in her and kept her for two weeks the incision would have healed."

"I have a bomb in my neck?!"

Joe looked at Alex and back at Linda. "We have to get her outside now and get the bomb squad here."

"She has two minutes now." Alex reminded him hoping her watch was correct

Alex grabbed a struggling, hollering Linda Park, dragged her to the back exit, and kept moving, far from the station. Barry and Joe were at her side.

"One minute. No time for the bomb squad." Alex told them, hoping Barry would understand what he had to do. He had to run her far from here.

"No, I'm not letting him take another life. Knock her out Alex." Barry told the woman. Alex didn't question, just shot a straight jab into Linda's jaw, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Hold her head steady Alex, keep her face down until more help comes and she can be rolled onto a backboard. This may paralyze her, I'm not sure, but she is dead if I can't get it out."

"I'll keep her immobilized, you get that damn thing out of her and away from us. Don't get killed either, Kara will never let me live it down."

"What are we doing? I need to get somebody out here!" Joe told the two, starting to panic. Barry remained calm and began vibrating his hand while Alex held the woman's head firmly. Letting his hand phase into the back of Park's neck, he felt the small device, metal, stapled most likely to other vertebrae. He focused on only the metal he felt, wishing he had Kara's X ray vision. If he vibrated this too much or not enough the device could go off but she would be dead anyway if he didn't. Zoom did this one, taking the bullet out of Wells while pretending to be Garrick. If Zoom could do it, so could he. Of course if he went to deep he could break her neck and she would be dead regardless.

Closing his eyes he tried to picture, to see what he couldn't, feel with his hand the different texture. Once he had it, his hand moved out, a small metal ball, with what he would bet was C 4 inside, grasped and vibrating, not detonating yet.

"Fifteen seconds Barry." Alex reminded him. Not bothering to suit up, Barry ran, making it to the docks in five seconds, running as far as he could for the next five seconds, dropping the small bomb in the water and racing back with five seconds to spare. He didn't stop moving at the shore, not wanting to be recognized, instead moving back to the station. Alex and Joe heard a small explosion from the water front as Barry arrived back. All saw a column of water shooting into the sky and falling.

"That little thing wasn't just meant to kill her. It had enough to do serious damage to whoever was around it." Alex told the two, surprised at how Prometheus had packed such a large explosion into a little package.

"Joe, tell the Captain to call an ambulance. Alex?"

"She is still breathing and is having nervous reflexes. She didn't know anything we didn't already know. He didn't want her dead because she would talk, he wanted to set a trap for us and it almost worked. Nice job Barry." Alex told him, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"No kidding son, you are getting some serious skills." Joe admitted, proud of his boy before running inside. Barry shrugged it off. He wasn't in the mood for compliments instead looking all around, ready to pluck bullets out of the sky. Prometheus was making him more paranoid than Oliver, but he had no choice.

Kara had heard the boom and looked out her high rise window, Kendra running into the office stand next to her and determined not to let Kara push her away again. They both saw the water spout. Barry had already been gone by that point back to the station.

The blonde called Barry immediately and to her great relief he answered.

"We are okay." he greeted her.

"What happened?" she asked in return, not wasting anymore time than he did.

"Prometheus had planted a bomb in Park's neck. She didn't know it was there. Alex figured it out with a couple minutes left."

Kara felt sick to her stomach.

"Park, is she… dead?"

"No, I was able to phase the bomb out of her and dump it in the harbor. She is okay. She may have damage to her back but we won't know until she wakes and X rays can be done. Joe and some other cops are putting a collar on her now whileAlex has her immobilized.

"You phased the bomb? It could have blown up!"

"I knew what I was doing." Barry partly lied. "You have to trust me Kara. I won't do anything to take myself away from you."

Kara let out a breath. "I do trust you. Just… I guess we can't really be careful anymore."

"Yes we can. You are going to be very careful. Stay by Carter and Kendra. No pranks on Ray right now. Those three are the best shots we have at keeping Kid Flash safe, right?"

"Yeah." Kara admitted, defeated and angry. She was wearing the bracelet today, making her vulnerable but trying not to expose her baby to anymore solar bursts that could accelerate growth. She would take it off later at S.T.A.R. for a while, and lay under a solar lamp at reduced power so Cait could monitor her intake and the baby's absorption rate. This would happen everyday for the next month. "Bring lunch and we can eat in my office. Pick up something for my bodyguards."

"I'll be there in an hour. Please be careful."

"I'm not the one phasing bombs out of live bodies. I love you."

"I love you." Barry told her in turn, ending the call.

Kara sat, trying not to freak, and Kendra sat, watching her in case she did. Of course Ray picked that time to enter her office before Carter could stop him.

"Hey there. How you doing Superwoman?"

Kara rolled her eyes.

"May I help you boss?" she saw he had a box in his hands the shape of a shoe box.

"I brought you a gift. Not exactly a wedding gift but related." Carter took the box from Ray before he had a chance to hand it to the blonde. Opening it, he looked confused and handed it to Kara. Kara reached in and pulled out a flashlight.

"What is this for?" she asked, carefully.

"For most people it is a device that allows them to see in the dark. For you I suppose it's a … well lets just say you may like it on your honeymoon. From what I hear, light really does it for you. Barry and you will both be happy."

Ray walked out leaving a blushing Kara, who hid her face in her hands.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"You saved Kendra, to hell with him. I picked up the item before I picked you up. Do we have permission now?"

The woman agreed with Barry, this was not the time for pranks but she needed something to take her mind off the fact that her fiancé and sister nearly died once again. Kara nodded her head. It was time. She had taken the bracelet off for just ten seconds this morning and seen Ray enter his new door code. She knew the numbers, she saw him open the wall where his suit was hidden days ago.

"Operation Tin Can is a go." the Queen ordered. "But not today. We wait until Team Arrow and Alex and Nyssa are back. Then we strike. Let him feel safe."

Later that afternoon, a wary Alex boarded a plane with Oliver, Felicity, Dig and Nyssa for Russia. After a stop in Canada, for refueling, the party landed at Midnight local time in Anadyr. All retired at a less than 5 star hotel and the next morning, made it to an airport Alex suspected was not not the FAA's approved list.

"You promise we don't have to skydive this time Dig?" Felicity asked once again. Nyssa rolled her eyes, but secretly hoped not. Unlike the other the other three, like Felicity she had never desired to jump out of a plane for any reason.

An hour later the old, extremely noisy plane that smelled like fuel the entire flight, landed at what Alex supposed passed for an airfield. She had no idea where they were except on the outside of the Siberian wastelands. No one other than the pilot seemed to be present. She knew someone had to be in the control tower, the only building besides a hangar that resembled a barn, but the traffic controller never made an appearance. A Land Rover that had seen better days was waiting or them, and the foursome loaded weapons while Felicity pulled her tablet out of her backpack.

"You sure you remember how to get to this village, Oliver?" Dig asked, as the group took off, Oliver and Dig sitting in the front.

"Of course. It actually follows a fairly decent road for this part of the world."

"This is decent? Oh goody." Felicity grumbled. Five hours later, stopping once to use a reserve fuel container to refill the vehicle, Oliver pulled over.

"I'm not seeing any village. Maybe they moved and we should go back. Are there wolves here? Because I love dogs but I hate wolves. Teeth and pack hunters and all. I really don't want to be eaten. Did you bring enough arrows? Dig, Alex, bullets right? Lots of bullets. Maybe someone should give me a gun. I'm really good with automatic weapons."

"No you aren't. The last time you used one you destroyed the lair and never hit the guy." Dig reminded her.

"I scared him off!"

"Relax Felicity, if we see any wolves, I promise to kill enough to make you a fur coat." Nyssa offered.

"Is that your way of being reassuring?"

All bundled in winter gear, Oliver and Nyssa bringing bows while Dig and Alex carried AK 47s, that Alex did not want to guess where Oliver had picked up and at what point. Before she had left, Cisco gave her a bodysuit of his new material, that kept her surprisingly warm under her layers of clothes. She also had her gloves in her coat pocket, figuring it wouldn't hurt to have in a worst case situation, for instance a bear attack. However unlikely, Alex believed in being as prepared as possible.

All followed Oliver across what could only be described as a barren wasteland with a few patches of pines in random places. Alex had expected frozen forest but the land instead was mostly flat, with small mountains, more like large hills in the distance. Ice covered the ground but broke up easy enough under their boots. The rocky patches were especially slippery so the group avoided those as much as possible. Though all outside of Felicity were in top shape, the walk was exhausting. After what Alex guessed was three miles or so, a group of random, spread out wooden shacks appeared below a slight depression in the ground. None of them saw anyone moving around but considering the weather this wasn't a surprise. What concerned Oliver was the lack of any smoke, indicating a fire was burning. Without electricity, fireplaces were of prime importance to those who called this hell home. He looked around and remembered the carnage, the nomads seeming to materialize out of nowhere. Where would Prometheus have been watching from? Why had he even been here? Perhaps he had heard about what happened here from another nomad and this whole trip would be a waste.

The five walked into the village and the silence was eerie.

"Its deserted Oliver." Dig observed. Oliver took a look around and saw stacks of firewood, recently cut judging by the amount of snow fall on them. An axe was buried into a stump. Carts sat unused.

"That axe wouldn't have been left behind. Neither would those carts." the Arrow observed. "Guns at the ready."

Alex, slipped her gloves on and took the safety off her AK as did Dig. Spartan moved Felicity behind him. Oliver took off his jacket, as did Nyssa, both revealing the quivers on their backs. Oliver extended his bow while Nyssa moved hers into her hand from behind.

"This is wrong." the Arrow whispered to Nyssa. The former assassin sniffed the cold air.

"Death is in the air. The smell is feint but present."

The group began searching each shack one by one. By the third one, the smell hit when the door opened and bodies were stacked on top of each other, men, women and children. Ignoring those, the group continued to investigate, finally opening what looked to be a small barn. While Oliver and Nyssa looked inside, Diggle, Felicity and Alex looked up at a whooshing sound. A helicopter was moving in fast.

Oliver and Nyssa were transfixed by what was in the barn. A metal… something, large, resembling a metallic crate or rectangular box, approximately six feet long and three feet wide, perhaps a small tank, judging by the tracks underneath it. Neither missed the missiles on the sides, four small devices each. Between the top and tracks were steel beams, as if the device could extend up.

"This is a trap. Is that an attack chopper Dig?" Oliver asked.

"Nope, just a regular chopper. Its landing."

Oliver and Nyssa stepped away from the machine that did not appear to be a threat at the moment. Felicity placed Cisco's com in her ear and prayed it worked. At least if they died, someone would know it. She knew Kara's worked in Antarctica and hoped the Palmer Tech satellites worked in this God forsaken place.

The chopper landed, drawing all their attention towards it. The pilot stayed inside, but it was the man who stepped out that was a surprise. He was tall, 6'3 possibly and built solidly, muscles obvious from his bare forearms. He was wearing a helmet, purple metal surrounding the top of his head and wrapping around under his chin. A black visor covered the rest of his face. He worse a simple black long sleeve shirt and pants, and black combat boots. Only his shoulder's appeared armored, a stainless steel metal, with strange raised small domes, and of all things a dark purple cape attached to his shoulders.

Oliver or Nyssa did not waste time with introductions, both firing arrows and rushing the strange man. Alex and Dig aimed, prepared to fire until a strange sound caught their attention from the barn.

The roof of the barn exploded the armored and weaponized creature extending upwards on its beams, that upon closer inspection were actually hydraulic legs. Mini guns rose from the top, aiming down at the three.

Oliver and Nyssa watched the helmeted man who had to be Prometheus, grab both arrows out of the flight and snap them in his hands. Oliver turned and saw the mechanized creature, standing at least twenty feet tall, advancing on his two teammates and Felicity. Dig and Alex were firing, but having no effect, Dig and Felicity spread out, Alex going in the opposite direction, trying to draw its attention while Dig fired from behind. Felicity ran, trying to find a signal with her pad and set the coms to the frequency.

Oliver fired another arrow at the man and it struck home, burying itself in his shoulder. He pulled the weapon out as if it were nothing, dropping it to the ground. Looking back at the mechanized creature, Nyssa yelled at Oliver.

"Go! I will kill this one. Destroy that abomination. He's mine."

Oliver hesitated then turned, running back to the machine that had now opened fire on Alex, who rolled and grabbed onto one of its leg. Having no target, the mechanized killing machine must have worked off motion sensors, swinging its top 360 degrees, aiming towards Felicity who was in the open, desperately trying to reach S.T.A.R. Oliver struck, firing an arrow into the space between the top and the leg, the projectile hit home, lighting the machine up on the opposite side Alex was on. To both their dismay it had no effect.

While Felicity moved in circles and Dig tried to draw fire, Nyssa face off against the strange clad man.

"Nyssa Al Ghul, Heir to the Demon, or is it Bride? I suppose since you have destroyed a thousand years of tradition you have no title." the modulated voice taunted her. Nyssa threw off her robe and pulled a sword.

"Prometheus? If you know who I am, then you know what I will do to you."

"I know that Oliver Queen defeated Malcolm Merlyn at your request. A bit too emotional to handle him, weren't you? You always do fight best at your coldest. Oliver does as well, though the instances where he uses his brain instead of emotions are few and far between. If he had any desire in that fight he would have killed Merlyn. You certainly could have."

Rather than discussing the issue of who is mentally prepared to fight when or even how the man saw the battle in the first place, Nyssa took the offensive. To her surprise, the man pulled a katana from his back, under his cape, blocking her strike. She countered and the two traded strikes, neither hitting home.

The battle felt like hours but in reality was only thirty seconds when a kick struck her in the chin, knocking her to the ground. She rolled back and was instantly blinded, by a series of flashing lights, emitting from Prometheus's shoulders. Feeling the strike coming, despite the vertigo she tried to move. As the killing blow fell, the sword was shot out of the enemy's hand by an arrow. Shaking her head, Nyssa rose, vision a bit blurred but coming around. Oliver was attacking the man swinging his bow against a sword. Nyssa checked on Alex and saw both her and Diggle were under the mechanical creature, along with Felicity who was still on her pad with one hand and holding on with the other. The creature turned its gun's towards the first moving target it could find, Queen and the enemy fighting. Oliver took a swing in the jaw and a kick to the sternum, knocking him down next to Nyssa. He rose until the woman grabbed him by the head and threw him back down. Prometheus stepped forward until he noticed the war machine he had set loose was aiming at him, Diving to the ground, the bullets whizzed over the three. Nyssa and Oliver twisted on the ground and kicked towards the man's right and left shoulders, shattering the glass bulbs, that had blinded Nyssa earlier.

Dig saw the predicament they were in and took off, firing at the creature, then standing still. The head swung towards him until Alex fired from the other side, allowing Dig to run back. They began repeating this action, keeping the swiveled head turning. While it was quick, the targeting system was slow, buying them time for now to play cat and mouse.

Nyssa and Oliver attacked Prometheus once again, Nyssa tossing Oliver her extra sword. Prometheus pulled a second from behind his cloak and as the two heroes fought front and back, he spun to block both. Pushing Nyssa's sword to the ground, he back kicked Oliver, and swung his leg forward into Nyssa's gut. Oliver rose and jumped him from behind, wrapping his arms around the helmet, hoping to snap his neck, Nyssa taking the opportunity to run him through. Her blade struck his abdomen, hitting metal under the shirt.

The caped man, flipped Oliver over his head into Nyssa's body, knocking both to the ground and momentarily stunning them. They both lay on the ground while Prometheus walked away, towards the helicopter.

"I'm a romantic. Tell the Flash and Superwoman I will give them their wedding. Afterward we will battle, Central City, the downtown park at a time of my choosing. I will take the time to try and determine exactly what planet Kara Zorel is from."

Oliver shook his head while Nyssa crawled over to his bow on the ground. Standing she nocked an arrow, before the man turned around and tossed a small missile like object towards the two, Both dove, luckily the weapon was only a stun grenade.

When they turned Prometheus was in the chopper, lifting off.

Both warriors turned to join the fight against the mechanized creature, having no other enemy to fight. The chopper was already rising, moving rapidly, almost as fast as an Apache.

While Dig and Alex played tag with the robot, Felicity found a signal and contacted Cisco.

"What's up Felicity?"

"We are under attack. Prometheus was just here and escaped but left behind a giant robot thing. It still has eight missiles it hasn't used yet and about a million rounds it is spraying all over the place. See if you can follow my signal and hack it. I've got nothing. It is completely autonomous."

"Checking now."

Cisco alerted the rest of the team quickly, freaking out on the inside. Caitlin called Curtis who was with Winn and all began searching for anything, even a Russian drone in the area they could possibly commandeer.

Alex was primed to run back towards the creature after firing a shot. Dig ran out once again, both of them exhausted. Alex saw an opening between one leg and the main body. She had tried to fire earlier with no success, but this time, climbed up the leg.

"Don't do it, Alex." Felicity warned, already suspecting her plan. "You could get shocked!"

"Stay clear of the leg!"

Alex used her glove, pressing the button twice and struck it into the joint, electricity sparking and knocking her hard to the ground. The leg of the beast moved to roll over the dazed woman but Felicity pulled her out in time before the metal track crushed her.

All prepared to fire once more, Nyssa taking one of Oliver's exploding arrows, when the creature stopped moving. Nyssa ran towards her love on the ground, relieved to see she was just dazed and helped her up along with Felicity.

"Ammo status Dig?"

"Not good." he answered his friend. He and Oliver had been in worse situations but Dig was having a hard time thinking of one now.

"We need to get over that rise, and move towards the small area of pines." Oliver suggested. Dig picked Alex up, throwing the dazed woman over his shoulder and the party ran. All heard the sound of the creature rebooting however, causing them to run faster, putting as much distance as possible between the machine and them.

While the occupants of S.T.A.R. labs listened, Barry had been alerted at the station. Ray had ran into Kara's office telling her to turn on the com. All listened, stomachs turning, listening o their family fighting for their lives in the most unforgiving place on Earth. Barry sped into the lab where Martin and Jax had just merged.

"We are going." Jax informed the group.

"You won't make it in time." Barry argued and moved towards his suit. No one even saw the lightning when he ran out. Cisco checked the monitor, Caitlin by his side.

"Barry, I'm not sure if you know this but Russia and North American are kinda separated by the Bering Strait. Its rough, long and cold. Not ideal conditions for you. Jax is on his way. He can be there in an hour." Cisco told him.

"I know. I'm going to cross it."

"You can't Barry!" Caitlin yelled into the mike. "Oliver, Alex, all of them know what they are doing. They will get away. Drowning isn't going to help them. Your baby needs its father!"

"She needs her aunts and uncles too. I'm in Canada, what is my speed Cisco?"

"You are… whoa… you are at Mach 8. Are you wearing the Tachyon device?"

"Nope, don't need it and the water may screw with it anyway."

All in the lab except Jax who was already flying, gathered around the control monitor. Checking Barry's chest camera all they could see was contrails of colored lights surrounding him.

"Barry even at Mach 8 you are still going to have to deal with waves… its going to slow you down. The cold…" Cisco told him, Eliza squeezing the man's shoulder and Jeremiah, staring intently at the monitor.

"Barry, this is Kara."

"Hey baby. I know what you are going to say and you have to trust …"

"I do trust you Barry. You can do this, I believe in you. Save our family. I believe in you Barry."

Bolstered by her confidence, Barry ran harder. At the lab, Harry ran in, sliding Cisco's chair out of the way.

"He doesn't need someone telling him what he can't do Ramon! Stay off the com. Barry, we have talked about this. When you hit the water do not try to run up the waves. I need you to hit Mach 10 Barry. You can do this. Before you hit the water, hit at least 7,300 miles an hour. The Speed Force is going to surround you and you are going to cause a huge sonic boom. You are going to be faster than a stealth bomber and will be at sea level. Keep your vibrations matched with the surrounding air, forget about the water and do not slow down. You are almost there."

Barry saw he was in Alaska. The rugged terrain could not slow him down. Roughly 3000 miles meant he had 15 minutes to go, any more and not only would he waste precious time getting to his friends and probably meant he would drown

"Turn left slightly and take a 34 degree angle, that will be your path of least resistance. When you come over the last mountain, build up more speed on the way down. The closest route is going to take you 53 miles from Alaska to mainland Russia. You are going to cause a sonic boom that is unheard of and set every air radar in the country on high alert. This is what we want. The waves are going to part for you. Just close your eyes and move. I will let you know when you have reached across. Until then concentrate on the speed, the wind, the lightning and the vibrations. Let if flow through you."

Barry saw the edge of last mountain coming up, he wasn't hampered by the ice, his speed melting the frozen ledges a millisecond before his foot landed with each stride.

"I'm at the edge of land! Speed?"

"You just hit Mach 10." Harry told him with pride. "Now close your eyes and run Barry, run."

While the Flash was breaking the land speed record once again, several times over, Team Arrow, Nyssa and Alex had made it to a patch of pine trees. Alex came around and Dig sat her on the ground with the rest of them.

"Barry is on his way." Felicity told the group, her com cutting in and out but understanding that Barry was about to try and pull off a crazy stunt.

"Is he stupid? He will never make it over the Bering Strait!" Oliver exclaimed, adding that worry to his already over taxed mind. He felt beaten, and knew his face was bruised and swollen. A check of Nyssa showed she had a busted lip and possible cracked cheek bone, not to mention both of their torsos.

"Nyssa did you recognize his style?"

"Yes. He fought like you one moment. Then he fought like me, same speed, same mannerisms."

"Yeah and he fought like your father when we both took him on. No way he is that good. We would have heard of him by now. A guy fights like that, doesn't stay hidden. Judging by his dress he has a flair for the dramatic. He also didn't flinch when he pulled my arrow out. I haven't seen that since Savage. Alex, you doing okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, great. What happened?"

"You used your super gloves to short circuit the damn thing but its rebooted and scanning."

"God, I miss fighting aliens." she whispered.

"Hopefully it doesn't have infrared." Dig told the group, until the machine turned towards them. "I just had to say that, didn't I?"

"We need to move. The trees are doing us no good." Oliver told the group, grabbing Felicity, putting her in front, and running with the rest. A missile flew over head and they all dropped, the explosion igniting on impact fifty yards away, on the bright side clearing a path to run, but also a clear line of sight for the robot.

"I can't believe he slaughtered a village and left behind a killer robot. Seriously, who does that?" Alex complained, helping Nyssa along as she favored her ribs.

The mechanized creatures rolled towards the group, slowing as it hit a slight rise. Trees were on fire, and the team ran towards them, hoping their thermal images would be lost behind the flames.

"Anyone got any ideas? Felicity, is Curtis having any luck finding anything that could help? I would take anything he can hack right now for a distraction. We need to get out of here and find air transport to fish Barry out of the Bering Strait if he hasn't already frozen to death."

"Have a little faith Oliver, Barry is going to make it." Alex told him.

"I can't… I've lost contact." the blonde complained. All saw the machine moving towards the them slowly but purposefully. "It's going to fire into the largest heat source in front of us. If we move the motion sensors, will catch us. It has seven missiles left." Nyssa guessed.

"I'll run to draw its fire. The rest of you run as far back as you can, find icy terrain it can't cover…" Oliver offered before all heard it.

"What the hell is that?" Dig wondered out loud, listening to a rumble, sounding like a freight train, only more ominous. The team looked to the left and saw what trees there were in the distance splitting, flattening to the ground.

"Everybody flat on the ground!" Alex screamed. The five hit the ground, Oliver on top of Felicity, Dig landing on Nyssa and Alex to their great displeasure, but the man was too damn heavy to push off. Facing the ground, none saw what happened, but felt the blast, a shockwave rolling over them, trees flattening and Prometheus's weapon disintegrating the moment Barry Allen's fist, surround by unreal vibrations and lighting jumping to hit the metal head at Mach 10. Barry never stopped, sliding to a stop a half mile away.

The team slowly rose to their feet and were shocked to see not only had the trees on fire been put out but everything around was gone, even the houses of the village off in the distance were flattened. The machine that they had fought for what seemed like hours but most likely less than a half hour, was unrecognizable, only slivers of metal on the ground, reflecting the bleak sunlight that did break through the grey clouds. All began walking, unsteadily at first to the electrical disturbance in the distance. Seven minutes later they saw a sight that awed them all. The Flash was standing still, looking at the ground, surrounded by lightning, his form blurred, but solid. He was breathing deeply and tense as if waiting to explode.

"Barry?" Oliver called slowly. "You okay?"

Barry Allen turned around, sparks dancing in his eyes, static electricity jumping off of him. He slowly began to come into focus. Once the blurring stopped, the electricity left his eyes.

"Only one time in my life I have ever felt better. I hope you guys have extra clothes and room for me in your car. I don't think I have another run like that in me right now."

"Yeah… is anything broken?" Alex asked, walking slowly up to him.

"Nope. Where is Prometheus?"

Oliver stepped closer to Barry as well, worried about him. He seemed in a daze, drunk on power. "He left, while we were fighting that thing, Barry."

The Flash nodded. "Thats fine. He can't run from me forever. No one can. I will catch him and when I do I am going to tear him apart."

Barry took two steps and collapsed, Alex and Oliver both catching him. They lowered him to the ground and Alex checked his pulse. He was steady and just appeared to be exhausted, not injured. Felicity heard Caitlin's panicked voice finally cut into her com.

"Is he okay? Did he make it? Somebody talk to me!"

Felicity handed the device to Alex.

"He is good Caitlin. He is exhausted. We are taking him back to the Rover and will be on the first flight out of here."

Kara listened to her sister's report from the window her and Kendra were looking out of. She hadn't lied, she did believe in Barry, she knew he would do it. He would do anything to protect their family.

But once it was over, relief washed over her and she backed up to her desk, sat on the floor, curled her arms around her knees and cried, Kendra and Carter not knowing what to do, stood keeping watch, like they swore to Barry they would.

Kara composed herself quickly.

"Alex, this is Kara, can you hear me?"

"Yeah little sister, I hear you."

"Please bring him home to me." she begged.

"We are on our way. You will have him in your arms by morning. He is tired and sleeping but okay. I'll have him call you when he wakes up, okay?"

"Okay, just tell him…" Kara couldn't finish, sobs wracking her body.

"I know. Thats one hell of a hero you got take care of Kid Flash and I swear to you, I will get him home."


	34. Chapter 34

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Thank you for the reviews and favorites! We have reached 400 favorites which blows my mind. I am beginning to fear this story is going to reach a ridiculous word count and I hope none of you get bored. I'm just having so much fun, I don't know how to stop. Okay on with the story.

Chapter 34

Kara opened her eyes and saw the familiar bay, a runway curved upwards at the end, nothing but stars and darkness beyond. She leaned back in the comfortable slightly reclined seat and held her breath to fight back the tears. She couldn't seem weak, not now, not in front of her parents. She had a mission, she had purpose and she also knew she would never see her mother or father again. Thoughts ran through her mind frantically, how would she find Kal when she arrived, where would she find food for him, clothes, where would they stay? What sort of people would be on this planet her father called Earth? Would they attack her and her baby cousin? What would she do if they took Kal El before she landed? Would she have to fight? Kara had never fought, never been trained. She would have started training next year. The young girl hadn't been looking forward to it. She hated the idea of violence but the House of El was one of warriors and all knew, no matter what the specialty, science, law, government, all members could defend the family in battle.

On Krypton, Kara like many children, spent most of her time inside the large estates that housed the family. How would she be able to survive without a home and keep a baby safe on this hostile planet? Where would she find clothes, diapers, baby food? Her mother said she would have great power but power to do what? Could she make food? Would she feel cold at night in the open or worse, would Kal? What if he became sick? How would she explain to anyone where she was from or what had happened? What if they landed in water? What if there was a great ocean? How could she get them to safety? What if his pod was washed away before she could reach it? Kara didn't know how to swim. The oceans on Krypton were poisoned. Would the oceans there be poisoned?

The ship powered up and Kara knew that in seconds, all that she had ever known, family, home, safety, the freedom of being a child taken care of by her parents would be gone. Trying to fight back tears, she looked out the window one last time to see her mother's face.

Instead she saw Barry holding a beautiful little blonde girl with wavy hair. They were both smiling at her. Barry was helping the little one wave bye to mommy. Kara screamed, this was wrong! She was leaving her family? No, no she would not lose her family !

"Barry!" she cried, trying to remove the glass from the cockpit, hitting it with her fists. The glass wouldn't break. She tried to unstrap the shoulder belts and instead they grew tighter.

The pod began to move as the ground shook. Barry and their daughter didn't understand, she had to bring them along, the planet was dying! Why couldn't she get out? Her pod jerked forward and she met their eyes one last time then they were gone and all she saw were the distant stars, heard the explosion behind her, the pod rolling when the shockwave hit, her family gone… gone… in an instant.

Kara sat up in bed silently screaming. Her throat felt on fire, only a rasp coming out. Caitlin wrapped her arms around the blonde, drawing her tighter, easier to do considering Kara was wearing her bracelet. She tried to talk but her voice was scratchy.

"Don't talk. Relax, I have you. Your throat is probably raw. This is the fourth nightmare you have had tonight." Caitlin whispered to her.

"The fourth?" Kara whispered.

"You poor thing, you haven't slept more than an hour and a half, without waking up. I didn't think you were going to stop screaming after the first one. It's okay though, I got you, just relax and I will get you a glass of water." Caitlin squeezed her tightly then rose from the bed. Kara glanced at the side, saw the sheets crumpled and assumed Caitlin must have been lying with her. A check of the clock showed it was 5 AM. Cait walked back in with a glass of ice water that Kara took with a shaking hand.

"I've kept you up all night, haven't I?" she said guiltily.

"Doesn't matter. I don't mind. We can stay up or try to get more sleep, if you want. I haven't called Eliza. I thought about it after your second nightmare but I got calmed down and you went back to sleep fairly quickly. I wish I had something I could give you."

"Its fine. You are here and thats enough. You are always here Cait. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie. Barry is okay. I got a text from Alex thirty minutes ago and they were going to be landing in Star City in an hour and then Ray's jet will have them in Central City by 7:30. They will be at the lab by 8. She said they are all okay, Barry is up and rested, doing good."

"Why didn't he text me then?" Kara asked.

"Because he was hoping you would be asleep."

"The flight. Prometheus could have a drone attack them in air…"

"Firestorm has been escorting them, all the way from Russia and Ray is meeting them in Star City and flying with Jax the rest of the way. Nothing is going to happen. Please try to relax and get some sleep. You have been through a lot of stress in the past twenty four hours and have to take care of yourself. Do you want the bracelet off for now? Would that make you feel better?"

"No, I don't want the baby absorbing anymore sun rays even inside, I don't want her to drain from me. You said give it a week right? No more than ten minute absorption time every few hours. I can't have the baby growing too fast. I want to feel her growing inside me. I have to protect her."

"You will and the baby won't grow too fast. We are checking everyday and everything appeared as it should yesterday. Try to relax. Lay back down."

"I need to get to the lab."

"And you will in a couple hours. You have to rest. You are going to have a difficult enough time, getting colds over the next few months to develop your immune system. We can use sunshine to fight off the effects until your system is built but the more rundown you are, the harder it is going to be. I know its hard Kara, but you have to force yourself to relax. You won't lose them, No one is putting you on a ship and sending you off alone ever again."

Kara shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She looked at the woman questioningly.

"You were talking in your sleep before you woke up. You didn't land in the water, you didn't lose Kal, you didn't have to fight and you aren't going to leave Barry and the baby behind. No one is going to make you."

"I won't ever do that. I won't do to her what my mother did to me. I won't leave her alone, hoping she finds someone to take care of her and never knowing."

"Your son is not going to be happy when he finds out later that you spent most of your pregnancy calling him a she."

Kara chuckled a bit and took a drink of the cool water, her throat feeling better instantly.

"My daughter is inside me. I know it Cait. I realize there is no way to tell but I just know it."

"I believe you. Go back to sleep. I'll be right here and in a couple hours we will wake up, you can get ready for the day like us mere mortals are forced to and then we go to the lab. Lay back and close your eyes."

Kara did as she was told and the exhausted woman passed out nearly immediately. Caitlin played with her hair and kept watch, determined to wake her the moment she started mumbling. After the first nightmare around midnight, the doctor had sat up, watching her best friend, listening to her speak her nightmares aloud. Caitlin knew Kara had nightmares often but after traumatic or stressful events all her fears came to the surface in her subconscious with a vengeance. At night, Kara turned from the confident, bright, brave heroine she showed the world to the scared, thirteen year old girl, who had way too many burdens placed on her, more than any child ever had. Barry had started spending more nights with Kara and while he told her it was because she kept his nightmares away, he also did it for her. Since Caitlin casually mentioned to him that the only time Kara slept all through the night was when he slept with her, he had spent nearly every night with his fiancee.

Caitlin drifted off next to Kara for another hour or so, the two both waking again from an unrestful slumber at 6:15 and prepared for the day. Both women were exhausted but you wouldn't know it by looking at their appearance other than their eyes. The two had dressed casual today because they planned to go back to sleep as soon as Kara had Barry with arrived at the lab to see all had assembled, drinking coffee and watching what Kara guessed was the news on Cisco's monitor. Both walked around the large panel and listened to the reporter from CNN speak.

 _"_ _It appears that another meteor has struck Siberia, reminiscent of the Tunguska Event of 1908. Yesterday Russian seismographs all over the country and China's as well picked up a sonic boom, and tremors in the Earth. Radar could not get a clear view of the low flying rock, but weather satellites have picked up scant images of a red streak, cutting over Canada and Alaska, then skimming the Bering Strait until finally erupting in the Siberian wild. Like 1908, the meteor left the direct impact area flattened, all trees in a twenty mile radius knocked to the ground and according to Russian authorities, flattening the structures of a long deserted village. The path of the meteor does not appear to have been straight forward as evidenced by flattened woodland in Canada and Alaska, instead showing a slightly zigzagging pattern. Scientists are baffled by what would cause a meteor to move in this manner but mostly relieved that it wasn't as large as the Tunguska meteor. Officials at observatories around the world are still trying to determine how the object entered Earth's atmosphere without being noticed or whether the object may have broken off another larger object that could have flown near Earth undetected. Our science division will be working on this story and update as new information is discovered."_

"Who needs secret identities when the Russian government covers up all our activities anyway?" Kara quipped, the entire room looking up from the monitor to notice the two women had entered. Eliza practically ran to Kara and took her face in both hands.

"You haven't slept have you? I knew you would have nightmares, I told Jeremiah. We were going to come over but he said Caitlin would call us if we were needed."

"I appreciate it but I was fine. Caitlin babysat me through the night." the blonde told her with a bit of embarrassment.

"I didn't babysit you. She is fine, she just needs to not worry so much." Caitlin added.

"Its kind of hard not to worry, when Barry is doing an impression of a meteor. I knew he could do it but if something had gone wrong he could have been as flattened as those trees. I guess after it was over it hit me. I am so… I could have been there, I should have…"

"No you can't! You are a mother now, Kara, even if the child has not been born, and your child comes first over everything, me, your sister, Barry, everything. Nothing is more important and every one of us would tell you that." Eliza stressed, hugging her once more and moving to get the two women coffee.

Kara got a text from Barry ten minutes later saying that the group was in the air to Central City and would be landing in thirty minutes. At fifteen past 8, two SUVs belonging to Palmer Tech pulled up to S.T.A.R.

When they walked in Thea rushed Oliver, burying her head in his chest and holding him tightly. She had listened to the carnage over the com and knew her brother and friends were fighting a killing machine with little cover and were outgunned. She also knew by looking at him and Nyssa that both had been beaten by the man behind this and that frightened her. She had seen Oliver lose fights and seen Nyssa lose fights but would never imagine someone would not only have a chance against both of them together but defeat them. Kara, Eliza and Jeremiah, moved towards Nyssa and Alex who wrapped her love in her arms the moment she saw her, a smiling Barry Allen next to them. Kara pulled off her bracelet for a moment and looked at all three, scanning for fractures that may have been overlooked or slight hairline fractures in the skull. Kara understood Alex had been knocked out after using the glove Cisco made for her and was worried she could have a small bleed in her head no one noticed. Her sister was fine, and Barry appeared to be whole. Nyssa was a different story. Her jaw was bruised but not broken, there was a hairline fracture in her left cheekbone but the bone was not crushed. She also had three broken ribs and was doing a remarkable job hiding it, not even wincing when Eliza hugged her. Kara stopped her examination at the look on Alex and Barry's faces.

"Have we passed our health inspection baby sister? Think you can hug us now?" Alex asked.

Kara grabbed both of them, forgetting for a moment her strength was back with the bracelet off and wrapped strong arms around them, crushing Barry and Alex together. Realizing she may still crack something on them, Kara stepped back and placed her bracelet back on her wrist then gently hugged Nyssa.

"Kara?" Eliza asked, not needing to explain what she wanted.

"Alex and Barry are fine, Alex may have a slight concussion but Nyssa is a mess."

Alex frowned and looked towards her girlfriend. "You said you were fine."

"I …"

"She has three cracked ribs on her left side, fourth, fifth and sixth, no internal bleeding but a hairline fracture on her right cheekbone, probably a concussion to go with it. I'll check Oliver, Felicity and Dig over. Barry, come with me."

Alex glared at Nyssa who stopped trying to hide the pain from her face.

"I may be having a bit of difficulty breathing. This is not the first time I have had broken ribs in my life. It will be…"

Nyssa stopped talking when Eliza grabbed her hand and pulled her to the med bay she had stocked all night with reserves from the basement. Jeremiah walked over with Kara and Barry. Kara took off her bracelet once more and asked Thea to step back a moment, while she checked her brother. Oliver was a mess, a cracked and swollen jaw, two ribs cracked and three torn tendons in his left wrist, most likely the result of trying to sword fight with a compound bow. His ankle was also sprained and she was impressed that he was walking without a limp. Felicity appeared fine except for a few bruises to the face and torso. Dig was exhausted but not injured. Kara passed her findings over to Jeremiah, who ushered an irritated Oliver to the bay Eliza had just hurried Nyssa off too, Felicity and Thea following.

"Man, I have seen and heard of some awesome things in my life, hanging out with Kara but what you did was one of the coolest things I have ever listened to, besides maybe Kara lifting a million ton prison into space." Winn told Barry, highfiving the hero. A smiling and proud Harry offered his hand to Barry.

"Mr. Allen, amazing work."

"Thanks Harry. You and Kara believing in me, it made a huge difference. I'm glad you were there with me." Barry told him gratefully. None noticed the look of pain on Cisco's face as he slowly walked away.

"Okay, enough greetings, Barry you know where to go. Kara come along and as soon as I am done scanning Barry's body, making sure all his molecules have been put back together correctly then we can check you out for the day." Caitlin ordered.

Barry wrapped an arm around Kara and followed.

"You haven't slept have you?"

"I have," Kara weakly argued.

"Bad dreams?"

"Yeah." she admitted. "I am so proud of you but I was so scared."

"I know." he offered, not saying anything else.

"Barry!"

The two turned, surprised to see Henry Allen running up to his son, Joe following him.

"Dad?"

Henry wrapped Barry up in a tight hug.

"You okay son?" Henry asked. "What you did…"

"I'm fine Dad. I thought you weren't coming for another two days?"

"I wasn't until I heard what happened from Joe. I came early… I wanted to be here when you got back, but we got held up in traffic."

Barry smiled at his worried father. "It means a lot to me that you are here." he admitted. Joe and Iris walked in behind Henry, Joe offering a handshake while Iris moved in for a hug, a very quick one. Her and Kara's relationship had much improved and she wanted to keep it that way.

"I'm going to be from now on." Henry told his son. "You mind if I come with you? I would really like to watch how Caitlin does this and maybe, if she is going to look Kara over…"

"Want to see your grand baby, Henry? I think we can manage that." Kara told him with a wink, rewarded by a smile from the elder Allen.

While Jeremiah offered to wrap a grimacing Oliver Queen's ribs and splint his ankle and wrist, Eliza was fussing over Nyssa.

"I am fine Eliza. I have had much worse and healed." she tried, not used to being taken care of.

"Maybe you did, but you are mine now and I am going to make sure you are okay so deal with it. Lift your shirt up."

Nyssa did as the woman instructed, not seeing much choice judging by her tone. Alex took a sharp breath as did Eliza.

"Nyssa, the bruising… you poor baby. Wow… thats… impressive." Eliza admitted.

"What is?" Alex asked, wondering at the change in tone.

"Her abs. I thought you had abs but wow, you are in phenomenal shape. You are going to have to show me your workout routine Nyssa, at least the one that doesn't involve sword fighting. I don't think I could handle that without accidentally cutting myself and everyone around me."

"Of course… ahhhh!"

"Oh I'm sorry! Too tight? Let me loosen it… Alex get an ice pack, no a gel wrapping. The bruising is going to be painful, I should have been more careful. How painful is it to take a deep breath?"

"It's fine Eliza, I appreciate the care but I can deal with this.I have dealt with worse and…"

"And if you just try to deal with the pain it is going to severely hamper your health, especially with the cooler temperatures. You won't be able to cough properly which could lead to a chest infection and we don't want that, do we?"

"No… I suppose not." Nyssa admitted reluctantly. "But I have a special herb that I can inhale for…"

"Alex? Please get the gel pack? She can wear it for a few days, and after that the elastic bandages will be fine for four weeks. Kara can take a look in perhaps three and maybe an extra week won't be needed. How much pain are you in? This couldn't have been easy, being in a seated position for so long on the flight back."

"I'm really fine… Oww!"

Eliza plunged the syringe in Nyssa's shoulder.

"What was that?!" she asked.

"Just a concoction I made up, mostly pharmaceutical grade Codeine and antihistamines to help you breathe easier. You may be a bit drowsy but so long as you rest on your back in a slightly reclined position it will help quite a bit."

Alex brought back a cool gel pack and stretch bandages, trying not to laugh at the look of silent confusion and shock on Nyssa's face.

"You are looking a little drowsy Nyssa. Jet lag? Those are nice bandages. Can you sign bandages to just casts? I can never remember." Oliver teased, having watched the fearsome daughter of Ra's Al Ghul being fussed over by her girlfriend's mother.

"Oliver! Kara said you also had broken ribs, a cracked jaw and your wrist is swollen. Jeremiah, why hasn't he been wrapped and his wrist braced? I think Kara mentioned a sprained ankle also?"

"He said he was good." Jeremiah replied, checking over Felicity.

"He is not good! Oliver, Nyssa will be asleep in five minutes. Alex, help her to one of the beds in the back and make sure she is elevated at a 45 degree angle. Sit down Oliver."

"I'm really good. I was just going to check on Barry…"

"Oliver?" Eliza met his eyes, showing how serious she was. "I can treat you or we can go to the ER."

"Yes Oliver, will you being going to the hospital? Going to use another motorcycle accident as an excuse?" Nyssa laughed then stopped due to the pain in her ribs. After settling down both Nyssa and Oliver, who Felicity and Dig both had to aid after being dosed with Eliza's special painkilling concoction, Kara found Alex sitting near her girlfriend.

Kara sat next to her big sister and kissed her on the cheek.

"I was really, really worried. You think you can stay out of trouble for a while? Between land mines and bombs hidden in people and giant robot killing machines you are giving me grey hair. I'm supposed to have a stress free pregnancy."

Alex laughed quietly. "I'm doing this so you can have a stress free pregnancy, baby sister. I know you will worry but you know I know what I am doing. We both do Kara, all of us. We have gone through worse than this. I know you don't like being on the sidelines but what you are doing is important to all of us, not just you and Barry. I want my niece or nephew safe and I will do whatever it takes to make sure you both are. So will Barry."

"I know." Kara admitted, feeling a bit defeated. "This guy beat Oliver and Nyssa in hand to hand combat. He obviously has military grade equipment and has proven that he will kill anyone without a second thought. He knows I'm an alien according to Oliver and I have no idea how he figured that out. This guy scares me Alex. We have never faced someone like this. Non wanted to control the world. Max wanted something different every week but even he had his limits as to how far he would go. Horrible limits but not even Max would fire a missile at a little girl or unleash drones on a city, kill hundreds of people just to test me."

"He probably would actually." Alex told her after thinking about it. Kara nodded her head sadly, admitting to herself that Alex was right. "He is different but he is just a man Kara. He can be defeated. Yeah he is dangerous and he is smart, but so are we. He has the advantage because he has been planning, taking his time and preparing for a war we didn't know was coming. Now we know, now we can fight back, plan, protect our families. We will win and we will survive. You trust me right?"

"Yeah, I trust you Alex. You know I do."

"Then relax. Maybe take some pictures of Nyssa so we can remind her of this for years to come. I don't think she was prepared for Mom's type of take charge mothering. It will be fun to pick on her."

"Maybe we can find some Mickey Mouse bandaids?" Kara suggested.

An hour later Nyssa and Oliver were woken by flashes of light. Opening his eyes, the Arrow, the Vigilante of Star City, realized both him and his former wife were in single beds next to each other, bandaged and had stuffed bears in their arms. Dig, Felicity and Thea were watching them. Thea would not stop taking pictures with her phone. He checked Nyssa and saw she had a Mickey Mouse Band Aid over a small cut near her eyebrow and felt small bandages on his face as well.

"I'm reassembling the League." Nyssa whispered.

"I'm rejoining." Oliver agreed, and moved to stand up. Thea stopped him, brandishing a needle in her hand.

"We are under orders from Eliza to make sure the both of you remain off your feet today. Tomorrow you may walk with crutches until your ankle is reevaluated Oliver and Nyssa may return home provided she does no strenuous exercise."

"Perhaps I should explain to Eliza that I have suffered and fought through much worse and that there is a very dangerous man who wants to harm all of us, including her family." Oliver practically growled.

"We told her you would say that." Felicity told him, grinning. "She said to remind you that you and Nyssa both were beaten by this man and if you want to have any chance in the rematch you both need to be in good health. So are you both going to do this the easy way, or does Thea get to play nurse and you two take naps until the morning?"

Nyssa lay back down gently, favoring her ribs. "Where is Alex?"

"Hiding." Dig told her and walked off.

Barry and Kara had gone to her apartment so they both could get more sleep. Caitlin confirmed there had been no more growth than expected in regards to the baby, so Kara was able to relax somewhat, having Barry and Alex, back, her friends and sister injured but not badly and whole, she felt exhausted.

Kara had just drifted off, with Barry watching her when there was a knock on the door. Barry knew that Caitlin had been taking a nap at the lab, and anyone else would have texted before they came over.

Rather than taking his time, Barry opened the door quickly, prepared to catch any bullets and harm anyone he didn't recognize. Instead he found Cisco standing sheepishly at the door.

"Cisco? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, can I come in for a minute or is this a bad time?"

"Uh, Kara just got to sleep but we can talk in the living room. If I hear her start mumbling I'm going to…"

"Yeah, I know you keep her nightmares away. That is really cool man." he told his friend.

"Come in." Cisco followed Barry to the living room and had a seat on the couch. Barry noticed something was way off, so he took the recliner across from the man and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You … whats going on? Did something happen?"

Cisco wouldn't meet his eyes but did talk. "I owe you a big apology man."

"What did you do? Please tell me you didn't do anything to Kara because of the video game thing. You know she will bring it back to you… maybe… eventually."

"No, it's not that. It's… when you were going to cross the Strait. In the past, I've always been the one who believed you could do anything. I just knew it, no matter what, the three of us, there was nothing we couldn't beat. Even in the worst times during Zoom, yeah I was scared but I knew deep down we were going to win. But when you wanted to race Zoom, none of us had any confidence in you. We locked you up. Wally was the one who had faith in you."

"Hey, I told you that was done with. We moved on. Why do you want to bring this up now?"

"Because I let you down again yesterday. I was the one telling you that you couldn't do something. I was the one who didn't believe. Harry Wells, of all people, threw me off the com and gave you what you needed. I should have been calculating speeds and ideas and I … I just lost it. It was kind of a wake up call to have that dick move me over. It kinda made me question when I stopped believing in us? We are still the same, even stronger with Kara when you aren't knocking her up, but you needed confidence and you are my best friend. I should have been the one who gave it too you. I'm sorry. I won't let you down again."

Barry took a deep breath and sat back. In the past 48 hours he had not had time to think about this. His whole focus had been on saving his friends and getting back to Kara. He hadn't realized or thought about the fact that this had happened. In the past Barry would have forgiven him, comforted him, told him not to worry about it. But that was the past and things changed. One little child growing inside the woman he loved, being the biggest.

"Look, I get it okay? Before I brought Kara into our lives in a spectacularly frightening fashion, it was just us. We were new at this and didn't think anything could touch us. Then something did. Then something else and it kept going and going. But the reason we started this hasn't changed, the risks haven't changed. They have just become more real and that is causing us to hold on tighter than before. If I had taken the time to think about what I was doing, I probably would have been scared out of my mind, but I still would have done it. Before you vibed and saw Kara shot, we were talking about waiting, how there was always something else around the corner waiting to come at us. We have made ourselves targets and if we plan to have long, happy lives somehow, we have all got to start believing in each other again and stepping our game up."

"I know. It won't happen again, I swear."

"I believe you Cisco. You have never let me down. But we all have to step our game up, including you."

Cisco was confused for a moment, thinking he would have to apologize again when he realized what Barry meant.

"Barry you know how I feel about that. Look at…"

"I don't give a damn about Reverb. He is dead and you are not him. Whatever you did to Black Siren, you haven't tried again. I need you to figure it out Cisco. Your powers aren't going to turn you evil or be a danger to us. If it weren't for you I would probably still be stuck in the Speed Force. We never would have gotten Kara's family here, never been able to rescue her father. But you haven't reached your potential anymore than I have. The difference is I am trying. I took a shot from Reverb and told you what it was like. He was powerful but you can be more powerful because you have a bigger heart."

"I'm not sure I can do it Barry. I don't know how I did it in the first place."

"Then get over yourself and ask Harry to help. He is the one who made the visor, helped you control your vibes, he has helped me become better and he could do the same for you. No one knows more about metahumans than Harrison Wells. No, he isn't the easiest to get along with for most people but he is a good man and I trust him. I am going to have a son or daughter to protect soon Cisco. I am about to marry the most powerful woman in the universe and she is going to be powerless, or at least without her powers, for the next seven months at a minimum. I don't just need you to believe in me, I need you to believe in yourself. We are only going to get through this together, just like we always have. Caitlin is going to be overprotective, you are going to have to be reckless and we are all going to have to stop Oliver from killing hundreds of people. Its business as usual right?"

"Barry?" Kara called from the bedroom.

"In the living room."

"I know. Come back to bed."

"Okay, I'll be there…"

"Now!"

"Wow, pregnancy is making her cranky already." Cisco noted with some amusement.

"She's tired. She sleeps better with me there. You're my best friend Cisco. You are going to be right next to me when I get married. I believe in you."

"Thanks man. I'm going to do it. Even if it means asking Harry for help, I'm going to do it."

"I know you will. Thats one of the reasons you are my best friend."

 _Munich, Germany_

The man walking the sidewalk of the busy street attracted notice. Not only because while he couldn't have been older than 40, he had snow white hair, cut close to his scalp, not only because of his muscular physique, or the coldness of his light blue eyes, or his determined stride. People avoided him, walked around him, because like prey in the wild, some part of them recognized a predator in their midst.

Prometheus strode into an alley, that some may fear even in the daytime, never losing a step, never faltering. He opened a basement door to the building on his right side and was greeted by a small man, who was none the less deadly, being former British SAS. A nod and the man quickly opened up a steel door protected by a keypad. Prometheus entered one of the several lairs he had hidden around the world. None would be considered lavish, all had concrete floors covered in dust, cobwebs in the corners of the room, and were essentially bare, with the exception of a desk, a large monitor and a round glass case that his helmet resided in. He developed the headpiece 12 years ago and had made upgrades continuously since that time. Had he sold it to any military he would have made billions, but then he would not be above them all. Twenty years of traveling the Earth, learning every style of fighting, working for the best education, learning from the greatest minds and none of these experiences made him as deadly as the metal helmet, with the most advanced processor ever created. A supercomputer he could hardwire into his brain. All he needed was five minutes of video of the best fighters in the world and their skills were downloaded into his brain and nervous system. He watched video of Nyssa's brief battle with airport security when she entered the States looking for Sara Lance. Oliver Queen battling Ra's Al Ghul on the bridge in Star City, Slade Wilson from many of the videos he hacked from A.R.G.U.S. Thea Queen fighting Damien Darhk's ghosts, Oliver Queen killing Damien Darhk. They were but a few of the many fighters he had stolen their skills from, around the world.

Prometheus had his toys, his advanced warfare machines no country had developed yet, the ability to best most of the best hackers in the world, his gauntlets that could fire deadly projectiles of his own design, the strobes powerful enough to cause vertigo in two seconds, attached to his armored shoulders. But it was the helmet that was his ultimate weapon. The helmet that was able to flood his brain with a drug cocktail that allowed him to ignore pain, to not even feel pain as a sensation while retaining all his other senses.

No amount of technology could make him as fast as the Flash or as powerful as Superwoman though. The Flash he had watched since the young man burst onto the scene. He was not powerful then, and Prometheus should have acted. Instead he waited, thinking the speedster in yellow may kill him then certainly the Zoom fellow. Instead the thin child bested them all somehow. Since that time he has become more powerful. Powerful enough to cause Prometheus to rethink his plans. Kara Zorel was a mystery. Her entire history looked as if it had been fabricated. Where had she come from? Placing his helmet on his head he waited for the interface and tensed when his body felt the electric shock that always accompanied the link between computer and brain.

 **Welcome back sir.**

"Have you determined what destroyed the Mech in Siberia?" he asked.

 **Barry Allen ran from Central City across the Bering Strait to Russia. Satellite footage and seismograph data indicate he struck the Mech at a speed just over Mach 10.**

"He has never been that fast. Not even close. Were there any factors that may have assisted him?"

 **None that are known at this time.**

Prometheus growled to himself. It was illogical. The man had already bested the speedsters who had come for him. Why was he getting faster now?

"Continue to run possible scenarios including age or exposure to any additional dark matter. Have you devised a plan to defeat him?"

 **No. Based on his speed, vibrational frequency and probable thought processes moving at an unprecedented rate, at this time Barry Allen does not appear to have a weakness.**

"He has family. What of Kara Zorel? Have you learned anymore from her blood?"

 **No. Her blood is not a type associated with humans but is compatible. Her DNA is alien. Having no alien DNA to compare it with, I cannot determine the planet or solar system.**

"Have you determined a weakness?"

 **Her cells are extremely powerful due to stored energy of an unknown source. The amount of raw energy she is able to produce is greater than the Firestorm matrix and likely makes her invulnerable. There is a 99.5% chance her skin is impenetrable.**

"And yet a bullet was found with her blood."

 **A loss of power would be the only possible scenario caused by an unknown factor. I have not been able to identify this factor, only that at the time she was wounded her cells were in the process of depowering slightly, enough to break her skin and then returned as the bullet was removed from her body.**

"Has she been seen in public since she has been shot, as Superwoman?"

 **No.**

"Plan for defeating her when fully powered?"

 **When fully powered Kara Zorel cannot be defeated.**

"She lost her powers at the end of the fight with Savage. I need to know her limits. The slight power outage may be why she has not been seen in public as Superwoman. If this is the case, she could no longer be invulnerable or suffered a greater power failure. She is obviously weak at times, or she would have gone to Siberia with Barry Allen. Have the plans for defeating Ray Palmer and this Firestorm matrix been completed?"

 **Yes. Shall I order production to begin on necessary devices?**

"No. Until I can devise a plan to defeat Barry Allen and Kara Zorel they will protect their family and friends from any overt attacks. Continue analysis of Barry Allen and Kara Zorel. I need to know how to defeat them and why Barry Allen is becoming faster .There must be a way. Every man and woman has a weakness. I will not take there families unless it is a last resort. I want to defeat them in a show of power, not as some cowardly terrorist who needs hostages to carry out his plan. It is important. If they do not fall before me in battle in front of the public, the world will have learned nothing. However striking a blow to Kara Zorel and her police officer sister would not be out of the question. I suppose I could kill one of their parents. I'm thinking the mother."

 _Central City_

The past week had been tense for the circle of friends associated with S.T.A.R. and Palmer Tech. Work had been split for Curtis Holt, Felicity Smoak and Winn Schott between the day to day coding involved in making the nano tech more reliable and searching for Prometheus, trying to determine not only his location and history, but weak points in the systems. Cisco had begun working with Harry on his powers with less than successful results but the two had managed not to kill each other. The scientists at S.T.A.R. had been given the week off with pay while Ray Palmer had workers repairing the roof around the clock. After the workers had left, the entire building would have to be swept physically and electronically to ensure none of the workers had been working for Prometheus and bugged or hacked the databanks. The data processors themselves were stored in what Ray called the ATOM cave, though everyone else called it Ray's play pen. Barry had returned to work and kept his mind from worrying over Kara the entire eight hours he was away by working three homicides, all gang related and having nothing to do with Prometheus as far as he could tell.

Due to the threat Prometheus made towards Central City, all of Team Arrow had decided to stay for the time being, leaving Star City in the less than capable hands of its police department. Still Oliver felt it was important to be united now, not split 600 miles apart. Kara, worried but trying to relax, continued to wear her bracelet during most of the hours, continued to visit Caitlin daily in Ray's play pen to make sure her child's growth was not accelerating too quickly and doing her best to not to worry about everyone around her. Kara felt useless. She had no power, not that she could rely on, her family was in danger, she was reliant on Kendra and Carter for protection and while everyone, Winn, Felicity and Curtis even, were doing their part to find Prometheus, she was scheduling interviews for Ray Palmer, working with the small PR team on possible campaign approaches for the first medical trials in six months and playing video games with Kendra and Carter. On the bright side she had become very good at Call of Duty. She brought lunch and ate with Barry in his lab everyday, always accompanied by her two bodyguards. Barry did his best to remain the same lovable goofball he always was but she knew he was tense. He slept with her every night, and had pretty much moved in with the two roommates. Now Saturday had arrived, ten days before Kara's birthday and she was preparing to do something she never thought she would do in her life. Her and Barry planned to meet with Jeremiah and Eliza and a real estate agent named Cherry to look at houses, one of which she hoped would be the home for her own family, a husband and child. Even at her most optimistic in National City she had hoped on day to find someone to share an apartment with, a life with, but this had been beyond her wildest dreams. Tomorrow, Sunday, her Eliza, Caitlin, Thea, Felicity, Alex and Nyssa would help her decide on a wedding dress. Kara feared it would become one of the episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, that lasted all day and had different opinions from everyone in the room but she couldn't say no to any of them.

The nervous couple woke up in each others arms, like every morning, trying to remember why they decided to wait to have sex until after the wedding, and spending the first twenty minutes of the morning driving each other crazy. An hour later, the happy couple, Barry carrying Kara at super speed a block away, walked the remaining distance and met up with Kara's parents at the first location the agent planned to show them. None were happy.

"Good morning! This is an exciting day and I am so glad you decided to let me be the one to find your first home." Cherry greeted them. She was a middle aged brunette woman wearing way too much makeup, likely in her early forties and was supposedly the most successful real estate agent in Central City. Kara was already considering going to a different agency.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

"Oh, this is the first house I thought we should look at. I think you will love it. Its a five bedroom, four bath, two full baths…"

"We said we were looking for a three bedroom, two bath no more than 2000 square feet, and a budget of $150,000 to $200,000." Barry reminded the agent. "This place looks more than $200,000."

The castle they were standing in front of couldn't go for less than a million dollars he thought.

"Oh right! I talked to the bank and based off your income at Central City PD and your fiancee's impressive income at Palmer Tech, in addition to your recent sell of S.T.A.R. labs, they contacted your accountant and have decided you qualify for up to ten million dollars for a new home! Isn't that wonderful?"

"We have an accountant?" Kara asked. Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"I gave most of the money to Nyssa's accountant. She said if he screwed us over he knew she would kill him, so yeah, I guess we do."

"Sweet. Cherry, just because that is what we qualify for does not mean that is what we want. We want a house in the price range with the features we gave you. We did not ask for you to go to the bank and run a credit check nor did we give you permission. In fact I am pretty sure that is illegal." Kara told the woman.

Cherry kept her smile plastered on her face but did not move, almost as if Captain Cold had frozen her in place.

"I'm sorry." she finally said. "There must have been a misunderstanding. Why don't we all follow me and… how did you two get here? Did you park your car down the block and walk?"

"They don't have a car. That's later today, right Barry?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes sir." he agreed quickly.

"They can ride with us. Just give us the address and we can meet you there. Kara sit in the front with the window down for all our sakes, okay sweetie?" Eliza suggested.

Kara rolled her eyes but secretly agreed that vomiting in Eliza's new car would probably not be a good way to start the day.

The foursome walked into the first house. Kara slipped off her bracelet.

"The foundation is cracked. Lets see the next one."

"I have been assured by an inspector…" Cherry tried.

"The foundation is cracked. She has an eye for these things." Jeremiah told the woman, walking out with Kara.

The next house the four walked into, Kara took in the ceiling and with her X Ray vision checked the attic and woodwork.

"This house has a termite infestation." she told the woman.

"But my inspector…"

"You might want to get a new inspector. I have an eye for these things." Kara told her, leaving no room for doubt.

The fifth house, a one story, met Kara's approval on the woodwork, brick work and foundation. The floor plan was open, just as she wanted, being able to work in the kitchen while watching her baby play in the living room. There was a separate office area for the two and the Master bedroom and bath were large with a bay window looking out to the backyard and the…

"No pools. Didn't you tell her no pools Barry?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure I mentioned no pools." he agreed.

"I understand your concerns but a pool adds great value to your home and is not that difficult as far as upkeep. The benefits…"

"I'm having a baby. My baby needs to breathe. Falling into a pool would hamper that." the blonde pointed out.

"Yes, but you could put a child proof fence around…"

"I have a feeling a fence isn't going to keep my child out. Any fence. Could you show us something without a pool? Hot tubs are out too. A big patio would be great with a very tall privacy fence and a couple of very big trees would be even better."

Cherry looked at Barry exasperated.

"You heard her. Maybe the houses you have listed just aren't what we are looking for. Perhaps you could recommend someone else who deals in…" Barry began.

"No! No I have just the place. I really think you will like this next listing." Cherry promised, a large part of her wanting to be done with the stubborn, hard to please blonde but a larger part not wanting to walk away from a couple who could literally pay cash for a house and the commission she would make, even if it was smaller than the mansion she had hoped to sell them.

The sixth house was almost a winner. Jeremiah and Eliza both thought it was lovely, a one story, red brick home with a covered patio, large fenced in backyard, near an elementary school and park. The design was open, a huge living room and two huge bedrooms, one of which would be a great nursery, along with a third, smaller guest bedroom.

Kara walked the kitchen with Eliza, while Barry and Jeremiah inspected the basement and washer, dryer connections.

"Barry?"

"Yeah?" he answered walking into the kitchen with Jeremiah and a hopeful Cherry.

"The breakfast counter is an add on." she told him.

"Yes, and it really livens the kitchen up in addition to providing a breakfast area with a couple bar stools." Cherry pointed out.

"Yes it does but I want granite countertops. This is linoleum. I have no problem buying my own granite but the counter is an inch off line. It isn't straight. I can't put granite on a countertop that is at an angle from the rest of the counter. It appears the linoleum is hiding this but it is pretty obvious when you really look. If I want to add granite I will have to get contractor to move the entire eight foot section. That means the hardwood floors are going to have to be torn out and relaid. I would prefer a house that I am not having to repair a week after I move in."

"Wow… I never noticed this. You certainly have an eye for this Miss Zorel."

"I watch a lot of House Hunters on HGTV." Kara explained, walking out while Jeremiah tried not to laugh out loud, watching the woman's face turn as red as her namesake.

The seventh house was a four bedroom, two bath open concept design. The front had a three car garage attached to a covered entryway with granite columns. The exterior was wood, painted a light blue with a roof shrubs in front of it. Two Oak trees decorated the front, providing shade over the house and the backyard, while not fenced in, backed up to a wooded area. A park was two blocks away and there were no neighbors directly next to them, the nearest being four lots away. A split level design, two bedrooms were on one side of the house with the master suite and a second good sized bedroom across the hall so the baby would be near them, even when in the nursery. The kitchen had a small island but beautiful bamboo floors that reached into the living room that included a fireplace.

Kara froze when she walked in. Barry wondered what she had seen this time, because her bracelet was off but instead of looking up and down, examining foundations and basements, attic spaces, rotten wood or any other number of potential problems, she simply stood still and reached for his hand. He knew, as did Eliza and Jeremiah. His guess was confirmed when Barry took Kara's hand and stood by her side, noticing she had single tear on her cheek.

"This is it. This is our home." she whispered. He took a look around and imagined the furniture, their child playing on the floors, toys all over the place, running in the backyard. He could see himself mowing the yard, just like his Dad did when he was young. The two walked through and the more he took in the more he understood. This was it.

"This is a lovely home, only ten years old, new paint, in all the rooms, the HVAC is new, four bedrooms…"

"We will take it." Barry told her, while Kara turned and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh… Miss Zorel does it meet with your approval?"

Kara sniffed a bit and nodded. "Yes, this is going to be our home." Eliza and Jeremiah smiled, recognizing the emotion in her voice. They had felt the same way the first time they saw the home Alex and later Kara would be raised in.

"That is wonderful!" Cherry practically screamed. "The list price is $199, 990, but I know the owners are eager to sell. The husband had a job transfer…"

"$210,000 if you can have it appraised and inspected this week. I want to own this house by the end of the week. I won't need a bank, I'll be paying cash. Just please handle the closing costs and everything else, quickly. I want it by her birthday in ten days and I need to get a fencing company for the backyard to work as soon as possible." Barry told the woman and hugged Kara tighter. She had slipped on her bracelet and he still felt she might break something on him but didn't mind a bit.

Jeremiah patted him on the back. "Congratulations son."

"We did it. I mean we are really doing this. We are buying a home together. I can't believe it." Kara whispered.

"Why? You knew we planned to do this." Barry reminded her.

"Yeah, but you know how some things you wish for but never really thought would happen no matter what? Like it wasn't in the cards for you? Having a husband, child, a home like Eliza and Jeremiah had, I never really believed it would happen and now it is. Do you know what a miracle this is for me?"

Barry smiled and kissed the top of her head that was buried in his chest.

"Yeah, it's a miracle for me too. That's what we do though right? Me and you, we make the impossible happen. I love you. Welcome home."

Later that night after an unsuccessful car shopping trip which Kara once again refused to budge on prices she believed were fair and was disappointed there were no minivan convertibles, Eliza and Jeremiah retired after a long day, beyond happy. Kara had found a home, not an apartment where she would live by herself but a home. Jeremiah decided to try out his cooking skills, which amounted to putting a frozen pizza in the oven while Eliza relaxed on the couch and thought of calling Alex with the news. Before she could reach for the phone, the front door of the condo was kicked in. Eliza stood from shock, barely taking in the two men before her, both dressed in suits, both with close cut, military style haircuts, one blonde and one brunette and one, the blonde, holding a gun.

"Eliza Zorel. Prometheus has a message for your daughters and you are the message."

The man raised his gun, but before it could be level with her head, and arrow entered the back of his head and poked out of his forehead. A look of shock colored his face, but he fell forward, eyes wide open, dead as soon as Oliver Queen had fired. Nyssa walked in, a bola in her hand, already spinning and threw it towards the man remaining, wrapping his arms, then another wrapping his feet and sending him crashing to the ground.

"John, do we have any other visitors?" Oliver asked in the com.

"Negative. Area is clear." John reported. He was stationed on a condo roof nearby with a sniper rifle, having a full view of the front while Thea hid in a tree in the back, watching everything John couldn't see.

Oliver, black face paint, under a green hood, walked up to the body on the floor and rolled it over, making sure the man was dead and taking the gun from the ground where it had fell. Nyssa knelt by the restrained man.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked. The man nodded his head. "We expected Prometheus to make a move. At heart every bastard who uses remote control weapons to kill others is a coward who would attack unarmed, defenseless people. Joe and Quentin would have weapons. I honestly did not think he would be stupid enough to move this soon. I am glad though. Staying up all night to watch a house for weeks was not a prospect I had been looking forward to but one I was prepared to do regardless. Do you know who the man in green is?"

"Yes. Oliver Queen."

"Do you know who taught him to torture a person?"

"Amanda Waller."

"Then you have an idea of how much pain you will suffer tonight, before you die. How quickly we allow you to die depends on how long it takes for you to decide to tell us everything about the coward who sent you to kill an unarmed woman. No matter what, though, understand you will talk. I can tell you were a soldier, not unused to combat I am sure. Nothing has ever prepared you for what is about to happen."

Jeremiah had been standing on front of a shocked Eliza, watching the scene and realizing what could have happened. He felt a multitude of emotions but his primary one was extreme anger.

"Kara and Alex don't need to know about this right now. Thea will escort you both to Palmer Tech, John will take care of the body." Oliver told them.

"Thea can take Eliza. Do not call Kara or Alex, honey. I want to hear what this man has to say. I have some plastic covers from the furniture we moved in, still stored in the back bedroom. I will get it set up with a chair and gag. Do whatever it takes, to get answers. I'm going to watch it all." he informed the two, who were not surprised. Nyssa recognized the fire in Jeremiah's eyes. This was a man who had been manipulated and abused, his family threatened for years and would no longer take threats lying down. Even Eliza seemed to be composing herself, her face turning hard.

Oliver and Nyssa helped the man up and cut the cords from his feet. Walking to the back bedroom, Jeremiah as promised had laid out a plastic tarp and placed a chair in the middle. Oliver sat the man down and shoved an arrow into his shoulder. While the man opened his mouth to scream, Jeremiah, stuffed a gag in and tied it around his throat.

Nyssa knelt down in front of the man and met his frantic eyes.

"First question. Who is this bastard? Second question, where is he? You have ten seconds before the second arrow enters a part of your body that will hurt. When he runs out of arrows, I get to have fun. Pray he doesn't run out of arrows."


	35. Chapter 35

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N thank you all for the reviews last chapter. Most of them didn't show up for a day or two but thats life on a website. They are there now and thats all that matter. Makes me feel good that you guys are still enjoying this. Thanks for everything. I am having fun regardless but everyone enjoying it with me and giving me support makes it even more special. By the way I saw Season 3 trailer for Flash on Comic Con news. Looks to be pretty good but I still hope they don't take Flashpoint all the way through the whole season. It would just be too weird. I have to say Wally looks badass though and I am looking forward to seeing more Thawne. Just a little fun this chapter and what I have been waiting for. The first official meeting of the Earth 1 Justice League. They are bigger than Earth 3 and a little more sarcastic but thats what we love about these shows right?

Chapter 35

"Alex, where is Nyssa? I thought she wanted to be here?" Kara asked, standing with Kendra and Carter who insisted on coming, outside the wedding gown emporium. Eliza had picked the three up along with Caitlin this morning. Eliza herself wasn't looking well and Kara suggested they reschedule when she saw her mother. Eliza however would not hear of it. Kara was also surprised to see Dr, Stein and Jax driving this morning, almost as if they were following Eliza.

"I don't know where she is. She didn't come home last night." Alex, told her little sister, her tone conveying her displeasure.

"Have you tried calling her?"

"No! I'm … I'm sure whatever she is doing is important if it kept her out all night." Eliza tried.

"Yeah, but I have only gotten a text that she wouldn't be able to make it. Thats not like her. How do I know if she was even the one who sent the text?"

"Why don't you call her?" Kara suggested. Alex normally hated to call, preferring text messaging unless she had been on a mission but this was a strange situation. She had at first thought Nyssa had gotten home late and left early but it was unusual for her not to wake Alex and her side of the bed hadn't been slept on. Before Eliza could object, Alex had the phone to her ear.

"Good morning my love. Did you sleep well?" Nyssa answered pleasantly

"Uh… yeah, sure,where the hell were you? Where are you now? You said you wanted to be here while Kara tried on dresses. You stay out all night and send me a text in the morning saying you can't make it, with no other explanation?"

"I… Alex, I don't want to lie to you."

"Okay, then tell me…" before the sentence was complete, Alex heard a dial tone.

"What did she say?" Eliza asked. Kara also hadn't heard, her bracelet on due to the sunlight she was being exposed to.

"She said she didn't want to lie to me and then hung up."

"Well, she didn't lie to you at least." Kara tried. Alex shook it off.

"She is going to have some serious explaining to do. Felicity and Thea are pulling up. Let's head inside."

The train of women walked inside the boutique, opened only for them this Sunday, courtesy of Ray Palmer. Kara looked around making sure he hadn't planned any practical jokes. Carter and Kendra were also on high alert.

Kara stopped cold, taking in the shear number of dresses. A male, tall, blonde and ruggedly handsome in a way, greeted her and introduced himself as the owner to all her party.

"This is going to be a long day." Carter whispered to Kara, who silently agreed. She thought she may have three of four to pick from. Not…this.

"I am so excited. Aren't you excited Kara? I've never actually been to one of these." Thea told her. Kara turned to express her nerves when she saw it.

"Thea, you have something red on your cheek."

Thea's face froze and her hand went directly to her cheek. Pulling it back she saw nothing so hurriedly went to the other. A small dot of blood was wiped off.

"Is that blood?" Kara asked, beginning to get worried.

"Yeah. I uh… it's kind of embarrassing but … shaving! Yep, cut myself shaving. Don't let anyone know though okay? I've always had a problem with facial hair." Thea lied quietly. Kara turned over the hand with the drop of smeared blood on it.

"What were you doing last night? Your knuckles are raw! They must hurt! Let me find you some ice…"

"No! No… no need for that. I was just uh, training. Hitting the old heavy bag. I didn't have any gloves and my hands really needed to toughen up so thats why they look like this. No big deal." Thea partly lied. She hadn't had any gloves, preferring to take her shots on the prisoner Oliver and Nyssa were still interrogating, bare fisted.

"Okay, if you are sure…"

"Kara! The lovely bride and so lovely you are. Why don't we let your friends and family settle in with champagne and the two of us can begin our search?" the owner suggested.

"Oh, okay. Do you have anything not in white? White is supposed to be for virgins and I am completely pregnant. I have had numerous exams to prove it. If I was a virgin before those exams, I am definitely not now…wow, that was inappropriate to say. I don't know why, I just don't want to be …"

"Kara!" Felicity yelled.

"Yeah?"

"3…2…1…"

Kara counted in her head, practicing the technique Felicity had taught her to stop rambling.

"Darling it is fine. No one is a virgin when they walk into my place. How far off is the wedding?"

"Three weeks?"

"That is wonderful, you won't be showing and we shouldn't have to have your dress resized. We will go with something not quite as snug around your hot waist, although… no, you can definitely take it. Your core and legs are to die for. We can accentuate those and find a more elegant top since your breasts aren't that large, low cuts and strapless are out. Lets go work magic."

"Wait… my breasts? What is wrong with my breasts? Alex what is wrong with my breasts? Mom? Anybody?"

"Your tits are great, Kara."

"Oh, thanks Carter. Okay, lets do this."

Kara walked off with the man whose name the rest knew as Harvey and Kara and Carter still hadn't learned.

"What is his name again?" Carter asked.

"Harvey something. I think he said Dent. Supposedly this guy has been the man to go to for wedding dresses for the last fifteen years in Central City." Thea explained, trying not to rub her knuckles.

Kara stepped into the back dressing room where Harvey pulled out his first selection.

"This is Tank Sheath dress with 3 D flowers. Very elegant, form fitting, to showcase your legs and waist while remaining conservative and casual. Go ahead and lets see what it looks like."

Kara nodded and began to remove her shirt only getting it as far as her abs before glancing at Harvey.

"You want to give me some privacy?"

"Oh, but I need to help you zip and adjust. It is nothing I haven't seen before I assure you."

"Have you ever seen yourself knocked through a wall before? I'll call you if I need help zipping up. No, I will need help. Please ask my sister to come back."

"But…"

"Now!"

Harvey scurried out to collect Alex, who was back quickly.

"Nope." she said immediately, but helped Kara anyway.

"Yeah, I don't really like it either. Does Mom seem off to you today?"

"Yeah, but this is a big day for all of us, Kara. She is about to see you in a wedding dress, something she has wanted for a long time."

"For both of us." Kara reminded her.

"I have a feeling if I get married the dresses will be more exotic and assassinny."

"Is that a word? it sounds cool. Assassinny. Oh, do you think I can wear a sword at your wedding?! That would be awesome."

Alex snorted and pulled the zipper up.

"We have to find you a dress also. What color… black right?"

"I don't know, what colors do you want your bridesmaids in?"

'Red of course. But you are going to stand out, being my maid of honor. Maid's of honor wear something different. I've seen that on TV. I'm kidding about the black. I want you in blue and I'm the bride so I get to pick."

"I'm going to be… you didn't say anything, I figured you would want Caitlin. I mean she is your best friend and saved your life and…"

"You've saved my life in more ways than one since I arrived on this planet and you are my sister. You are going to be by my side. I'm sorry I didn't ask. I just figured you knew."

Alex looked away for a moment and blinked her eyes then gave Kara a watery smile.

"Of course baby sister. I was just saying if you wanted her I would understand."

"She will be there but you are going to be next to me… and you aren't wearing black."

The sisters walked out to the waiting crowd. None were enthusiastic.

"It's a pretty dress." Thea offered.

"And you look lovely in it dear." Eliza added.

"But…" Kara hinted at the unspoken comments.

"You can't really wear a push up bra with it." Felicity mentioned quietly.

"I don't need one. I don't droop."

"Of course not. We aren't saying that Kara! Its just… the straps help but we probably need something with built in support to make you pop." Kendra suggested. Carter shrugged his shoulders.

"I think your tits look great Kara."

"Carter if you say that one more time I am going to crush your skull with your mace." Kendra whispered.

"I'm just trying to make her feel better about her small…"

"Shut up!"

"Small… I'm average size for my height and build. I'm a 34 A. Thats average! Mom told me that, didn't you? Tell them Mom."

"You are not average, you are above average Kara, in everything you do."

"I'm bigger than Alex."

"Hey! Leave me out of this. Can we move on? This isn't the dress. Dent! Do better." Alex told the man, leveling him with a frightening glare.

"Of course. Perhaps a mermaid style?"

While Kara dealt with her closet friends and relatives critiquing her body, Oliver, Nyssa and Jeremiah were in a guest bedroom of her parent's condo, visiting with a bloodied, beaten man tied to a chair. Jeremiah had watched the entire time, not participating but not disapproving either. This man worked for the man who tried to harm his daughters. He tried to kill his wife and would have been successful if not for Oliver and Nyssa.

The man who had still not given his name, began to wake, both of his eyes barely opened due to the swelling. He had seven arrows still residing in non vital parts of his body. While John had gotten rid of his friends body, Thea had worked the man's face over. Nyssa had just began with her blade when the man passed out.

"Good morning. Have you slept well? You passed out on us." Oliver greeted the man.

"Just kill me." he rasped.

"No. Nyssa didn't you have some plans for him this morning?"

"Yes I did, Al Sah-him. I believe he has too many digits. A person doesn't really need ten fingers and toes, now does one? What is it you Americans say? This little piggy went to market?"

"I've always thought too many toes were overrated. Fingers are a necessity for using a bow. I'm not sure how much losing a hand would hamper one's life. I suppose we could find Malcolm Merlyn and ask him."

"You have no idea who is coming for you." the man told the two.

"We have a pretty good idea. A freak who thinks he is hybrid of Darth Vader and Prince, who has disco lights on his shoulders and wears body armor. I am betting he roller skates in his free time. Big deal. Is he worth dying for?" Oliver asked him.

"I'm dead regardless. I know you won't let me leave here. If I go back he will… he has killed more people than you have Oliver Queen. He knows who you all are, he knows everything."

"And what do you know? So he is a sadistic killer. He isn't Damian Darhk. He isn't Ra's Al Ghul. What do you think this man has that we cannot handle?"

Before the man could answer. Nyssa stuck a blade into his knee causing him to scream before Oliver stuffed a towel in his mouth so the neighbors wouldn't be disturbed. He took it out once the man quieted down and stopped hyperventilating.

"Stop! Please just kill me!"

"No. Not until we have everything we need. The man in the corner? The husband of the woman you came here to murder? He knows everything about the human anatomy. We can keep you alive for weeks." Oliver reminded him.

Nyssa prepared to try his other knee until her phone buzzed. Oliver rolled his eyes.

"I hope we aren't keeping you from anything?"

Ignoring the comment, she answered, expecting to hear an irate girlfriend. She was not disappointed.

"Where the hell are you? Get over here now! Kara is asking for you. She wants your opinion of her breasts of all things."

"Her breasts are lovely, perfect for her frame and incidentally for combat. The suit Cisco made for her accentuates her core, which is perfect. Large breasts are overrated."

"Then come tell her that!"

"I can't!"

"Why not? I want to know where you are and what you are doing right now and don't give me this I don't want to lie to you and hanging up BS!"

Nyssa took a deep breath and looked at Oliver who shrugged.

"Fine, but you are not to say a word about this to Kara. Eliza will tell her afterward. Your mother did not want her day ruined. Oliver and I had discussed the possibility that Prometheus may order an attempt on your mother or father's life to send a message. We decided to determine a schedule for watching their condominium and met there with Thea and John Diggle last night. Right after we arrived two men approached your parent's house and kicked the door in. One had a gun and raised his arm but before he could fire, Oliver sent an arrow through his skull and I captured the other. The two of us have been torturing him for information since eleven PM last night. Your father is on stand bye in case one of us makes a mistake and the prisoner looks like he may die. Now you said you didn't want to keep things from Kara any longer and this is an important day for her, so are you going to keep this from her or ruin her day? This is exactly why I planned on telling you later." Nyssa finished sharply. Not hearing a reply, she began to worry.

"Alex? Are you okay, my love? I am sorry if I was too blunt but I would really like to be there and the more pain I cause the sooner we can wrap this up and I can be there for both of you. I haven't even gotten any blood on me, unlike Thea who made a complete mess."

"You said my father is there?"

"Yes."

"Could you put him on the phone please?" Nyssa handed the phone to Jeremiah as if it might bite her.

"Hey pumpkin! How is it going?"

"Not… not great at the moment Dad."

"Don't you worry about a thing. You have fun with your sister and I will make sure he stays alive long enough to talk. Even if it takes days, weeks maybe."

"Okay… I just wanted to make sure you are okay. Are you? Okay?"

"This bastard tried to kill your mother and works for the man who tried to kill you and Kara recently. I am more than okay. Don't worry your sister. This is a special day for her."

"Okay, love you Dad."

"Love you too Sweetie."

Alex looked at the phone in her hand then back at her sister who was trying to pull her breasts up in a hideous dress. This was an important day for her.

Alex had made a promise to Kara not to keep secrets from her.

Damn it!

Alex stormed out, Kara calling her as she left. When she reached the waiting room, she pointed at her mother and Caitlin.

"Both of you, back here now."

A confused Caitlin and a worried Eliza slowly followed Alex in the back.

"I am not keeping this from her. No more. You…" she pointed at Caitlin…" are going to keep her calm. You…" she pointed towards her mother…"are going to tell us exactly what happened last night and why Dad is watching a reenactment of Saw 2 at this moment in your nice condo."

"This is an important day for her…" Eliza started.

"That can be rescheduled or continued since she knows everything is fine. But I made a promise not to keep anything from her just because I think she can't deal with it. She can deal with it. Lets go."

Kara stood in silence as soon as Harvey Dent was ordered out by Alex, and listened to Eliza recount the horrors of the night before.

All waited for her to blow up but instead her face hardened.

"Thank you for telling me. You won't be without a bodyguard from this point on, even if I have to stay with you around the clock. I won't lose any of my family. Never again. I will never lose any family ever again. Not my daughter, my husband, my sister, my parents or my friends. It won't happen. I'm sorry we didn't think of this as a possibility but it won't happen again. I won't lose you. " Kara pulled Eliza into a hug, squeezing the shaking woman tightly.

"Do you want to reschedule this for another day Kara?" she asked her daughter.

"Of course not. Oliver and Nyssa will find out what we need to know. I doubt I could do anything they couldn't or haven't already. We need to find a wedding dress, I'm getting married in three weeks and I want my family safe. If that means they have to do what they are doing then that is what has to happen. I don't like it and I am sure they aren't enjoying it, but I appreciate that they can be strong enough to do it. Before I even walk out, what do you think of this dress Mom?"

"I think I would like to look at the selections myself. I think I can do a better job than Harvey."

"I think you are right. Lets take a look."

A surprised Alex and Caitlin walked to the front, while Kara and Eliza began looking through rows of dresses.

"That went better than expected. I suppose she can handle more than I gave her credit for." Alex whispered, not knowing how to feel about that. She knew Kara was no longer innocent, not by a long shot, but hoped she hadn't hardened to this point. Having a homicidal maniacs constantly wanting you dead, no matter the universe, will do strange things to a person. Perhaps her and Kara had reached a different state of mind in regards what was right and wrong. She should have been outraged, angry, sickened. This was not what heroes did. Alex knew this.

She also knew that a man had accepted money to kill her mother last night and that man was in the hands of her lover and one of the darkest but good men she had ever known and while neither were taking joy in what they were doing, they would get answers.

At the condo, the man still refused to even give his name, simply content to scream as Nyssa did unpleasant things to his abdomen with a knife. The door to the condo opened and both Oliver and Nyssa prepared their bows and began the slow march down the hallway.

"Don't shoot! Or fire… or throw anything sharp at me."

Oliver relaxed at the sound of the woman's voice but Nyssa did not. She did drop the bow but kept it in hand ready to fire at a split second if needed.

"We are in the back, Lyla." Oliver called and walked back to the bedroom while Nyssa acknowledged the woman silently and let her pass, checking to make sure no others followed her.

Oliver looked a bit irritated at her when she walked in. Lyla caught sight of Jeremiah and raised any eyebrow in the Arrow's direction.

"Jeremiah, meet Lyla Diggle, John's wife and the Director of A.R.G.U.S."

"A pleasure, Dr, Zorel is it? I am a big fan of your daughter's work. The blonde one. I am still upset Alex decided on a career with Central City PD instead of us, but I can understand why she would be leery of working with a Government agency. I would be too if I were her."

"Uh huh. A.R.G.U.S. huh? I tend to not trust organizations known by letters myself."

"I can respect that, Dr. Zorel."

"Lyla is good Jeremiah. I wouldn't have anything to do with her if she wasn't. I promise she is a friend."

Lyla was glad to hear Oliver say that. She had always respected the work him and John did together. The League of Assassins mess that occurred showed both of them how badly things could go when they were apart and not on the same page. Oliver had been the one to help John deal with having to kill his little brother plus the guilt he felt over Laurel's death and she considered him family.

"So Lyla, why are you here?" Oliver asked, already suspecting and not sure how he felt about it.

"Oh, I don't know. John couldn't find a good place to hide a body in Central City, wanted DNA ran regardless, so he calls me of course, sitting at home watching our daughter in Star City alone, while he has fun with you and wants a clean up crew. Call me curious. He had been keeping me apprised of this Prometheus situation. It concerns me, as I am sure it does you, that this man has never popped up on the radar anywhere. No one wants another Damian Darhk, so A.R.G.U.S. is going to have a much greater presence in Central City until he can be apprehended. I thought I would come see what you have done to this poor bastard and I see I have arrived just in time. He is going to die before he talks Oliver."

"He is going to talk. Eventually." Oliver told her with a smile.

"Five years ago he would have told you the name of his favorite teddy bear by this point. Face it, your heart isn't in it anymore Queen. Thats a good thing. Yours isn't in it either Nyssa. Thats a very good thing. The question is, are you going to trust me again? We have new drug cocktails that can make his blood feel like acid. Truth serums, sound conditioning, isolation. He may go insane but he will talk. We can keep him alive longer, run facial recognition, have a team of psychiatrists manipulate him, you know the drill."

"And that is why I don't trust organizations known by letters." Jeremiah told her.

"Uh, Pot? This is the Kettle. Aren't you here participating? I am offering the same. This world is dangerous, metahumans, immortal magicians, who knows what else we haven't seen yet. My organization can't fight them all. Darhk would have destroyed the world, literally, if not for Oliver, Laurel, Thea and my husband. We wouldn't have known where to start with Zoom. My organization can't handle these types of threats anymore. This world needs people like Oliver, Barry Allen, your daughters, Jax Jefferson. We would even take Ray Palmer. Whether she wants to admit it or not, if there was a threat to the world, Nyssa would fight it, for Alex and Kara's sake if nothing else. I'm not in it for credit and I don't need anyone to work for me or take orders. Honestly it is better that these heroes are working outside the Government bureaucracy. They can get things done faster. Now there have been terrorist attacks in this city, perpetrated by a man who wants to kill your family. I can have around the clock security for you and your wife, for Joe West, Henry Allen, Quentin Lance, Donna Smoak and resources at the disposal of the team of independent operatives as the President likes to call them, that they may not otherwise have. I want him taken down as badly as you do and Oliver and John trust me. Do you trust them?"

"Yes." Jeremiah answered immediately.

"Then I guess you are trusting me. Shall I have my people escort this half dead son of a bitch and see if we cant try a few drug cocktails to make him talk or would you rather keep him here? I am pretty sure most of what is going on here is violating your lease agreement."

Jeremiah looked at Oliver and Nyssa. Oliver nodded his head. Nyssa met his eyes then shrugged her shoulders.

"I probably should get to the wedding dress boutique. It would make Alex happy." she admitted.

"Fine, take him. I want to know everything he says." Jeremiah told her.

"Of course. We will knock him out, bag him and take him to the trunk of a sedan we have outside. I am leaving two agents here. They will be discreet. You and no one else will even know they are here unless you need them. Two are already outside the giant wedding gown emporium waiting on your wife. It was a pleasure to meet you Dr. Zorel."

"I think it's a pleasure to meet you, Lyla. I hope it is."

"We are going to be friends, I promise. This is a different world, a different universe. Amanda Waller is dead and things are done differently now. Believe me, I certainly don't want to make an enemy of either your daughters. Ask Barry Allen about me. If you all will leave, I can handle this."

Oliver hugged Lyla and walked out, the other two following, Jeremiah and Nyssa walked to her car. Both were exhausted but while Nyssa hid it well, Jeremiah looked worn down.

"Would you like me to take you to S.T.A.R. or Palmer Tech's basement? You look like you could use some sleep." Nyssa offered.

"I want to see my daughter in her wedding dress." Nyssa didn't question him further, instead pulling out and heading towards the boutique where a most likely angry Alex waited.

After several more dresses, Kara had still not found the perfect one. The choices were much better with Eliza helping. Felicity had sent Harvey for takeout, since it was nearing lunch. The group waited for Kara and Eliza to enter with her latest dress when three people walked in. Jeremiah and Nyssa were next to each other, followed by Oliver Queen, who stood in the back. Alex looked around and rolled her eyes.

"Since Harvey has gone for lunch, go ahead and tell us, how did the torture session go?"

Jeremiah shrugged his shoulders.

"Lyla had her people take him to an A.R.G.U.S. facility where they will be able to find out much more. All of the family members in here will have guards as well but don't worry, you won't notice them." Oliver told the group.

"You seriously couldn't get him to talk? I knew I should have stayed." Thea grumbled.

"Why? So you could continue beating him unconscious? Unconscious people can't talk either, Thea." Nyssa reminded her. "Does Kara know?"

Alex nodded her head. "She said she appreciated the both of you being strong enough to do what had to be done to protect our family."

Nyssa smiled. She had expected this reaction. Perhaps now Alex would see that her sister understood much more than she gave her credit for, especially the lengths someone will go to protect their family. Nyssa had a family now and there were no lines she would not cross. She knew the same of Alex and now Alex knew the same about Kara.

"Hey Alex, did you know the first time Oliver and Barry met Carter they got into a fight?" Thea asked, Felicity dropping her head, remembering the Savage round one nightmare.

"Oh yeah? Who won?"

"They double teamed me." Carter complained.

"You learned what many villains of this world have learned Carter. You do not mess with the epic bromance that is Barry Allen and my brother. Alex you should have seen Barry trying to kill Savage with his staff. Barry almost couldn't hold on, so Ollie helps him, even though he didn't have the special gloves Barry had. Barry tells him to run and Ollie says No Barry! I'm not leaving you! It was so sweet you could practically hear I Will Always Love You playing in the background."

"Thea?"

"Yes Ollie?"

"Shut up."

"You're right, I shouldn't make Felicity jealous."

Before another word could be said a tearful Eliza exited the back and took her seat. Everyone held their breath, most wanting to see the dress Eliza obviously loved and Carter thinking it would soon be over.

Kara walked out to silence, everyone taking her in. The dress was simple, and she made it beautiful. A high neck halter wedding dress with a crepe skirt. A simple, thin satin sash defined her waist When Kara turned to look in the mirror the group noticed the dress had a T strap racer back. It was conservative, simple and beautiful, just like Kara. Turning back to the group, she wiped her eyes.

"This is the one."

"Yes it is." Alex agreed. It looked very bit the ceremonial dress Alex could imagine her being married in, on Earth or Krypton.

"Dad? What do you think?" she asked, noticing he had arrived with Nyssa and Oliver.

"I think I have waited 14 years for this and you are so beautiful, I honestly don't know what else to say, Kara. I don't have the words." Caitlin and Alex walked up to the blonde, each hugging her, both fighting back tears and neither succeeding.

"Wow. I guess… I guess we are done." Kara whispered, turning to look at herself in the mirror one more time.

"No you aren't! We have to find a veil to match and shoes of course, then we can meet at my other bridal gown emporium and choose bride's maid dresses. The hard part is over but the fun has not ended." Harvey told the group, walking in with two bags of Chinese takeout.

Carter moaned, while Oliver clapped him on the back and left after winking at Kara who had caught his eye and gave him a smile.

"Now what colors for the bride's maids? Are they all here?"

"Colors? Uh… the brides maids are wearing red. Alex is wearing blue. I guess I need to call Iris and have her meet us there."

"Excellent. Bold choices. Lets eat and we can begin. By the way, you look stunning in that dress, Kara. The most elegant bride I have ever seen. Only you could pull it off."

"Thanks Harvey. Okay, lets go find some traditional hideous bridesmaid's dresses."

While most of the crew were dress shopping, Cisco and Harry sat inside Ray's play pen and observed Barry by satellite, who was in the Nevada desert, training.

Barry stood at the bottom of a cliff, vibrating at an unprecedented speed.

"Feel the molecules of your bones Barry. Do you have them?" Harry asked. A distorted voice came back neither could understand.

"Honestly Ramon, you are going to have to improve his com."

"I never figured I would need one that can deal with this frequency. I'm doing the best I can. A little help would be nice."

"I'll do it this afternoon. Okay Barry I am hoping you can hear me at least. Feel the molecules and bring them together, become denser, let the lightning flow through your skin. Can you feel it?"

No answer.

"I'm going to assume he can."

"You really think he can control his molecules to the extent that he can make himself invulnerable?" Cisco asked doubtfully.

"I really do. Okay Barry, when you are ready, when you feel you can't vibrate any faster, your muscles are coiled, you body tight and solid despite the vibrations, strike the rock wall. Just your legs and arm into the punch. Swing as fast as you can. Strike like a cobra, faster, as close to the speed of light as you can go. Wrap the speed force around you and hit!"

Barry was lost somewhere in a haze of electricity, vibrations and the Speed Force, tapping into its power. He felt everything, every spark that kept his body together, and he tightened them, controlling every part of his body. He had absolute control. His enemy was in front of him, a wall of stone even Kara would have a difficult time flying through.

Barry focused, planted his left leg into the Earth and swung from the hips, his fist moving at an unprecedented speed, striking the wall, feeling it give, the explosion like dynamite going off. Pulling his fist back he heard Cisco's panicked voice.

"Back up, back up, back up!"

Barry feeling more alive than ever, his senses on high alert, felt the friction and the movement above, zipping back seconds before the avalanche of rocks from the top of the cliff landed on him. Slowing down, he began to regain his normal form and breathed deeply, glad that Caitlin was shopping with Kara today so neither would be freaking out. His knuckles were badly cracked.

"Can you hear me now?" he asked through the com.

"You can go faster Mr. Allen but that was outstanding. We haven't reached the mass of a Dwarf Star yet but that was at least a small meteor. Looks like you may have broken your knuckles though. Come back before the Air Force flies over and sees what is causing explosions on their private desert land."

Barry looked at his right hand, the glove not torn but knowing the knuckles were swelling. He felt the pain but it didn't bother him as much as it would have in the past. Instead he vibrated his hand, feeling the molecules, atoms, bones, veins, and in two seconds his cracked knuckles were repaired.

"Not quick enough but quicker than last time." he told himself.

Back at the lab, Cisco gave Harry the proper respect. "Not bad Dr. Wells, not bad at all. That was the same impact as a Tomahawk missile."

"Yes it was, but he can do better. He can do it Cisco. He can hit the speed of light, I just know it."

"And what happens then? He burns up like his time remnant?"

"No, he is learning to control the Speed Force, not just to tap into it, but to own it. He won't disappear. He has the heart to do this and the right motivation. Zoom's hate could only take him so far but Barry's love will take him farther. He is going to hit infinite mass one day and he will control speed itself, perhaps even break it, break the laws of fundamental reality. He can do it and he can control it. Can you imagine if he was able to hit a planck second? He would be faster than theoretical teleportation. We can get him there, Ramon."

"Not that I am doubting you Harry but why do we want to? He is more than fast enough and powerful enough to defeat anything this world has to offer right now. He can probably hit Mach 20 if he wants to. But light speed? The dangers associated aren't worth the risk."

"Yes they are and he can control it, I promise you. As far as why should he? Fine, before you met Kara would you believe someone like her could exist? An invincible woman who could fly faster than the speed of sound, shoot lasers from her eyes, had strength on an unprecedented scale, can see through walls, hear for miles and isolate individual sounds, freeze moisture in the air with her breath. How would you defeat someone like that? Yes, Barry could phase through someone of her power but what if he couldn't? What if she stayed in the sky and never gave him the chance, simply following him around shooting lasers at the speed of light towards him?"

"So you think he needs to get better to defeat his fiancee?" Cisco asked, not liking where this was going. Harry of course was immediately offended.

"No idiot! Not Kara. I trust Kara, anyone knows that despite what she has gone through she is good, loving and has a big heart, as big as Barry's. But from the stories I have heard, there were others like her on her old Earth, others who were just as strong and seconds from wiping out the human race. Imagine someone or something else coming from another dimension, or a planet in this Universe,something stronger than her, or equal to her but with more than one partner. Imagine an army of her, even a doppleganger of her that is the exact opposite, all the love and heroism she has turned into hatred and a thirst for blood. Who would stand up to him or her, or even them? Kara? Absolutely and she would die. Oliver Queen can make as many arrows as he likes but it wouldn't matter. Firestorm? Possibly. He hasn't begun to touch his potential but Stein is working on it, if he can just get Jax to calm down instead of running on pure adrenalin. Ray Palmer? Not a chance. He is a genius but his suit is metal, metal that can be melted, torn, damaged beyond hope of repair. No, Kara would be on her own and the only one that can help her is the most powerful man in the universe. A thin kid who works as a CSI who can run at faster than speed of light, rearrange time and space, and hit with the power of a white dwarf star. He isn't getting better to stop Kara, he is getting better to stop whatever is next, by her side."

"I guess you could be right. Still seems like a risk." Cisco mumbled.

"Of course it is a risk! Everything we do is a risk. We try to make them as calculated as possible but there is no guaranteed safety in this Ramon. But I have heard you talk about Kara's chances at fighting Zoom, how much easier her and Barry could have taken him on together. What about Kara needing help? Barry, when he reaches his potential, could have torn apart the alien space prison in a second, destroyed the power source and stopped the Myriad wave thing from killing everyone without her ever having to risk death by taking it into space herself. The monster Barry killed, the one not even her cousin could take, what if it was perfected? What if the internal organs could regenerate even after being shredded by explosives in seconds? How would you defeat something like that? How would Kara? Barry though? I don't care how tough this monster is, he is not standing after being struck by the power of infinite mass and neither is anything else within a hundred miles."

"Point taken, worst case scenario, Barry ushers in a nuclear winter to take out a monster. Got it."

"Shut up Cisco. Have you given any thought to what you can do? Bending the fabric of the universe is one thing but directing the vibrations of the Universe towards an enemy? To be honest if there was anyone who could stop Barry, it would be you. You are the only one who can disrupt vibrations of the surrounding air, displace time and space with a thought. I would suggest you start focusing much more on what you can do instead of worrying about Barry. He is focused and smart. You are unfocused and smart."

"Don't worry about me Harry, I will be ready. I won't let him down."

"Glad to hear it…" Harry stopped speaking when Cisco bent over, grabbing his head and screaming.

"Uh… Ramon? Whats going on?"

Cisco however, was unable to answer. Instead he heard a voice in his head, a presence trying to take over, pushing against his very self.

"Make it stop." he moaned from his knees.

"What is going on? Let me get your visor." Harry ran off and came back quickly, placing the visor on the young man who was now curled onto the floor. Once the visor was on, Cisco opened his eyes and saw he was vibing uncontrollably. He did recognize the space, somewhat like the area he vibed when trying to find Barry in the Speed Force but this was not the Speed Force.

He was in between worlds and he was not alone.

"Sorry for that Cisco. I had to throw a psychic net over the entire world to find you and it wasn't easy. I only had one shot in me."

Cisco looked at the tall green figure he knew as J'onn Jonzz, standing before him.

"It really hurt man! Not cool, not cool at all!"

Cisco believed the Martian smiled but he couldn't be sure. J'onn was hard to read in his natural form.

"It wasn't easy for me either. I never could read any of your minds when you and your friends were on our Earth. Since Roy has been here I have discovered it was because…"

"Yeah, breachers operate on a different frequency. We used that trick to get a bunch of Earth 2 meta's taken out once. So what? You figured out the frequency and cast a mental search over the entire Earth for me? You can do that?!"

"Apparently. I have been trying for days. Ever since I found out that Kara was pregnant."

"Please tell me you did not just mentally bust into another dimension and give me a migraine so you can give Barry the you hurt my daughter speech. Jeremiah already shot him."

"No, but I am concerned. Roy has told me what little he knows of this man out to kill you and your friends. She will be a top target. Has she had any power outages?"

"Yeah… how did you know?"

"I didn't but I suspected it to be a possibility. Tell me everything."

Cisco stood in between dimensions and filled his Martian friend on the goings on since the group had left Earth 3. J'onn was not happy.

"I made an oath to Jeremiah to protect his daughters. My oath has not been fulfilled. I need you to open a breach into the Batcave. I am here now and need to come to your Earth."

"J'onn, I can appreciate your dedication, but we got this."

"Open the breach or every time you try to sleep I will give you another migraine. Perhaps you would rather me take control over your mind and open the breach myself? I have a feeling it would be painful for both of us. Regardless I will be stepping through for the wedding soon if nothing else and you do not want to see me angry. Open the breach Cisco. I will not allow Kara or Alex to be harmed. I am waiting."

Cisco found himself back in the lab, Harry kneeling over him.

"What did you see?"

"I… I need to open a breach. I need to let an old friend through." he mumbled, standing up shakily.

"No! You can't just open… who the hell knows what could come through? Maybe something worse than Zoom?"

Cisco ignored the man and reached out, remembering the feeling of Earth 3, he focused on the Batcave where he had sent Roy days earlier and opened the breach before Harry could say another word. Within seconds a tall green skinned man in a cape, wearing armor, walked out.

"Holy shit, it is worse than Zoom." Harry whispered. "Thanks Cisco, we really needed this now." Harry moved towards his weapons cabinet but Cisco grabbed him.

"It's cool Harry. Meet J'onn Jonzz, the last survivor of Mars and Kara and Alex's surrogate father. He is here to help."

Harry relaxed a bit and began taking in the Martian, while J'onn was reading his mind.

"Kara has not been seen as Superwoman since she was shot? You neglected to tell me about this Cisco."

"I didn't know it would be a big deal. I figured it was a given."

"He knows she is an alien. She was shot and the bullet most likely not recovered by her hooded friends. This man must have obtained it somehow and studied her. It is possible he knows she is pregnant although that early, less than 24 hours, it is doubtful, but he does know she has a weakness and hasn't been seen in public since. This has to change or he will press his attack now, while he believes her to be weak, which she is."

"Yeah, Kara isn't going in public. She has bodyguards with wings and really sharp nails and her powers are there one minute, gone the next. She can't exactly be flying around and then drop. I'm no expert on alien pregnancy but that doesn't seem like it would be good for either her or the baby. Plus her street cred would go out the window." Cisco pointed out.

"Of course she isn't going out, but Superwoman is." J'onn told the man and in front of a stunned Harry's eyes, morphed into perfect replica of the Woman of Steel.

"Wow. Okay, I am impressed." Wells admitted.

Before anything else could be said, Barry arrived back from his desert training session.

"Hey, I thought you would still be shopping. Do I even want to know why you are in your suit? Barry asked and leaned into kiss his fiancee. The moment his lips neared hers he was thrown across the room into the far wall.

Barry blinked a couple times to clear his head, wondering what he did this time, as Kara walked quickly to stand over him, her eyes glowing but a deep red this time.

"Keep your lips to yourself Mr. Allen. Actions like that are why she is in this position to begin with." the Martian told him, then morphed back into J'onn's green form.

"I am so glad you stopped me." Barry whispered, gratefully.

"I need to talk to the Danvers and you need to call a meeting."

"A meeting with who?" Barry asked.

"You haven't assembled a League yet? What are you waiting for? You fiancee is vulnerable and pregnant, the man after you has no qualms about killing anyone at any time, has superior technology and you have not gathered your comrades in an orderly fashion? They could be targets next. We meet tomorrow. For now will someone find out where the Danvers are and ask them to come to this place?"

"Yeah, on it. I don't remember you being the Martian doppleganger of Oliver Queen." Barry told him.

J'onn morphed into the shape of Hank Henshaw and smiled.

"I apologize Barry, I was admittedly distressed by what Cisco has told me and I have a feeling I haven't been told everything yet. There is strength in numbers and I do not want my girls fighting alone nor you. Ask the Danvers to come and see me, contact anyone you can think of who can help in this fight and let us meet as soon as possible."

"Okay, got it. But they are doing wedding stuff today, shopping for dresses, things like that. They are probably going to want you to join them."

J'onn thought of this for a moment.

"On second thought, meeting with them can wait a couple hours. Are there Chocos on this Earth?"

"Yea…yeah." Harry muttered.

"I would really like some. Think you can handle that, Cisco?"

"Yes sir… sir." Cisco scrambled off while Barry walked away, still a bit dazed from being thrown across the room after nearly kissing a Martian, planning to make some phone calls. The first call would be to Mari.

The Zorels arrived two hours later at S.T.A.R., both girls wrapping J'onn in a hug that he returned.

"What are you doing here J'onn?" Alex asked.

"Fulfilling an oath. I promised Jeremiah I would protect the two of you. That hasn't changed just because he is back."

Jeremiah shook J'onn's hand. "I'm glad to have you here old friend. With you here to read minds we won't have to torture so many people."

J'onn looked at Jeremiah for a long moment and then read his mind.

The situation had gotten desperate and while J'onn only knew Jeremiah briefly before he was taken, he recognized the man was desperate and desperate men do desperate things. Though he could never read Kara's mind, he didn't need to, to recognize that all in this family had the same drive. All had lost family members and in Kara's case twice and would do whatever it took to stay together now. This was a development he had not suspected but should not have been surprised. He remembered Alex's anger, hate, violence, when Kara was missing. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that the others would feel the same. He had noticed that Kara hadn't flinched at the mention of torture and dug deeper in Jeremiah's thoughts, his memories of listening to Kara on the roof, in the lab explaining what she had done under the influence of the metahuman. J'onn's heart broke a bit. He knew Kara had much anger and darkness in her that she desperately tried to keep at bay. Now she had a target and motivation and he hoped it wouldn't change her from the sweet, loving, bright light he had always known. He never expected her to go through this life unscathed. Everyone had a breaking point. In a way her love for Barry and this child may be what saves her from becoming… Oliver Queen.

J'onn did not bother to read Alex's thoughts. He had done so on their trip to Earth 3 and seen more of Nyssa in her head than he would have liked. Some things should remain private. The Martian was grateful he could not blush when Nyssa greeted him.

The alien shifted into a form none recognized but was pulled away by Jeremiah.

"The girls are used to you as Hank Henshaw. I know Martian's have a preferred shape and you have been him long enough that he must be yours. It's okay J'onn. He doesn't frighten me. You aren't him no matter what you look like and I know that. You are the guy who kept my girls as safe as they would let you."

J'onn recognized the sincerity in his words and morphed into his familiar form of Hank Henshaw. The five, including Nyssa and a promise from Barry to join them later, went to the condo. J'onn would be staying with them constantly when he wasn't impersonating Kara.

The next morning while Felicity met with what she called the brains unit, of her, Winn, Curtis, Caitin, Harry, Jeremiah and Eliza to go over plans and schedules so a medical expert and tech expert were always on duty, the gathered muscle met in the basement of Palmer Tech. The basement was impressive, larger than the Arrow Cave by three times, with a monitoring station and medical bay, three workout areas and cases for all their suits. None were suited up at this time. A large round table was in the middle of the area between the monitoring station and the first workout area.

Ray stood up and looked at the assembled.

"I would like to welcome all of you to the A.T.O.M. cave and as new members of Team Atom." he began.

"We aren't calling ourselves that Ray and this isn't a cave. Barry, Kara?" Oliver prompted while Ray sat back down, grumbling about being the one to pay for everything.

Both Barry and Kara stood up. Kara began to welcome everyone when her hand flew to her mouth and she ran from the table to the nearest trashcan and vomited.

"I guess that morning sickness started right on time." Cisco commented.

"That's Superwoman? I thought she couldn't get sick. What the hell is going on?" Mari McCabe asked.

"She is pregnant." Barry explained.

"Oh, congrats Flash. You work fast in everything, don't you?" Vixen asked with a smirk.

"Sorry about that. It won't happen …" Kara started then ran back to the trashcan. All grimaced at the sound of her vomiting. She stumbled back to sit down this time and Barry sat as well.

"I'm really… I'm good now." she promised.

"I think we all know each other so lets get…" Barry started.

"I don't know everyone. Anyone, besides you and Oliver and his team." Vixen pointed out.

"Yeah, and we don't know the Martian, since we had Central City babysitting duty while you guys were dimension hopping." Jax reminded Barry.

"Everybody calm down. I'll handle the introductions." Cisco offered. "First we have from the city of Detroit, Mari Mccabe, code name Vixen, Sara Lance, code name Canary, Oliver Queen, code name Arrow,"

"Green…"

"Oh no buddy. You lost the green part in that condo yesterday. You don't calm down big guy you are being relegated back to Hood. Beside him is the lovely Thea Queen, code name, Speedy, which will change soon…"

"No it won't."

"John Diggle, Spartan." Cisco continued, ignoring Speedy's threatening gaze, "Jax Jefferson and Martin Stein codename Firestorm, Ray Palmer, the famous Atom…"

"According to the latest polls he isn't that famous," Kara added. All looked at her.

"What? I work in PR. There have been some test studies conducted by toy manufacturers in regards to the sales potential of superheroes. I'm number one, a point and a half above Barry, and three points above Green Arrow, although your approval rating shot up after you killed Darhk on live TV, Oliver. Firestorm is fourth but third in the 14 to 24 year old demographic. Oliver is actually number one in female ages14-28, and Speedy, we are neck in neck with males 14 to 28 but I dominate the 28-45 market. Ray you have some public image issues."

"What public image issues?! You are in charge of my PR. Help me out."

"I'm in charge of Ray Palmer and Palmer Tech's PR. Your superhero alter ego is your problem."

"What are the main negative talking points?"

"People compare you to an Ironman wannabe." Kara told him.

"What!? He is a damn comic book character! I'm real and I can shrink!"

"Yeah but you should probably focus more on the flying and energy blast things. Shrinking is not the best power, at least perceived by the general public. Today's generation has more of a go big or go home…"

"I can go big! I did it once anyway. Destroyed a really giant evil robot! Tell her Jax."

"Man, I am staying out of this."

"Lets see how you do with the male demographics when you are flying around nine months pregnant, Kara." Ray countered.

"Can we get back on point?!" Cisco yelled. Everyone shut up. Kara stuck her tongue out at Ray, who stuck his finger down his throat.

"Now where was I? Yeah Barry Allen and his baby mama Kara Zorel, Flash and Superwoman when she isn't on maternity leave, J'onn Jonzz, code name the Martian Manhunter…"

"What?"

"What? You are a Martian."

"I don't hunt men or women for that matter."

"Aren't you going to help us find the bad guy?"

"Yes… but that doesn't…"

"Martian Manhunter. Kill me later, its worth it. To cool not to go with. We also have the lovely Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall, Hawkwoman and Hawkboy who are not married…"

"Watch it Ramon." Carter warned.

"We have Alex Zorel, code name Valkyrie…"

"It is? Weren't we going to talk about this?" Alex asked.

"I handle the names around here. By the way I have a hemet for you to try out. Sitting next to her is the woman who promised I would see my own intestines before I died if I tried to give her a codename, Nyssa. One name, kind like Madonna or Yoko Ono."

"Yoko Ono is two names, idiot." Speedy pointed out.

"And I am Cisco Ramon, also known as Vibe. I think thats everyone."

"What you lack in brains at least you make up for in numbers." J'onn muttered, only to be kicked by Kara sitting next to him.

"We aren't quite done. I hope you have room for one more at your big table."

J'onn and Barry stood up both standing in front of Kara. Martin and Jax immediately merged, Nyssa pulled a sword, Alex her gun with the real bullets, Sara extended her bo staff and the rest stood up, prepared to attack if necessary.

"Calm down! I was requested. Which one of you is Oliver Queen?" the woman asked. She had long dark hair, and was wearing a black miniskirt, fishnet stockings underneath, a white button down shirt, covered by a tuxedo jacket. Tall stiletto boots finished her outfit, making her appear more like a Vegas cocktail waitress than someone invited to a meeting like this. Everyone heard a click and glanced to see Kara had pulled a gun from somewhere and had it pointed at the woman.

"I'm Oliver Queen and I don't know you, I certainly didn't request you to be here."

"No, you requested Constantine to be here or for him to recommend someone who knew magic. John doesn't play well with others Oliver and you should know that. However, what you have going on here is too good to pass up. Superwoman dear, please put the gun away before you accidentally shoot someone."

"Screw you lady." Kara told her. Barry's mind was racing, trying to remember if Kara ever mentioned even firing a gun much less owning one.

"My name is Zatana. One name, like Yoko Ono. I cast a spell to teleport me to the greatest collection of heroes in the world. Was my spell wrong?"

"No it wasn't." Barry told her. "I hope you don't mind if Oliver makes a call to Constantine to verify you are who you say you are?"

At that moment Oliver's cell phone rang. He looked at caller ID and was instantly annoyed.

"How the hell do you do that?" he growled, hearing John Constantine's laugh.

"Your welcome buddy. She is a looker isn't she? Keep Felicity away from that one. Cheers old boy."

Oliver pressed end on his phone and looked at Barry, nodding. Everyone relaxed, while Ray hurriedly pulled a chair for the woman who in Kara's mind resembled a cocktail waitress.

"So you are the famous Flash. You are as handsome as I imagined you would be under that mask." Zatana told him with a wink. Kara slipped off her bracelet, her eyes immediately glowing.

"Whoa, just being friendly. No need to light me on fire, Superwoman. So what do you call yourselves?"

"Team…"

"We don't call ourselves that Ray." Speedy told him quickly.

"Every Earth needs a doppleganger. This is the Justice League. I hope you have much to offer Zatana." J'onn told the woman, reading her mind and finding her extremely fascinating and dangerous. She was not a threat to them however. There was goodness in her and a sense of adventure to go along with great power.

"I thought we were going to go with Justice Society?" Cisco asked, a bit offended. J'onn looked at him, very annoyed.

"Society? This isn't the forties and we aren't going to be driving tiny cars in parades wearing stupid hats, we are preparing to fight a war." J'onn told him. "We are the Justice League. Welcome to the team Zatana."

"Okay," Barry started. "I guess we can go over skills later. Lets talk about the threat we are facing, Central City right now, Star City and if he gets past us then the rest of the world. All we know is he calls himself Prometheus and he is very smart, has a lot of high tech weapons, and has a serious grudge against anyone he considers a hero. I also know he doesn't have a chance in hell against all of us working together. Before I start, just so everyone understands, we are going to be a team. We are going to train together, work together. When one of us calls, the rest of us come. We watch each others backs, stand together, no room for egos. We have the best tech, the smartest people on the planet and Ray is paying for everything. If anyone doesn't want to be a part of this, I can appreciate that and thank you for your time. If you stay then you are in, 100% committed."

Barry and Kara looked around the room. No one stood up to leave.

"Okay then. Lets go over what we know about this guy…" Barry started before Kara stood up and ran for the trash can once again.

Cisco raised his hand.

"Since I am taking notes, should I add all the times Kara's vomits to the minutes of the first official Justice League meeting?"


	36. Chapter 36

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N As always thank you for the support. Your reviews keep me going. I really appreciate all the great reviews and the PMs from people encouraging me. I was getting worried about the word count and so forth but I don't care anymore. We are having fun so why stop right? Let the dice fall where they will and all that. Here is a somewhat fun chapter. I apologize as always for mistakes but I really want to try to get this out this morning so I can write the next big chapter this weekend and have it out by Sunday so here we go. Enjoy!

Chapter 36

The newly formed team had split up, those with superpowers, or in Ray's case, artificial superpowers, going to one training area to talk, and those without, to actually train. Kara walked to a room in the back she hadn't noticed before and was a little surprised to see Ray had built an archery range inside. She picked up a bow, similar to the one Thea carried, and nocked an arrow. Pulling back, she found it was a lot harder without super strength, very hard, but she made it, using her whole body. She briefly thought of taking her bracelet off but dismissed the idea. If she was going to survive, if her baby was going to survive, Kara could not rely on powers that may work or others to save her. It was why she had asked Carter, quietly, to buy her a gun and why she carried it in the bag she kept her uniform in. While she may not be able to be Superwoman, she could defend herself and her child. Unfortunately the Vegas call girl was correct, she would probably have accidentally shot herself or someone else.

Pulling back on the string as hard as she could and trying to keep her body somewhat straight, she let loose, the arrow flying six feet above the target, and the string snapping back to bite her finger hard, drawing blood. She did her best not to scream, instead holding her hand and bending over while cursing in her head. Noticing the blood, she slipped her bracelet off and watched the cut heal.

"Damn it that hurt!" she half whispered and half whimpered. Snapping the bracelet back on, looking at the target, and seeing how badly she missed angered her. She was not weak. She nocked another arrow, making sure to drop the bow this time, as soon as she fired.

In the combat area, Oliver held court, Nyssa standing in the background, waiting for him to shut up.

"The man we faced in Siberia knows many styles of martial arts. Worse, he knows mine, and Nyssa's and her father's all the way down to our tells that each of us have. He can use them and switch at will and is incredibly fast and strong. I am willing to bet he knows many more styles we haven't seen yet. So we are going to work on showing him something new. Split up and spar, then try to copy the other's fighting style. Thea, please spar with Alex, Dig with Sara."

"Alex and I can spar." Sara offered, with Alex rolling her eyes.

"I said spar, not an all out assault between two teammates who want to kill each other. If none of you want to do this, do whatever you want. I'm not a leader, just offering suggestions."

Oliver walked over to stand by Nyssa while the sparring groups took center stage and began.

"So any idea how to beat this guy?" Oliver asked her.

"Swords will be difficult since he is armor plated and apparently strong enough to move nimbly, fully suited. Breaking his neck is out, the helmet must have a back brace that prevents his neck from being twisted or lain back too far. Hand to hand, I would suggest employing his own tricks, changing styles and pacing, keeping him off balance. The strobes are very disorienting and have to go first. His hands are weaponized. He tossed a stun grenade that I didn't see and we are lucky it was only a stun grenade. His intention was not to kill all of us. He was testing us, perhaps hoping half of our party died."

"So you have no idea." Oliver translated.

"Of course I have an idea! I just haven't fleshed it out completely. I wonder if he is familiar with Tatsu's style?"

"Leave her out of this. She has found peace and lost enough."

Nyssa agreed, thinking of the woman, who while not a friend, was an equal in battle and one her and Oliver both respected greatly in addition to Oliver and her sharing a bond of close friendship. She would make a formidable ally and would help if Oliver asked, but after losing her son then later having to kill her husband in Nanda Parbat, she did deserve peace.

"I think perhaps you should have a chat with our missing leader, while I watch the group. Thea is not going to be able to match Alex's style wearing her uniform. It is to confining and limits the height of her kicks. Why she insists on the hood I will never know. She would be much better without it. The leather is not flexible enough either. She fights like Samurai, bows and blades but her hands and high kicks need much work. Alex cannot fight like this. She is to free spirited in her movements. It is a strength and weakness. A strength against someone larger and bulkier like Prometheus but a weakness if he can match her speed. Her advantage is she is always the fastest. Sara is the most vicious, a strength and weakness as well. John has come far but will always rely on brute strength and guns. Martial arts are not natural to him."

"They weren't for me either but when you have to survive anything can become natural." Oliver reminded her. "What is wrong with Kara and Barry that I need a chat with them for?"

"While your heterosexual life mate is with the rest of those who rely on unnatural power, his betrothed is nowhere to be found. Find her. This is not the time to be separating. She should be with the rest."

"So you go talk to her. You apparently got through to her before."

"Yes I did. She likes and respects me but in case you haven't noticed she looks up to you. It is similar in the way she looks to Alex still, when she is confused. You may wish for her and Barry to lead and I have no doubt that Allen can. If Kara were not in the state she is in, she would be leading as well. However, now she is in unfamiliar territory. She cannot help and is trying to redefine herself as a protector of her child rather than others and is at her most vulnerable. Not the best timing. Have a talk with her. She listens to you and more importantly, like Alex and myself she respects you."

Nyssa walked onto the mat, stepping in between Thea and Alex who were embarrassing themselves, trying to copy the other's style. Oliver looked around the lair and moved to the back. The lair seemed close to the size of a football field and there was much Oliver had not seen yet. He found a back room with a familiar blonde, who had just fired an arrow into the ceiling and nearly had her nose taken off when the twine snapped back.

"Any reason you are back here abusing the ceiling and your body with that bow?" the Arrow asked her. Kara shrugged and smiled.

"I'm scared of using the gun. I keep it around if I have to use it but I actually read a baby book last night. I took off my bracelet and read it in like ten seconds but I got the gist of it. Apparently once the baby's ears are formed they can hear sounds outside the womb, my heartbeat, muffled voices, things like that. If my baby has hearing like mine the sound of a gun going off could scare her. It would be really loud for her, especially if I am the one firing. So since I don't want my baby to be traumatized before she is even born, I thought a bow might be better. I did hit that one guy on the docks in the head with a knockout arrow so I must have some natural ability. Unfortunately it isn't very easy to do without my strength. I guess you were right. Without my powers I am at an extreme disadvantage."

"Why not take the bracelet off? It is probably time, since the baby doesn't appear to be growing faster than normal, to let some sunshine back into her life. She will probably absorb sunlight like before but it didn't accelerate growth then. Let Caitlin keep checking you everyday."

"How do you know how my baby is developing?" Kara asked, amused.

"I keep an eye on you. Stop wearing it all the time. Having your powers 90% of the time is better than 0%."

"And then when I need them and they aren't there? I'm puking my guts up today. Even now the thought of food makes me want to vomit. Mom said the deeper I get into the pregnancy, my powers will have to fade for my body to change, to grow. So I need to start learning to live without them now. I can't rely on them, I can't rely on Kendra and Carter. I am glad to have them but my child is my responsibility. So I need to defend myself. I can't spar, because I can't risk taking a shot in the abdomen. I can't fire a gun because I'm afraid of giving my baby a heart attack in the womb, and I suck at Kali sticks and a Bo staff. My self defense skills are subpar compared to everyone else but not bad. Not nearly good enough to hang with anyone out there though. That means I can't fight this guy and probably not fight any of his assassins and have a hope of winning. So the bow it is. But apparently I suck at this too. I may buy a silencer for my gun."

"That is one idea. Another is to help Barry lead this team so we can take this guy out quicker."

"I will, I am, or I'm going to. But right now those with superpowers are playing with their powers and those that aren't, are beating each other up. So I am doing something useful. Trying to anyway."

"Not one, Firestorm, Ray, whoever this Zatana is, Carter, Kendra, none of them have fought the type of enemies you, Barry and J'onn have. They don't know how to overpower someone by sheer force of will. They don't have you and Barry's experience. J'onn won't be here forever. It is up to you two to guide this team. That includes you Kara. I have to work to get better, we all do, but you have saved a planet, Barry has saved an infinite number of universes and they need that. Being a leader isn't always about who is the most powerful."

'Then why aren't you leading Oliver?' Kara challenged.

"Because I'm not you. I'm not Barry. People will follow me to a point, but they need true heroes to inspire them. People like you Kara, who despite what you think of yourself, see the best in everybody and everybody looks to you for the best. Does Ray have a kitchen in this place?"

"A kitchen? Yeah, I think I saw a room on the other side that had a small table and fridge in it."

"Good, lead the way."

Confused, Kara began walking, Oliver following. They both found there was a kitchen, the refrigerator stocked with Gatorade and beer. The beer did not surprise either of them. Oliver searched the cabinets and found a soup bowl. Taking the bowl to the sink he filled it with water and sat in on the small table.

"Sit."

Still confused, Kara did as he instructed.

"Take your bracelet off your right hand and put it on your left."

Bracelet changed, Kara sat, awaiting further directions.

"Slap the water with your right hand."

"Excuse me?"

"Slap the water. Slap it, don't slam your fist into it, not all the way to the bottom, slap the top of the water and pull back, it will splash and when it is finally empty, fill it back up and do it again."

"Why?"

"Two reasons. It will help you focus and it helps build arm strength. If you can do this all day, and from what I understand of your job you have quite a bit of time on your hands, your ability to throw more force with less effort will greatly improve. While you still can, I would suggest pull ups and pushups. If your body is going to change that means even at this level you can get stronger. Right now, I doubt you have the strength to aim and control a handgun. If you don't believe me try shaking Alex's hand instead of hugging her. Compare her grip to yours. Your tendons are not ready for this type of weapon, any type really. You want to get better, make yourself stronger. Focus on the bowl, slap the water. When it is empty, fill it up and do it again."

"For how long?"

"As long as it takes. One more thing, when it comes to archery, you don't just step in and do it. Yeah you had a lucky shot at the docks…" Oliver raised his hand, heading off her argument…" it was lucky, especially for Thea, but now, with human strength, you are not strong enough for the bow you were using. That bow you were using had a draw strength of 45 pounds. Thea doesn't use that strong of a draw. I use 60 pounds. You should be using 26 to 30. This does not diminish the effectiveness of it as a weapon. If you hit your target with that draw it is going to do damage. You have no idea about form. I can teach you the correct form, I can get you to hit a bullseye from twenty feet away and farther the better you get. But to become good enough to take an arrow, nock it, find a target and strike it in less than a second, takes years of practice. Years you can put into it. It is a discipline, it is not easy and that makes it worth doing. It will help you in everything, even when you have your powers 100% of the time. Everyday, when you aren't covering up Ray's stupid comments for the media, keep that bowl on your desk and practice, focus on the repetitive motion, and then at the end of the day, take the elevator in your office and come down here. I will be waiting for you and we will practice."

"You would do that?"

"For you? Yeah, no question. But you have to do something for me. Go over to those amateur hacks and teach them how to be superheroes so they don't get killed out there. They are yours now. Make them ready."

Kara nodded her head and turned to leave, then turned once again, surprising Oliver by hugging him. "I love you Ollie." He gave up after a second and with a smile, returned her hug. Without another word, she left.

Nyssa walked in a few moments after Kara walked out.

"Please tell me you aren't having her slap water."

"It's a good exercise."

"If you are stuck on an island and have nothing better to do. She needs to learn to shoot a gun. She doesn't have time to learn archery." Nyssa argued.

"She will learn discipline and she will learn how to use a gun. For now, lets get Sara to spar with Alex. $20 bucks on Sara."

"I would take that bet, however I wouldn't feel right about taking Thea's money."

"Oh, cheap shot Nyssa. Just remember, a broke billionaire is still a millionaire."

The two walked over to the training mat, while Kara joined Barry. Barry and the others were watching Zatana levitating a giggling Cisco in the air.

"What is this?" she asked Barry.

"Zatana showing off her magic. Apparently whatever she says as long as she says it backwards in a language she knows, will happen. At least to an extent of her will power."

"And how strong is her will power?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Barry told her, watching Cisco touch back down.

"Neat parlor trick." Kara told her.

"I am full of tricks. So you are the famous Superwoman? But you are without your powers now. Don't worry, I got you covered."

Kara unclasped her bracelet and handed it to Barry.

"What bad guys have you fought?" she asked the magician.

"Oh quite a few. John and I have gotten into a bit of trouble together. Things you couldn't imagine, demons, witches, poltergeists. I can handle a man with advanced armor, fairly easily. It is just a matter of learning his true name, and I can bring him here immediately."

Kara looked at J'onn in his Hank Henshaw form, who rolled his eyes at the bravado of the woman.

"Uh huh. And you have to speak to cast these spells?" Kara asked for clarification.

"Yes, all I have to do is say whatever I wish…"

Before Zatana could finish her sentence, Kara had torn Cisco's t shirt from his body and stuffed it in the woman's mouth.

"So what happens when you can't speak?"

Zatana tried to spit the material out but couldn't, Kara's hand holding it strong.

"Too late. You are dead. If you are lucky you got shot in the head. I've been shot in the chest. It feels like I would imagine a bodybuilder swinging a sledge hammer into your body." Kara pulled the shirt out of Zatana's mouth. "You could be a great asset to this team. You could be very powerful, but you can also get killed or worse get others killed. I don't want that on my conscience. Those people fighting next to us? They are my brothers and sisters, the same as the people standing here are. Except Barry. He is just mine. They don't have super powers and they do not take anything for granted. Those of us who do have superpowers do not take anything for granted. When I am fully powered I am the most powerful women in this universe and I am not bragging, it is just a fact. Despite this I have had three bullets in my body and two nearly killed me. The man we are after is playing for blood. You join up, you become a target. Now are you here to help or grandstand? I need fighters, not stage acts."

Zatana looked at the blonde with more respect now. She wasn't sure where this Superwoman had ran off to before but this was not the woman she expected. When she arrived she saw a depowered, pregnant girl with morning sickness. Now she was seeing the woman she had heard about from stories Oliver Queen had told Constantine. This was the woman who threw Vandal Savage into space.

"I'm here to fight." Zatana told her.

"Good. Now lets be honest with each other. Have you ever fought someone who is human, strong, vicious and willing to kill an entire village just to play with your head?"

"No I haven't. But I would really like to get my hands on a man like that."

Kara smiled at her tone. She had the heart to fight.

"Then lets see what you got. Sara!"

Sara stopped sparring with Diggle and looked towards the training area with the super freaks.

"Yeah?"

"Could I borrow you for a minute?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the area, winking at Jax who gave her a grin. Jax had an idea what Kara wanted her to do and it wouldn't be pretty.

"Zatana is ready to play for blood. Would you attack her please?"

Sara smiled and without another word swung her bo staff at the woman.

"ffats nrut ot retaw!" Zatana shouted.

Before Sara's staff made contact it turned to water, soaking Zatana and spraying everyone close.

Everyone laughed including Zatana.

"I admit, that is cool. I need to go back to beating on Dig. Since Kara broke my last one, I'm kind of running short. Think you can give it back?"

Zatana reversed her spell, picked up the staff and tossed to Sara who gave her a nod and walked off.

"Very nice reflexes. How fast can you say a spell and how fast does it take effect? That was fast but can you be faster? If you say, make me bulletproof backwards and I wouldn't even know how that sounds, does it work or does it cover you in armor too heavy to move in? How long does it last? If you cast a spell to make you invincible and run towards gunmen, do you have to focus on the spell to keep it strong or do you lose it if you focus on the gunmen instead of the bullets hitting you? What if you cast another spell while you are bullet proof? Do you lose the invincibility?"

"I… I don't know. The enemies I have faced have been more of a supernatural kind. I haven't really dealt with bullets."

Kara smiled, glad the woman had admitted it.

"Then I guess we should work on it. Lets go over there and practice. Just don't do anything to hurt my baby or I'll melt your face off. Deal?"

Zatana smiled at the blonde. "I think I can manage that Kara."

While the two walked off, Barry looked at those remaining.

"J'onn is going to be fighting as Kara. We want Prometheus to think she is still in the game. J'onn can you fly as fast as Kara?"

"Of course! … not. But I am close. I can break the sound barrier. I haven't had a lot of practice until recently but I am faster than I thought I was."

"Kendra, Carter, how fast?"

"With a good tale wind I have hit Mach 2 I would guess. I can only judge that by distance I have traveled in a certain amount of time since I have never had a fancy lab filled with super nerds monitoring my every breath and bowel movement." Carter explained.

"Your jealous, aren't you?" Barry asked.

"Big time. It would be nice to be clocked. Kendra, you are the same speed, maybe a little faster, I'm a little stronger. She has sharper claws. The weapons we have won't break and can do quite a bit of damage to metals, including solid steel."

"Carter's mace can crush a car engine." Kendra continued. "The problem is when we are flying that fast, it is defensive or for travel. We can't turn on a dime at that speed like Kara or you when you run. Also in a city where there are tall buildings we can't build up that kind of speed. Still, we can maneuver fairly well at slower speeds. Our wings are pretty strong too, as Oliver's bike can attest too."

"Yeah, don't think I am ever giving you a chance to lift me off the ground again, Carter. That was not cool." Barry reminded him.

"You sent a couple thousand volts of electricity into me. We are even."

"Okay, so if he …"

"What about us?" Ray interrupted Barry. "Jax and me?"

'I know how fast Jax can fly. I have a pretty good idea how fast you fly. As fast as those rockets on your boots , shoulders and back can take you. I also know you are constantly looking for ways to be faster Ray. Its just who you are. You've both worked with Cisco and we have data. Cisco how is your work going with Harry on those vibration blasts?"

"Uh, you know Barry. Why you gotta call me out in front of the crew?" the man asked, not wanting to admit he hadn't gotten far.

"I asked you if you wanted to be down here or with the tech team. You said down here. We all need to know our progress. Not trying to call you out man, we just need to know, all of us. No holding back anymore." Barry explained. "If he attacks another city we are going to be the first to get there. We need plans. Who can do what and when. I am hoping… I am really hoping those who can't fly or run can be teleported by Zatana. When Kara is finished with her she can decide if it is worth the risk. Zatana teleported herself here. We can start with one of us, I nominate Oliver, and go from there. If she can't, we may be on our own for a while. Dr. Stein where are you and Jax with matter transmutation?"

"We have been working hard and I believe we have that skill nearly perfected. We don't even have to say anything backwards." Dr. Stein finished proudly.

"But its more fun to blow things up or fly through them, so if we see one of those giant robot things…" Jax started.

"Turn the legs to water, sand, anything you can think of, then the main body. That one in Siberia came equipped with missiles. When I hit it, I hit it with enough force to vaporize everything on it, missiles include. If you fire a nuclear blast at it, it could conceivably set all of them off and worse, turn the exploding metal radioactive. Take out the legs. I'm going to be doing the same thing, unless I can build up the speed to vaporize it. As of yesterday I can stand in front of a target and hit with… what were the readings Cisco?"

"About the force of a tomahawk missile." Vibe told him proudly.

"Which means I could set off the missiles too. We have to disable them. Cisco has an idea but I need to know how it is going to effect you two, Dr. Stein. He is developing arrows for Oliver and Thea that when struck will emit a short range EMP. How far do you have to be away from it so you won't be effected or if you will be at all? Think you and Cisco can figure that out?"

"Absolutely. I will get started tonight."

"What about Nyssa?" Ray asked. "Doesn't she want EMP arrows?"

"Nyssa refuses to fire any arrow that does not have a hard, sharp head." the Flash explained, all of them nodding agreement, not surprised in the least.

"That does bring up another point, Barry." J'onn said, prepared to ask the question no one wanted to ask. "What are the rules of engagement? Are we trying to stop this man, or kill him?"

No one said a word. Kara and Zatana were still talking away from everyone, Zatana focusing on transporting bowls of water, that Barry wasn't even sure where Kara found, but those at the sparring mats, stopped and listened.

He took a deep breath and looked around.

"Some of us have had to do some things we wouldn't normally do or have liked to do to find out information and what we have found out really only led us into a trap. This man is a killer, a mass murderer. That said, we aren't him. There won't be any need to torture anyone, since we have J'onn with us and he can read minds. Even if we didn't, we are going to find another way. We aren't going to be that, not anymore. If we are going to call ourselves the Justice League we have to have standards. We are going to try to take him alive and bring him to justice." Barry told the group.

"But we won't let him take another life." he continued, "If it comes down to him or us or especially an innocent and there is no other way, we kill him. Meeting adjourned. Let's keep working on our skills and in three days meet back up here. Harry is going to have coms for all of us. If something happens we will be notified immediately and able to respond and communicate with each other. Mari, do you have a place to stay?"

Mari had stayed quiet this entire time, listening, watching. She had never worked with anyone besides Oliver Queen while breaking Darhk's totem. She was not sure how she felt about all this and though she possessed the flight skills of multiple birds was fairly certain no bird could keep up with any of these individuals.

"Yeah, I'm going to get Ray's helicopter to drop me back off in Detroit. I'll be back in three days. I'm tracking a killer taking hookers off the street. I can't stay here the whole time. I'll be back."

Barry silently understood. He knew, ironically considering Oliver was here, that Mari was the one most used to working alone and may be the toughest to convince. It was best to give her time. Pressuring her would get them nowhere.

"I'll have it arranged. The chopper is on the roof right now actually. I just need to call the pilot." Ray offered, the two walking away.

Barry walked over to Kara who was laughing with Zatana. The sorceress was levitating ping pong balls and trying to control them in the air while Kara zapped them with heat vision.

"Where did you two find ping pong balls?" Barry asked, happy to see Kara having fun after a tense few days.

"I told her they were in Ray's game room on the fifth he thinks no one knows about. She just brought them here. Its pretty cool. She can't levitate and keep them protected though. We are working on it."

"Zatana, you got a place to stay?"

"I'll be staying at Ray's penthouse. He told me he is hardly there, so I should have privacy."

"Great. Kara you ready to leave? I need some air."

"Yeah, lets go. See you later Zatana." she walked off with Barry quickly, sensing something was wrong.

The two reached the ground level and walked to the street before she said anything. Once away from everyone, she stopped him.

"Whats wrong?"

Barry laughed quietly, wondering why he was surprised. She always knew when something was bugging him.

"Its a lot." he offered, with no further information. She understood.

"I know, but we can handle it. This has to happen, not just for our friends safety and ours but for people like those in that village or apartment building or the ones on the street those drones attacked."

"I know, its just, we are having a baby and getting married, and we bought a house and your birthday is in a few days. We should be having fun. I don't want to lose track of that. I want to be with you, not torn all over the place."

"We are not going to be torn away from each other. Where you are, I am. Why don't we go out tonight? We need to do something fun. Something just us?"

"You took your bracelet off. You are hungry aren't you?"

"That would be a good start." she smiled. "But what about that theater that is having the Kung Fu movie marathon? I bet we could watch a couple movies before I drag you to bed."

"Drag me to bed? You mean drive me crazy all night, right? Think we can move up the wedding?"

"I think… we can move up some things. You sort of drive me crazy too and I am thinking, that since I haven't been exactly practicing my religion in years and would pretty much be banished anyway…"

"You are serious? That was your idea."

"And I can change my mind. I need you. We haven't had a lot of alone time and I think we need to reconnect. Just the two of us. So horrible Chinese takeout, watch a few Kung Fu movies and then take me to bed and maybe take me?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." he admitted, pulling her in, enjoying the feel of her body close to his. Knowing their child was between them was pretty special too.

"You're tired. You have been working to hard. I know why Barry, but training hard is one thing. Becoming obsessed is another. I need you to be you. We both do, me and our child."

"I'll do anything to protect you two Kara. I have to…"

"And you will, but what you have, this power, its because of who you are. If you turn your focus completely on him, then you are going to be depressed, distracted. We are fighting to live so lets live, right? Maybe I should take some time off and come with you while you work out in the mornings."

"No. You love your job, I know you do. I'll be better. I'll stop obsessing."

"Its not that you are obsessing. You just have your reasons all wrong." she told him.

"What are you talking about? My reason is you and our child."

"Your reason is fear. You are letting fear push you to be better. Fear of losing us, fear of letting others down, fear of failure. I've had all those reasons too but Nyssa made me realize fear wasn't why I am fighting. I fight because I love. Let your reason be love. It wasn't fear that got you across the Bering Strait, it was love for our family. Thats the advantage we have over this guy. We love and he can't. He may think he has his reasons but he doesn't know what he is fighting for. If he doesn't know how can he win? So relax and focus on love, okay?"

Barry smiled, kissed her softly and the two walked hand in hand towards the closest Chinese restaurant. The faster Barry could feed her and get through these movies, the faster he could have her in bed and Barry was all about speed.

"And I do think I am going to take a couple days off, give Kendra and Carter a break from sitting around an office all day. I'm going to relax and start looking for furniture and maybe read a few more horror novels like What to Expect When You Are Expecting. We can have breakfast and lunch together. We can just be us. You still need a tux, we have cake to taste and we are going to start having fun with it."

"Sounds good. I might slip off early for the next few days. Maybe we can pick out some paint for our little boy's room." Barry offered.

Kara stopped and glared. "I told you I know what our baby is. We can pick out paint for our little girl."

"I don't know. I think Kid Flash is a dude. I'm thinking red with a big lightning bolt painted on the wall over his bed."

"Want to bet?"

"Terms?" Barry snapped. He lost most bets to Kara but never minded. The terms were usually light hearted.

"When we find out she is a girl you are wearing a blue suit for a week with my family crest. I think it will look good on you. Every time you are out in public saving the day, you are going to be in my colors, so Central City and the world knows who the top dog is in our partnership."

"Oh really? And I suppose when we see our little boy for the first time, Cisco will have the remainder of your pregnancy to get a red suit ready for you with a lightning bolt chest piece? I'm going to make Iris start calling you Mrs. Flash in the paper if this happens."

"It won't happen. Want to up it to a month?"

"You are on Woman of Steel. Hey, uh… I'm kinda tired and…"

"You want to eat, skip the movie and go to bed with me right?" she guessed, already thinking the same.

"Yeah…"

"And something tells me you won't be tired in bed, will you?"

"Nope."

Kara sighed, trying to seem put out. "I suppose but remember, I've only done this three, four times and they all kind of ran together in one night so you are still going to have to take it easy."

"I promise, no vibrations." Barry swore.

"Uh, lets not go crazy. I didn't say I was made of glass…oh hold on." Kara took out her phone and dialed Eliza. "Hey Mom?"

"Yes? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great but you told me from now on if I have a question about my physiology I ask you right?"

"Yes…"

"Okay so, just to make sure, there is no chance a Kryptonian can have twins by having sex during a pregnancy right? I mean another baby isn't going to pop up on the next scan? Because while it sounds absurd that just seems like the kind of thing that could happen to me."

"No Kara, you won't have an additional baby every time you have sex. At least, I don't think so. Everything about your pregnancy except for the solar powered Ecstasy trip seems to be the same as a humans. Thinking about your wedding night?"

"Nope, a lot sooner, love you!"

Kara ended the call and looked at a very amused Barry. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh yeah. No twins?"

'Better. Feed me and I will show you."

Thirty minutes later the two had arrived at Kara's apartment, fried rice cartoons still in hand but nearly empty. After eating two large portions of Chow Mein, and six pot stickers for Kara, she led Barry to the bedroom and walked into her closet, leaving him on the bed.

"You are doing good right? No morning sickness right now?" he asked to be sure.

"Yeah, that was earlier. I'm good now. Close your eyes."

Barry leaned back on the bed, and closed his eyes, imagining what sort of lingerie Kara had been saving. He heard her admonish him to keep his eyes closed, heard her walk out of the bedroom, something opening and a few minutes later, she was at the door again.

"Okay, you may open your eyes now."

Barry saw what she was wearing was better than any lingerie.

"Wow. You… uh… wow. This is… you brought it with you?"

"Of course."

Kara stood in the doorway, her old glasses on, wearing a very familiar yellow dress, licking an ice cream cone.

"Wow. You have any idea what you licking that cone made me think about when I first saw you?"

"I bet you weren't thinking about finding a way back to your Earth, were you?"

Kara moved over to the bed and offered her cone.

"Want a bite?" she grinned. Barry took the cone, moved towards the kitchen and deposited it in the trash and was back before she could blink.

"Yeah, I want a bite."

While Barry and Kara were becoming reacquainted hoping Kryptonians weren't impregnated every time they had sex, Nyssa, Alex and Cisco were still at Ray's lair while Alex looked over her newest toy.

"A helmet? Really Cisco? How is she supposed to fight in a helmet? Fighting is an art form. This will be like trying to ice skate wearing a hockey helmet." Nyssa complained.

"You know what hockey is?" he asked, surprised.

"Perhaps you should remember that I was given an education that would put most Harvard graduates to shame. I also have a very in-depth knowledge of human anatomy."

"At least Alex's right?"

Cisco's laugh was cut short when he saw neither women were laughing.

"Sorry, bad joke. Totally inappropriate."

Nyssa was still glaring.

"Nyssa, I'm sorry but you are around us too much now. You just aren't that intimidating…"

Cisco stopped talking when the woman stepped inches from his face, looking into his eyes. Cisco felt like he was looking at death.

"Okay!" he told her, throwing his hands up and backing away. "You are still scary as hell. Chill woman! Would you just try the helmet Alex? Put the suit on, load up and spar with her."

"A helmet will get her killed!"

"That helmet is bulletproof. A mortar round isn't going through it. Her entire suit is resistant to tears even from a bullet and her back and front torso are covered in my own body armor design, thin, effective and an improvement I made on Oliver's body armor he got from the League of Assassins. With this suit and helmet not one single part of her body will be able to be stabbed. Her internal organs will be protected from the blunt force of a bullet by the armor. The helmet has a pressure sensitive air cushioning system, meaning the second it feels anything racing towards it at the speed of a bullet, it will protect her brain from the blunt force by increasing internal cushioning with compressed air so her skull won't crack. I don't send my team out there with anything less than the best Nyssa! Scare me all you want but I take this very seriously and I am very good at what I do. Alex, will you please try it on with your suit so I can convince Nyssa that this is the best battle armor you can wear that still allows you to fight effectively?"

Alex put a hand on Nyssa's shoulder before she could blow up again and took the garment and helmet to the back. The outfit was unique, while it appeared to be one Lycra suit it was actually a top and bottom that folded seamlessly together with a lightweight black seamless belt blending the two. She looked at the helmet, black like the rest of the outfit but silver Valkyrie wings engraved on the sides. Slipping on the pants, she was glad to feel they were very flexible. Halfway between each hip and knee was a holster that was streamlined into the suit, barely noticeable. She placed both her weapons in the holster and moved, pleased to see that even with the weapons, her ability to kick wasn't hampered. Then she slipped the top on. It had the feel of Lycra, the only difference was the barely noticeable thickness of the body armor. If someone had given this to her in the past and told her it would protect against bullets she would have laughed. It was flexible, bent, folded and twisted easily. In the center of her chest was a silver symbol she had only seen her sister wear before. The coat of arms of the House of El, exactly the same size as Kara's. Touching the center she felt the small hidden camera lens, and knew the plate went to the very bottom of the armor. Inside this symbol was a GPS chip, nano tech bio scanners, monitoring her vital signs and a defibrillator should she ever need one. She wasn't sure how he put all this in there but knew he had.

She slipped the boots on, basic tactical boots but light weight with better grip. Slipping her gloves on she was surprised that they had also been streamlined since Siberia, molding to her hands better. She slipped the belt on, and placed her Kali sticks into the holders on the sides and her tonfa on her back holsters, crossing each other but secure, not swinging. In each boot she had a dagger.

Looking at the helmet, her first thought had been it resembled Ray's. While black with the wings engraved in silver, it wrapped around her neck and under her chin. Her mouth was unprotected but the visor would cover her eyes and nose. Pressing the button on the back, she nearly jumped when the helmet split, retracting into a inch thick ring. Slipping it over her neck, she pressed the button again, her head being wrapped in a light weight plastic Cisco had developed, the back and sides of her head being wrapped as well as her chin being covered. Alex was pleased to see she had enough give to be able to talk. Despite her ears being covered she could hear better than ever, even hearing Nyssa bitching at Cisco back at the training area. The helmet pressed into the grooves of the body armor over her shoulders right at the base of her neck. The visor had been dark but her eyesight was fine, no peripheral vision hampered. Turning her head to the right and left, it wasn't as awkward as she feared, different no doubt but the weight ratio compared to her old tach helmet was much better and that one just covered the top of her skull.

Alex walked onto the mat, and both Cisco and Nyssa shut up.

"Now that is badass, Cisco style Nyssa. Tell me that isn't the bomb!"

Alex smirked, recognizing the look in Nyssa's eyes. Apparently her girlfriend approved of the tightness of her new garment.

"You uh… you certainly fill it out well, Alex."

"Thank you dear."

"Okay Alex, the helmet is voice operated, but all it takes is a whisper. Let me turn off the lights."

Running over to the console on the far wall, Cisco pitched the lair into complete darkness.

"Whisper night vision!"

Alex did so and the visor came alive. She could make out everything, Nyssa, the tables, the mats, the consoles and Cisco at the far end. The lights came back on and the vision faded back to normal without any word from Alex.

"It has an auto correct. In case someone throws a flash grenade at you, it will filter the brightness but not stay on night vision until you say it again. If room lights come on it automatically goes back to regular vision. Now I'm going into that Archery room Kara nearly killed herself in earlier. When I close the door, whisper infrared."

Alex waited and as soon as the door closed she did so. Her vision remained the same except for the form of Cisco Ramon, represented in red, walking behind the wall.

"Can you hear me?" he asked behind the door in a normal tone. Even from thirty yard away Alex made it out perfectly.

"This is amazing." Alex whispered.

Cisco ran towards her with a huge smile. "It's still a work in progress. I have plans to add X ray capabilities. I just have to figure out his to get it into the visor. I also have to make sure it doesn't expose you to any radiation that can give you brain cancer. That would suck. Okay X Ray is going to take some time so you may have to rely on little sis to see cold objects through walls but you can see people. What do you think? Its freakin cool right?"

"It is cool Cisco. This whole thing feels amazing. You are a genius…"

Alex stopped her praise in time to block a high kick leveled at her head from Nyssa. She jumped back and took a casual stance, her eyes never leaving her lover.

"Leave us Cisco. I will decide if this outfit is suitable."

"Okay then… Let me know how it turns out."

Once Cisco had left, really wanting to watch but deciding the thrill wasn't worth his life, the two women circled each other.

"You look so amazing, Alex. I want to throw you on this mat and take you now." Nyssa whispered.

"So why don't we…" Alex started before she felt a kick to the ribs followed by another to the side of her head, sending her to the mat.

"Never get distracted in a fight, even by someone as beautiful as I am. Get up Valkyrie. Let's see what you have." Nyssa told her, grinning. Alex smiled and stood, prepared to spar, or as they liked to call it, foreplay.

The next morning, a very relaxed and happy Kara woke up in Barry's arms, to the smell of coffee. Despite being very comfortable the smell was too tempting. Figuring that bringing them both back a cup would give her a reason to wake Barry up, and perhaps continue where they had left off clinched the decision for her. Slipping on her panties and Barry's shirt from the floor, she snuck out, grateful that Caitlin had made a pot. As soon as she walked to the machine she was met by a person she didn't expect.

"Winn?"

"Kara? I didn't think you would be up this early… wearing that. You uh… yeah…"

Kara looked at herself quickly and jumped back, grateful at least that Barry's tee went past her waist, for the most part. Then she noticed what Winn had on.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to see you here… in nothing but boxers."

The two stared at each other for a moment, mortified.

"You know, I never really thought I would have a more awkward moment with you than the time I tried to kiss you but…"

"Yeah… this is right up there. Not as bad as when I saw you having sex with Siobhan though. We should probably slowly back away and forget this ever happened. Uh … so I guess… I mean I hope and pray that Caitlin is home?"

Caitlin picked that moment to walk in, yawning, hair a mess wearing only a very small nightgown.

"Wow, I didn't figure you would be up this early. Wild night huh? I didn't understand half the words you were saying. Were they Kryptonian or English through severely vibrated vocal cords?" Caitlin asked, pouring a cup of coffee.

Kara ignored the question, not wanting to answer that the answer was both. "So Winn… you stayed the night? I mean wow, I knew you two liked coffee…"

Cailtin walked back to the bedroom, still half asleep. "Going back to bed. Winn, follow."

"I guess I should probably go with her."

"Yeah. Good idea. Uh, we need to talk, so I will put some pants on and you put… clothes on and meet me back here in five."

"Okay…" Winn walked off a bit confused. He had planned to spend the next few days avoiding talking to Kara.

Five minutes later he emerged fully dressed, to see Kara had at least put on pajama bottoms.

"So I guess you want to talk to me about Caitlin huh? Probably wondering where that came from?"

"No not really. Uh, that is between the two of you. I mean I think its great, my best guy friend, my best girlfriend…"

"Really? Thanks Kara…"

"You hurt her and I will fly you around the globe a few times before I fry a part of your body you are really going to miss."

Winn gulped. "Understood. Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"No, I need a favor. I need a suit. Like my old one."

"Uh, why? I thought you liked your high tech suit? You didn't want anything to do with Supergirl."

"Yeah, no I don't. But I want a suit, just like the one I had and you have to keep it to yourself. Don't let anyone, especially your roommate know."

"Why? I mean sure, but do you want to hang it… your old one is already on the wall. Why would you want another one?"

"Because, last night Barry and I were remembering the first time we met, I wore the dress I had on that day and my glasses. He really liked it so I was thinking for the wedding night…"

"You want me to recreate your costume for role play."

"No! Uh… yeah?"

"You want me to make superhero themed lingerie for you." Winn sighed.

"If you don't want to, just remember that time I took all those bullets for you when the FBI tried to kill you. Just keep that in mind."

"Fine. Do I even need to bother with the leggings?"

"Nah… no yeah! Yeah, I want the leggings. I want everything the same. I can use the boots I have and of course the cape but yeah, everything else, exactly the same."

"Okay. As long as we can forget the moment we had five minutes ago, I will make your wedding night lingerie and keep it a secret."

"Thanks Winn."

"Until after the wedding, then I am telling everyone. Oh by the way, are the measurements the same or have you started…" Winn stuck his stomach out.

"My measurement are exactly the same, jerk. Go back to bed. You might want to turn the TV up because I am about to wake Barry."

"Dang, shy little Kara Danvers getting grown up. Look at you."

Kara laughed and then her face grew serious. "I knew you two were seeing each other and I think its great. She is just one of the most amazing people I have ever known and she has been through so much. Take care of her. Someone needs to love her the way she deserves. I'm glad it's you." Kara wrapped Winn in a hug and walked back to the bedroom.

Barry arrived at work two hours late, but very happy, being dropped off at the door by Kara who exchanged greetings with every officer who was in the precinct, promising to bring breakfast tacos the next morning. She strolled to her office prepared to inform her boss she would be taking vacation time that she wasn't sure if she actually had nor did she care. Of course she hadn't made it a block away from the station when Carter and Kendra began waling by her side.

"Good morning my warriors. Guess what? We are taking some vacation days."

"Sweet. Where are we going?" Carter asked.

"Nowhere. I just want some time, you guys need some time to yourselves, Barry kind of needs extra attention right now. I think he is really over stressing and trying to hold it in. So the two of you can do whatever you want! Have fun!"

"We go where you go." Carter told her.

"I'm… thats not necessary though. I won't be at work so …"

"We go where you go. We are your body guards. Maybe you don't like that, but it is what we are and we take what we are seriously."

"But… I'm going to be with Barry a lot…"

"And when you aren't with Barry, we will be with you." Kendra explained.

"Fine. Carter you can help me shop for colors for the baby's room, and furniture, I want to get an idea at least. We can head to the house, I'm going to need to figure out what sort of living room furniture a bed, oh a baby bed, a bassinet, it is probably going to have to be a really strong bassinet. This is going to be fun!"

Carter groaned.

"But first, business. Was the operation carried out successfully?" she asked.

"The operative came through, the information was good and the execution was clean. I am certain you will approve of the results, my Queen."

"You are so cool, Carter. Kendra were you there?"

"Like I was going to miss that. I actually taped some parts, so only the red was changed. I think he is going to like the results."

Kara high fived Kendra and the three walked into Palmer Tech. Once upstairs Kara walked in and found an irate Ray Palmer leaning against her desk, arms crossed.

"How did you do it?" he asked.

"He has broken security protocols. Shall I forcibly remove him my Queen?" Carter asked.

"Of course not Prince Khufu. This is his building. He can stay in my office for a few moments."

"Cut the crap Kara. How did you do it?"

"Do…"

"You painted my suit pink!. Maybe not you but one of your goons. But how? How did you get into the case? It is protected by a palm reader and I know that no one cut off my hand!"

"He is a genius." Carter admitted.

"You say your whole suit is pink?"

"You know it isn't Kara. It is silver and pink. How did you do it? I know that neanderthal isn't smart enough to get passed my security system."

"Watch how you speak of Prince Khufu! As far as how though, you are correct. It would take a hacker of amazing skill to break any security measures you have in place, being the genius that you are. Of course everyone I know of that caliber is already on your team. I mean no one would betray you, right Ray? Its not like my best friend for years, Winn would ever turn against you, just because I have saved his life a few times and we have always been there for each other in good times and bad. Or Felicity either, the woman you tricked into taking on your responsibilities and I then saved her life, and have lunch with her and Caitlin twice a week at least. Maybe… no it couldn't be Curtis, just because I am his favorite superhero and he knows even if he turned against you, there wouldn't be much you could do about it. I mean his brain is where the best ideas for your company have come from lately. He is adorable too, always asking me to sign his action figures. Of course he wouldn't turn on you. Who else could do it? Oh what about Cisco? No, Cisco would never do anything like that, even though we are like siblings and on the same team. He is obviously loyal to you. Its not like he and my fiancé are closer than blood. I can see your dilemma. If I were in your pink metal boots, I would be paranoid about everyone I felt I could count on. Who knows who is truly on your side and who is a spy? Probably shouldn't trust anyone Ray. I just came in to let the PR staff know I will be taking some time off and calling the Star City office, so all calls for interview requests can be routed through them. Then I will be gone for a while."

"A while? What do you mean a while? How long?"

"I haven't decided yet. I wasn't feeling great last night. My birthday is tomorrow, Barry has been stressing and needs me around more. Maybe a week or two."

"Kara you don't just get to take a week or two off. You know this."

"Uh…thats funny, because it seems like I just did. You could fire me?"

"You are not getting fired. I don't care how much you want to be. You want to take time off? Go for it. Take as much as you need, but I know that you will get bored watching Barry zip all over the place. You will be back and I promise you when you return…"

"You are going to have something that shocks me, a pregnant woman, so much that I could fall over, or pass out, and probably require medical assistance from my mother, my sister and her pacifist girlfriend Nyssa, Caitlin, my father… yeah my father, he would probably be so worried about me. I'm sure when you tell him it is a prank war he will understand. It's not like he is way overprotective of me. But Barry… Ray, he is so on edge lately I swear I think he would phase a hand through anyone who bumped into me. I suppose I could talk to Oliver and tell him I am worried about you playing a horribly frightening joke on me. He probably knows how to keep calm no matter the circumstances. When I explain to him that I think you may attempt something to shock me, I have no doubt he will have a perfect way to help me deal with the trauma. So do what you have to do Ray. I understand and I am ready to take whatever prank you have waiting. Balls in your court genius billionaire."

"Thats… that's not fair, Kara."

"You told me never to start a prank war with a childish billionaire who has too much time and money on his hands? A little advice Ray, never continue a prank war with an adorable alien who has very loyal and very powerful friends and family. Now you be good and don't say or do anything stupid that I am going to have to cover up in the media while I am off. We wouldn't want me to be stressed, would we?"

"No… this isn't…"

"It's over." Carter finished. "Take your pink suit to a body shop and have it redecorated if you want. I think I did a rather stylish job but I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Ray stood for a moment and looked at all three, speechless. Drawing himself up, he straightened his tie and walked out, completely terrified that due to violent friends, over protective family and possible turncoats in his own camp he could be on the verge of losing a prank war for the first time in his life. It was fine, he just needed a bit of time. This was not the end.

"Well, thats over." Kendra commented, seeing the defeated look on Ray Palmer's face.

"Well done, my Queen. That is why you have mine and my Priestess's undying loyalty." Carter told her, exchanging fist bumps with the her teammate.

"You two pulled it off." Kara reminded him.

"And it was your genius idea, plus using his own people against him? You would have been a marvelous Pharaoh. I would have just flown him into the stratosphere and dropped him. So are we going to steal his credit card to go furniture shopping?"

"No we aren't stealing any credit cards. That's been done. I am thinking of having some baby furniture put in the office though and since it is for my office, Palmer Tech can pay for that. I can get some POs from accounting. Nothing much, just a bed, a play pen, maybe one of those swings… oh a giant mobile! I love birds, you know I told you that, we could have a giant mobile with different colored birds hanging from the office wall. That would be so cool. Oh plus a diaper genie and changing table for Ray's office. I can't keep dirty diapers in here. That just isn't happening."

"Sweet, lets go find some office baby furniture." Kendra agreed and led the way.

Three hours later Kara and her posse met Barry, Alex and Nyssa for lunch. Barry looked much more relaxed and admitted he had a better day than any recent days. He had given a lot of thought to his motivations and admitted that while he was making great progress, he could probably make better progress with the right mental approach. The group was scheduled to meet back together tomorrow and would have to decide on many things, chief on Barry's mind was how much the group should use and work with A.R.G.U.S. Barry trusted Lyla but also recognized that Lyla may not always be at the top. He also knew Kara would be very opposed to having anything to do with any Government agency, even knowing how much she loved Diggle. Kara would know that things could change quickly when dealing with agencies like that one.

Despite this, Barry also knew that even with all the talent they had on the team, Felicity, Winn, Curtis, Cisco, they were not as good at digging up intel as A.R.G.U.S. Amanda Waller had a file on Deadshot before the rest of the world had ever heard of him. Barry knew enough about what happened to the man who tried to kill his future mother in law to know that man was still alive and not happy about it. He didn't want the League to become that, but would it be right to push the dirty parts off on others? By asking A.R.G.U.S. to torture someone for information, weren't they guilty of the same thing? Did it matter? If that man was tortured but gave up information that could save thousands of lives did that make it right?

Seeing Kara glowing right now, let him take his mind off those things. The memory of her under him last night, knowing she would be with him tonight, every night, seeing her dressed casually in her blue jeans and red turtleneck and the brown leather coat he had bought her, smiling and laughing, made his heart a little lighter. None of them had any worries at the moment.

Until everyone's phones alerted at once. Taking a look at the text, Barry and the others slipped coms in their ears.

"Overwatch?"

"It's war everybody. Machines like we saw in Siberia, drones all over the place. The National guard is trying to respond but they have came out of nowhere. I'm tracking six of those damn tank things and at least ten drones in the air. They are firing at will."

All stood up and looked toward the sky, listening for explosions. The day was cloudy but quiet, even for Central City.

"Where Felicity?"

"Detroit. He is hitting Detroit. Get everybody at S.T.A.R. The only way we can get there in time is if this magic girl can figure out a way to transport there. Detroit is 1100 miles away."

"Get Mari on the com." Kara told her.

"I'm trying, she isn't answering. Her GPS chip isn't picking up. I'm not sure if she ever turned it on."

"Don't you dare." Kara told her fiancé before he could take off. He agreed and picked her up, zipping to the lab, Both arrived while the entire staff of S.T.A.R, were gathered around Felicity and Cisco.

"This is bad. All hell is breaking loose man." Cisco told him.

"Zatana is on her way." Ray informed the team, running in, followed by Kendra and Carter who must have suited up and flow there after Barry and Kara disappeared.

"This doesn't make sense." Kara whispered.

"It doesn't have to. The man is a maniac." Ray reminded her. "He obviously watched Mari leave for Detroit, he knows who we all are. He is going after her."

"No, he may be a maniac but he is also a very smart one. He could have taken her down at any point and not used the tech he is exposing now. He knows we will come and he knows we can destroy it. He wants to find out how fast we can get there, and…"

"And what?" Oliver asked, walking in to hear Kara's thoughts and liking where she was going.

"He doesn't need this much tech to take out Mari, he needs this much to draw us there." Kara finished.

"Because he doesn't want us here. But we don't have a choice. We can't just ignore this." Barry reminded the group.

"I'll get us there. I need a door. I can enchant it to open into Detroit. How soon can everyone be ready?" Zatana asked, hurrying in on her stiletto boots.

"Cisco stay here and lock down S.T.A.R." Barry told him. "Stay," he pointed at Kara, "if anything happens, get everyone to your room. No one can get in there but you."

"And if he attacks the police station, or a school?"

"Then we will come back."

"If she has the strength to bring you all back." Kara countered.

"We have to go. I can go by myself…"

"No you can't. All of you go. I got this. We will lock the place down and if anything happens, we will handle it." Kara told him confidently, not feeling very confident.

"You sure? I can leave…"

"No. Everybody suit up and get to Detroit before more lives are lost." the blonde ordered.

Prometheus watched the news from an abandoned warehouse, three miles from S.T.A.R. labs. The destruction was impressive. He may actually retain some of his drones. He knew the Mechs would be lost but really didn't mind. He could care less about Mari McCabe, the so called Vixen, and he could care less about the city of Detroit. This was simply an exercise and an opportunity.

Prometheus placed his Helmet on, feeling the link surging into his skull.

"Have there been any departures from S.T.A.R. yet?"

"No sir." His lieutenant told the man. Before he could ask for a visual confirmation, the Detroit news reported something very interesting.

"How did they get there so quickly? They must have developed a teleportation machine! Genius. Run facial recognition from the drones. I want to know who is there."

"There is a red streak running around, evacuating people, cant make out a face, obviously Allen. Two bird people in the sky we haven't classified yet, the Firestorm Matrix, a guy in a pink … pink? Yes, its definitely Palmer. On the ground, we have… there, the Queens. I can't see Nyssa or Lance. Drone four just sighted John Diggle. Still looking for…"

"Nyssa is too smart to be seen and Lance is no doubt near her as is her new girlfriend. Is Superwoman in the sky?"

"No sir."

"Thermal scan on the lab?"

"The new roof is resistant to thermal scan."

"It doesn't matter. Allen and Queen's new friends are in Detroit and Superwoman is vulnerable. She would not have stayed behind if she wasn't. They have technology I want. Send the strike team in. I want one of their technical support staff taken alive and murder the rest, including Superwoman. I can drop her body from a chopper in front of the police station. I suppose the Flash won't have his wedding after all. Strike now. We have no way of knowing if they can teleport back until we have that machine."

"Ordering strike now. Teams go!"

Four large moving vans pulled up in front of S.T.A.R. dozens of black clad men jumping out the back. Three ran to the large front door and helped mount a rocket launcher on a tripod. Five seconds later the secure front door of the giant lab was now a smoking hole.

Twenty men rushed into the hallways, winding around until the rooms appeared, spreading out and controlling them. In front of a semicircle of monitors a frightened group of men and women looked up, including a blonde all recognized as Kara Zorel, as ten men ran in.

Not wasting time, the men in the front opened fire, automatic weapons spraying thousands of rounds into the mass of bodies.

The black clad raiders were not certain why the bodies were still standing. Stepping closer, one moved to touch Kara Zorel, his hand going through the incredibly life like hologram. The hologram smiled and lifted her middle finger.

"You could have just knocked. We've been expecting you." the blonde told the confused group.

The holograms faded, distracting the men, so they did not have time to react to the scalding rays of heat from the back that crossed the room, burning each severely, injuring but not killing. Kara wanted them alive, as many would let them anyway.

The Arrow, Valkyrie, Canary and Nyssa stepped into the room of men rolling on the ground, groaning from the burns across their arms and torsos. Kara nodded to the four and ran out, going back to her room to protect her family and friends with Cisco and Harry who was armed. As the men began to recover, the four attacked, while their teammates were fighting a war in Detroit, including the Martian Manhunter who shifted his form from the Green Arrow to Superwoman in an alley and resumed fighting.

 **A/N Next chapter we get to see what is going on in two cities. That should be fun to write, Two major battles in two different sites at the same time. I'm getting a headache thinking about it already.**


	37. Chapter 37

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Okay, I hope I did this chapter justice. Writing action scenes are tough, especially two at once in different cities. I hope I did it decently. Thank you all for continuing to review this story. It isn't over yet, we have a ways to go, but if we should get near a million words I will split it up into two stories. For those guests that were wondering, MM will eventually head back to his own Earth, only here now to assist the newly formed team. Okay let me know if I pulled this off okay.

Chapter 37

 **Central City**

While Kara used her X ray vision to move quickly to her room and dozens of Prometheus's men took control of the various laboratories in the massive complex, four individuals were looking over a mass of men lying on the ground in the main control room, in agonizing pain due to third degree burns caused by Kara's heat vision. The Arrow dressed out, bow in hand, shot a man on the floor in the middle of the room, in the back. The arrow head struck home, sending an arc of electricity across the floor and stunning all into unconsciousness. Valkyrie, fully suited out, the Canary, in her white and Nyssa, fully armored in her League gear, bow in hand, stilled until they were assured the men were completely out.

"Felicity, what are you seeing?" Oliver asked in the com. Felicity who was in Kara's room with the rest of the tech support group, checked the motion sensors in the Lab.

"They are all over the place, searching. I don't think they are searching for people either. Looks like they are just searching each room, looking at equipment, not in a hurry to leave."

"We split up and take rooms individually. Can everyone handle a room?" he asked.

"Yep." Alex answered, feeling the question was directed at her. She didn't take offense, none had seen Alex take on multiple enemies at once, but the brunette knew that she could. Nyssa was a bit more nervous and Alex noticed.

"I got this. Trust me." Nyssa gave her agreement with a look, one of the many silent communications the two had developed. Pulling the tonfas from her back, she used her infrared to check for hostile and saw them all over the place.

The four ran into the hallway and split, moving to various labs. Oliver stepped into Harry's workspace and saw five men looking at his various weapons, hopefully not knowing how to use them and not wanting to give any of them the chance to find out. He slipped a special boomerang, a gift from a friend in another universe, out from behind his quiver and tossed. Only having a few weeks of practice, he was pleased with the results, taking four men out. The fifth turned, rifle in hand, only to find a flechette buried in the soft underside of his elbow freezing his arm, followed by a fist, sending him unconscious to the floor.

While Oliver cleared Harry's room, Alex silently slipped into Ray Palmer's work shop and found six men looking with interest at the suit he kept at S.T.A.R. in an inch thick glass case. Hearing her enter, thinking it was one of their teammates, the woman attacked, jumping between the men and swinging. Arms guarded by the tonfa, the jaws of the men suffered, in close quarters with the smaller figure. One managed to hit her in the back of the head, not effecting her in the least. She turned and kneed the man in the groin, then swung the tonfa in her hand by its horizontal grip, catching his jaw, shattering his front teen and knocking him to the ground. The hostiles had been neutralized but for the sake of thoroughness she fired knock out darts in all of them. She would use the bullets until they ran out then the others were ready. A scream three rooms away caught her attention and she ran.

 **Detroit**

The Flash had seen much death and destruction over his career as a superhero and CSI but not even the attack in Central City had this much carnage. Downtown Detroit looked nothing short of a war zone one might see in the Middle East. Deciding immediately to evacuate the hundreds of people still trapped or frozen in fear, Barry moved, grabbing two at a time and clearing the area.

The Hawks, mace in Carter's hand and sword in Kendra's, began attacking the nimble drones, who unlike the ones in Central City were firing bullets from their cannons.

"J'onn, Firestorm can you take out the Mechs on the ground? Zatana, how are you doing?" Barry asked, while continuing to move surprised and frightened people a half mile away from the battle zone. Police had arrived and were being destroyed, barely making it to cover before their units were struck.

"I'm… I'm good." the woman told him but he could hear the fatigue in her voice. Apparently transporting a group of people 1100 miles takes a lot of of a magician. Barry was just grateful she could do it and wanted her to remain unharmed.

"Find a safe place for a while, take those stilettos off in case you have to run and recover your strength. Thea, you have the arrow?"

"Copy, about to strike now."

Speedy jumped into a street, faced a drone swooping down towards her, guns blazing and fired. The arrow struck and she dove out of the way of the strafing. The EMP blast was nearly silent, but an unfortunate side effect was the coms in all their ears went dead. The drones however kept flying and the mechs kept moving.

J'onn, disguised as Kara, having realized this, landed on top of a mech and reached in, feeling around. He felt something emitting power and ripped, pulling a power cell out and depowering the machine. Firestorm landed next to another one, close enough that he could get a close look at the monstrosity, Two tank tracks moved the machine along, solid steel legs ten foot high emerging from each track, a joint in the middle and the giant metal rectangular head on top, filled with missiles inside.

"There must be a movement tracker somewhere on top, emitting infrared and motion targeting." Stein told Jax. "Turn the legs to dust Jax. We can do this."

Jax touched on metal leg and focused, sending his power into the machine and feeling the structure at an atomic level. He remembered the structure of sand, a simple enough structure to copy and moved, Stein guiding his mind as the power flowed through them. In seconds the leg turned to solid sand, Jax escaping before the machine crushed the dirt pillar and tipped to the side. While he stood in the street, a drone flew behind him and fired. Instead of a missile or bullets, a sustained blast of ionized radiation struck Firestorm, overpowering the radiation Jax emitted and sending him to the ground. Another drone caught sight and moved towards the fallen man. Thea stepped out in front of him and aimed an exploding arrow, hitting the drone in the nose and doing no damage. The fire did not slow its approach.

"Thats not good." she whispered. Trying to pull Jax away, the woman knew she wouldn't make it. A barefooted Zatana stepped in front of both of them.

"Enord nrut ot gip!"she yelled, arms out and a blast of light illuminating up the surrounding area. The drone was effected instantly, a dead pig dropping from the sky.

Ray saw this and desperately wished for the coms to be open so he could make a comment about pigs flying, but instead tried to fry the drones and Mechs on the ground with compressed light pulses. None of the machines seemed to be affected. Noticing the red streak of Barry Allen, who had evacuated the hundreds of injured and trapped civilians already, he saw the man vibrate then a streak of lightning flew towards a mech, short circuiting the war machine and freezing it. Ray landed next to Barry as did the Martian Manhunter, still disguised as Kara and freaking Barry out a bit with how accurate the bodies were, down to the tiniest detail. He had to focus and end this then get back to her. He knew S.T.A.R. was under attack as suspected from before the coms went offline and forced himself to trust in those left behind to protect Kara and his child.

"Ray, can you pinpoint where these things are being controlled from?" he asked.

"Nope, no signals except individual ones and a blocker, recognizing their own. They are autonomous."

"Great, Zatana you okay?"

"Exhausted. I had no idea using power against solid entities was so draining." she told the Flash who was running up to her. Speedy had drug Firestorm to an alley, and stood in front of him, a shock arrow ready if they were corned. Carter and Kendra continued to chase the drones and avoid fire from the Mechs on the ground.

One mech moved closely to the group and all prepared to move until it was rammed from the side by Vixen who had jumped from the street and hit with the power of a rhino, toppling the metal beast.

"Zatana get to cover. We need you fully powered. Ray can you get inside one of the drones and fly it against the others?"

"Yep." he agreed blazing off.

Barry checked the remaining enemies. Four mechs on the ground remained but multiple bogies were in the sky.

"This is why I don't work with anyone. A madman is targeting my city because I met with you!" An angry Vixen told Allen who knew she was right but this was not the time to argue.

"J'onn keep ripping out power cells, I'll do the same. Kendra, Carter and Ray have the sky."

Barry moved, while Vixen took flight, trying to catch up to one of the flying machines before it branched wider from the downtown area. She had seen the streets littered with bodies and knew this was her own fault. She had agreed to take part in a battle that was none of her concern and placed her home in the war path. Like Barry, she knew this was not the time for arguments.

Barry moved around a mech and tossed a lightning bolt into the belly of the beast, short circuiting it. Carter landed on top and crushed the main engine, killing the beast.

Moving to the next, Barry had only one thought, destroy these monsters and run faster than he ever had to S.T.A.R. 1100 lies away. He turned towards the next monster when a series of flashing lights blinded and disoriented him. Losing his sight, Barry did not see the drone that had effected him swooping down for the kill.

 **Central City**

The members of Prometheus's attack force were no longer surprised. Alex had ran towards the scream and found a room full of dead bodies. The scream had come from Sara, stuck in a frenzy, knife in hand, dripping blood and her white suit stained red. She met Alex's look and shrugged her shoulders. Alex heard the footsteps running towards them and turned towards the door, tonfas on her back and gun in hand, the one that had been on her left thigh, carrying .45 caliber bullets.

"Does your helmet have sound protection?" Sara asked.

Alex nodded without turning around. Four men burst in only to drop at the Canary's cry, all of them grabbing their ear drums. Alex placed her gun back, pulling the Kali sticks and began cracking skulls.

Nyssa had left a trail of bodies in the hallway. The enemy forces were more than estimated but she continued to slice through, not stopping, not finding cover, just moving with incredible speed, sliding on her knees between a group of four and opening them up with katanas. Oliver was a hundred feet away, trying to break into the treadmill room that was composed of at least twelve men. He fired arrow after arrow, giving up knockout arrows, instead choosing very sharp ones and striking the men multiple times while using the door way for cover. A few dove behind the giant treadmill capable of handling incredible speeds. He felt the shot hit in his back, knocking him to the ground, Rolling over, he threw a flechette into the neck of the oncoming attacker and stood up in time to fight the men rushing out of the room. In close quarter combat he had the advantage.

Harry, Cisco and Kara stood in the hall in front of her room where everyone was holed up who was not fighting. Caitlin was desperately trying to keep track of the Detroit team since the coms had gone down there. Felicity was trying to keep track of hostiles inside. Kara used her X ray vision and saw all four of her teammates engaged with multiple enemies and moved to assist before being grabbed by Cisco and Harry.

"Don't make me snap a bracelet on you Kara! Stay behind me!" Harry shouted.

"We have bad guys coming towards us!" she informed the two.

Cisco watched the corner and felt a great amount of fear. All over the complex, despite its large size, the three could hear screams and gunfire, luckily none they recognized as their friends.

"Save your weapon's battery Harry. I'll hit them with heat vision when they turn the corner." Kara instructed.

The footsteps came closer, at a run, Kara could hear everything. She heard Felicity desperately trying to get in contact with the Detroit team, she heard her father banging on the door trying to get out and to her, Eliza searching Kara's room, trying to find out if her television had some sort of remote that could show video of the lab. Caitlin was checking and rechecking the medical bag she had brought in.

Then the sounds faded.

This is a bad time, Kid Flash, was her first and only thought.

"I got nothing guys! Power outage!"

The men came around the corner and stopped, guns raised and Harry fired, a giant shockwave emitting from his rifle, one he had tried to use against Zoom in the past. Two fell back against the wall but four more stepped in and fired. Cisco panicked and yelled.

Pushing his hands in front of his body, he could feel the waves emitting from the bullets and countered. Powerful blasts of vibrations, the kind usually only Barry emitted, swept through the hallways, crushing the bullets in mid flight, the rifles and the men, scrambling their cerebral cortexes, sending them sprawling to the ground, both sides of the hallway crumbling outward. Harry and Kara both looked at Cisco with wide eyes. He tried again, but nothing happened.

"Its okay, we can work on it. Good job guys." Kara told them and pushed Harry aside as he had jumped in front of her.

Checking the complex with her X ray vision that she was happy had returned, Kara scanned. Alex and Sara were still clearing rooms and neither seemed injured. Oliver had just jabbed an arrow into someone's throat in close contact. Nyssa fired three arrows and hit three in the chest and tossed a throwing star into a fourth moving towards her quickly. Through the whole complex, she didn't see the one she wanted, a man wearing a helmet. This made no sense, he wouldn't have ordered an attack, drawn the heroes away, just so he could watch in Detroit while his men searched the lab for tech and tried to murder the scientists. He would be near, he had to be.

Placing her hand on the palm reader, the door slid open, Jeremiah practically falling outside. Kara caught him in her arms and pushed him back inside gently, while he wrapped his arms around her and tried unsuccessfully to pull her deeper into the room.

"Felicity he is here, he has to be. If he isn't in the complex he has to be near. Can you look at FAA radar and see if anything resembling a helicopter is leaving Central City?"

"A helicopter?"

"He used one in Siberia. It would be the most logical vehicle if he wanted to leave in a hurry."

"Yeah… let me look. I can't get a hold of Detroit."

"Trust them, they will be okay. We have to trust them." she told the woman, trying to ignore the sickening fear she had for Barry and her friends. Placing a com next to the hacker's laptop in her ear, she grabbed Cisco and Harry and pushed them inside.

"Cisco hook up your laptop. I have to get to my suit. When I do, I need you on standby to activate my solar panels when I tell you to."

Before anyone could object, Caitlin and Eliza being the strongest, Kara exited the room and closed the door, locking them inside. More footsteps ran towards the crumbled hallway. Kara moved in a blur, meeting the surprised men with her arms outstretched, close lining both and continued moving. She had to get to Ray's lab.

"Felicity let me know when you have found him."

"Kara get back in your room!" Oliver yelled over the com.

"When Felicity finds him Ollie you are going to have to make one incredible shot to bring down the chopper. What is the status out here?"

"Kara, we have it under control. Even Sara and I are getting along. We have this. Think about your child and get back in that room!" Alex yelled.

"I am thinking about my child. If we don't take him now this is going to be a regular occurrence. Who needs help?"

 **Detroit**

The missile streaked toward the ground where a blind Barry Allen lay. Knowing it was coming he thought of vibrating, but couldn't control his thoughts. Then before the explosion, he felt himself picked up and moved, the blast knocking whoever was carrying him down.

Shaking his head, he saw the helmeted figure of Spartan lying next to him.

"John! John, are you awake?! Answer me! Say something!"

"Owwww." the man moaned then got to his knees and rose up, helping Barry.

"Start doing that blurry thing and end this."

Barry did just that until Carter crashed twenty feet away, bleeding from his arm. A drone swept in to finish him off but was destroyed by a concentrated blast from an awake Firestorm and gunfire from another drone Ray had commandeered. Kendra landed next to Carter, took his mace and John helped Speedy grab drag him to a corner. An exhausted Zatana stumbled around wreckage and dropped next to Carter.

"Mra Laeh!"

A soft light came from her hands and the bleeding stopped, the entrance and exit wounds closing.

"Yeah you are definitely staying around." Carter told her. Kendra relaxed for a moment and shot back into the sky, both weapons in hand, destroying on passing drone from underneath and sending it screaming to the Earth.

While the battle continued on the ground and air, J'onn pulled six more power cells, dropping the machines. No doubt the world would wonder after today when Superwoman developed the power to phase her hand into metal.

Barry's eyesight cleared and he blurred. Finding the last remaining Mech, he ran towards it, stuck out his vibrating hand and used it was a saw, disabling a leg. Carter hit it feet first from the air on the other side toppling it.

Only drones remained, Kendra chasing the final one, besides the one Ray had been flying. It was slippery, but close to the buildings. Running up a skyscraper, Barry jumped at the last second, pushing away from the wall and landing on top of the drone. Striking the top with his hand buzzing like a super powered chainsaw, he glided on the falling disabled weapon and jumped off a second before it hit the ground.

Ray seeing that all enemies were down except his, fired his lasers into the flight guidance system of the control port he was inside after aiming the craft directly at the ground and flew out, regaining normal size and watching the remaining drone crash.

All the heroes gathered around Barry, including the false Supergirl and took in the surrounding area. Buildings destroyed, bodies on the ground, fires everywhere, and police starting to slowly enter. Barry met Vixen's eyes and saw nothing but sadness while she tried to comfort an injured woman.

"I… I have to get to Central City."

"Give me ten minutes and I will be able to send you there." Zatana, rasped, being held up but Speedy and a limping John Diggle.

"I can be there in eight. Can you guys help out here?"

"Go." J'onn ordered and it was all Barry needed. He ran into the remains of a convenience store, grabbed a map and took a quick look then was gone in the direction he needed to get to Kara, praying she was safe and not doing anything stupid.

 **Central City**

This is so stupid, was Kara's main thought as she ran through the complex. The computer consoles were destroyed for the most part but Cisco did have his laptop running and her com was working. Alex, Sara and Nyssa fought through the few remaining men, to get to her, while Oliver ran to the front to catch her before she tried to fly away. Kara however, was not planning on leaving through the front. Instead she ran to the mannequin where her suit lay ready and dressed quickly, then headed to Ray's lab. She also heard more people rushing into the lab and cursed to herself. How many damn people did this guy have?

The woman relaxed when she heard a woman she guessed was Lyla Diggle, considering she called Oliver by his true name, announce that A.R.G.U.S. agents had the outside secure and asked how many were inside. Oliver told her the men who were alive needed to be contained but he believed all were out.

Before she made it to the case, Alex, Sara and Nyssa were in the way.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?!" Alex screamed. Kara ignored the accusing tone and clipped off her cape, tossing it to her sister.

"I'm going to end this."

"Kara!" she tried again only to have no success stopping her sister.

"Think about your baby!" Alex tried, running after her.

"I am! I just had a power outage. I'm good for a while."

"You don't know that! You are stressed and have no idea how much the baby could take from you. Whatever you are thinking stop now!"

"Felicity have you seen anything?"

Felicity considered lying, but thought better of it. If Oliver could get there…

"Oliver there is a helicopter leaving the roof of a building four blocks away. Can you make a shot that far?"

"One way to find out. Kara, do not move!" the Arrow ordered.

Kara however had made it to Ray's case and used her fist to shatter the glass case where his backup suit was stored. She had watched him for a while, trying to figure out pranks to pull on him, even considering putting itching powder on the inside. She knew the general mechanics of everything. She also knew Ray had a panel in the roof above his workshop should he need to fly out. When he arrived earlier, clad in his pink armor she knew he had dressed at Palmer Tech.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Alex screamed once more, seeing and not liking the idea.

"Stopping a man from targeting my family. By the way your suit looks awesome." she winked at her sister. The room was crowded with agents including a woman she had never seen but assumed to be Lyla.

Stepping into the armor, she slid her hands inside and used a pressure switch to close the confining metal around her. She knew the button in the middle to avoid and had a general idea of how the pulse blasters worked, Felicity had given her an insiders scoop on the flight mechanics.

"Let me go, Kara. I will go after him." Alex tried.

"Trust me big sister, I got this." Pressing straight down with her feet she activated the rocket boosters. The roof opened automatically for her and she shot straight into the sky, just in time to see Oliver's arrow fall way short of the helicopter in the distance.

Laying her body out flat, she used the targeting display on the visor and soared quickly after the chopper. Nearing it, she was glad to see the helmeted figure staring out the widow at her. Ripping off the door panel she grabbed Prometheus by his metal covered neck and pulled him out, flying him quickly back down to the ground. Landing in the park in Central City, she slammed him to the ground from ten feet above and landed gently on the soft grass.

Taking in the figure he was as promised, heavily armored, helmet in place, covering his entire head and a long purple cape covering his back, more resembling a large thick cloak. She had never seen anything as strange as the sight before her and considering she had seen Siobhan's Halloween zombie transformation that was saying something.

"So you are powerless. Wearing Palmer's suit no less." the modulated voice taunted her. He raised an arm and before she could move a small rocket type device was fired, sticking to the chest plate and electrifying the suit, freezing her in place. Kara flexed and moved quickly, bringing her arms out and striking her covered head, tearing the suit apart, then walking out of the frozen legs.

"Not quite as helpless as you hoped." she told him, her heat vision striking both shoulder plates, shattering the strobe lights, she had no doubt the man would use next. Despite heating the metal, Prometheus showed no sign of feeling the pain. Using her X ray vision, she saw his face, cruel, angry and surprised. She saw fear and she liked it. Taking a step towards him, Kara attempted to lift him by his collar, only to find herself unable to.

Damn it.

Prometheus sensing her loss of strength stood up quickly, grabbing her by her uniform near her neck and twisting. His other hand ripped off her mask. Everyone from the area had ran after the two landed but sirens were coming, she knew the police weren't far away, meaning Alex wasn't far away. She had to deal with this quickly.

"So you are not all powerful. Interesting. You must have left friends behind in your headquarters. I am impressed by the forethought. I never took you or Allen for being bright and I thought there would be no doubt Oliver Queen would travel to Detroit. He is the one who defended you correct?"

"My sister and sister in law helped too. Sara Lance and my other friends. None of us are as helpless as you seem to think." Kara gasped.

"And yet here you are, without your powers. How do you plan to defeat me now?"

"I know your weakness." Superwoman told him.

"I have no weakness."

Kara lifted her knee, striking the man in between his legs, the one place that was not armored. Prometheus grunted, dropping her and stumbling back. Although the dopamine flooding his system prevented him from feeling pain, the sudden sensation of nausea and loss of breath took him by surprise and he dropped.

"All men have a weakness. Cisco light me up!"

Kara's solar panels flared to life, soaking her in sun rays and she instantly felt her power return. Kicking the man in the head, she fell on top of him straddling his body. Grabbing both his hands she ripped off his gauntlets, wires snapping. Reaching into his chest plate, she broke through, pulling the metal from his body. Finally she grabbed his head, hands on both sides and Prometheus screamed as she twisted the helmet off of his head. She noted the wires attached to his skull descending into some sort of metal ports embedded in his skull and how he seemed to lose strength the minute the wires were pulled free.

"You killed hundreds of people and for what?! You tried to kill my mother? My family? Innocent people! Why? Why did you do this?!"

"You will never know until right before I kill you. Unless of course you plan to kill me now? You had better if you want your family safe. No prison can hold me. No police force can stop me. Kill me now Kara Zorel or I will never stop coming for you. Never. I wonder how many of your friends died in Detroit? I had special surprises for Firestorm and the Flash."

"You won't hurt Barry. He is too strong for you. Too fast, too powerful. That is why you are here and not in Detroit. You are afraid of him. He will protect our friends."

"I'm going to kill your sister. Your roommate? Caitlin Snow. I will murder her and film it for you. Kill me now. Show the world what their hero is truly like. Show them the woman who tortured Demetri. Show them all. My death will be worth it."

Kara raised her fist, tempted, All it would take was one swing and his skull would be gone. Alex and Caitlin would be safe, her mother and father, Barry, her child. She saw the insanity in his eyes. She knew he was not joking. He would continue to hunt them if he escaped.

What would Oliver do? What would Nyssa do? This man had killed hundreds, perhaps thousands after Detroit today.

"Come on Kara! Don't be weak! No one will blame you! I am defenseless. End me now! Show the world the kind of hero you are!"

Kara took a deep breath. She knew what Nyssa and Oliver would do. She knew what Alex would do. They were heroes.

"I'm not hero." she told the man. "But I'm not you. I won't kill you. I'll do something worse. I'm giving you to A.R.G.U.S. and they can throw you in the deepest pit of hell they have and if you ever do escape I will find you and make you wish you were dead."

Kara hit the man, in his forehead, softly by her standards, knocking him unconscious. She sat on top of him, legs on either side of his chest, not minding or caring that police had surrounded her, while A.R.G.U.S. agents rushed the scene, guns drawn and aimed at the white haired figure. Standing up, she almost tripped over his legs but righted herself at the last moment.

A crowd of law enforcement entered the scene.

"Cisco it's over. Turn off the solar panels." she told him. On the other side of the mic, those in S.T.A.R. still stuck in Kara's room collapsed in relief. Harry had just finished breaking through the wall and rearranging the wiring to open the door. A black SUV roared onto the scene and Alex jumped out, running to her sister, looking her over, feeling her arms, looking for any tears in her suit, wishing like hell that Cisco had put X ray vision in her helmet and not giving a damn about brain cancer.

"I'm fine." she mumbled. A jacket was thrown over her head by the two police officers who were by her side. She looked and recognized them as Tommy Scott and Chris Walker.

"Kara, we have kept the media away but we need to keep your head covered. Whoever you are in the helmet, you think you can grab her mask? We can't have all of Central City knowing who Superwoman is or she will never be able to go out to eat without signing a hundred autographs."

"You knew?" the heroine asked.

"Kara you talk to us all the time. You show up at the Station with food weekly and on the street as Superwoman. No way two blonde women have that kind of loud, strange laugh, especially when you snort. Lets get you in an ambulance. That way the media won't be able to look through a window." Chris told her.

"I'm getting a voice modulator." she said with a tired sigh.

Captain Singh walked over to Alex while Lyla Diggle directed her men to take Prometheus into custody. Heavy chains were wrapped around the man's wrists and shoulders, and the armor removed from his legs. Lyla picked up the helmet herself, determined to get it back to S.T.A.R. so Cisco could unlock its secrets.

So what is Cisco calling you now, Zorel?" Captain Singh asked Alex quietly.

Alex dropped her head.

"Valkyrie." she admitted.

"I swear that kid comes up with the strangest names. How many body bags do we need at S.T.A.R. ?"

"None. A.R.G.U.S. is handling it. Trust me Captain, the paperwork that is going to be needed for this case just isn't worth it."

"Hey, move aside!" Joe yelled, working his way through police and government agents. "How is she? I just saw her on the news in Detroit! How the hell is she here? Is she okay? Where … how?"

"Relax Joe, she is Superwoman. If anybody can be in two places at once, it's her. She is fine." the Captain told the worried man.

"I need to get her to S.T.A.R. before Caitlin Snow comes crashing through the police line in a black stolen A.R.G.U.S. SUV." Alex told the Captain quietly.

"So take her there. Drive the ambulance yourself. Just so you know your uniform looks pretty bad ass but this isn't department regulated SWAT gear. Wear it on your own time, Valkyrie."

"I'm driving." Joe insisted and moved towards the ambulance. Alex followed, leaving the stolen A.R.G.U.S. van she had driven and got into the back with Kara. Kara sat with her head down, hands on her knees and wouldn't look at her sister.

"Barry is going to be furious, Alex," she whispered. "but I couldn't let him escape. I just couldn't. He would never let us live in peace and when I started showing, when the baby is born, he would have come after all of us. He would have bided his time after this and I'm sorry. I didn't… I couldn't." she told her sister, breaking down at the end. Alex wrapped her arms around the blonde.

"Barry is not going to be furious. He may be angry for a while but I think you have a host of people who are furious at S.T.A.R. right now, including Mom and Dad. Even Nyssa is pissed off and she rarely loses her cool. Oliver is beating walls, Caitlin is ready to put you in a prison cell filled with red sunlight until you give birth. Barry is going to be the least of your worries."

"Really?"

"No, not really. You may not get lucky for a while but he loves you. We all do. I understand why you did it. I do but I am so angry… why do you scare me so often? Do you get some sort of thrill out of it?"

"No… I'm sorry, I just already had a power outage and I knew how to fly in Ray's suit. I figured I wouldn't have to step out of it but he did something to freeze it. Is everybody okay in Detroit? Is it over?"

"I think everyone is okay. The News says a group of heroes saved the city and limited loss of life by destroying the machines. Barry disappeared after the last one went down apparently and you are there talking to the FBI."

"Me? Oh right… J'onn."

"How close were you to killing him?"

"Pretty close Alex."

Alex nodded, expecting as much. She had seen Kara prepared to land the killing blow. While she was proud of her sister for being the better person, Alex was not sure if she would have done the same and knew the other three she fought with in S.T.A.R. would have killed the man without a second thought. Alex and Kara both heard Cisco inform them all that Barry had just arrived at the lab.

"He is going to be so mad." Kara said once more and began crying. "I had to stop him, Alex. I wouldn't have let my baby be hurt. I know I took a chance but I had to stop him before anyone else died." Kara broke down and began hyperventilating while Alex tried to keep her incredibly strong sister steady, not easy to do. She hadn't brought the bracelet, wanting to keep it as far from Kara as possible but now wished she had it.

"We are almost there." Joe said from the front. Alex had forgotten he was driving.

"You should probably put your helmet back on." Kara suggested.

"Considering all of Central City PD and A.R.G.U.S. know who you are and know I am your sister and wearing the same symbol, I doubt it matters."

"Oh Rao, I screwed that up too." she sighed.

"You took down a mass murderer. You didn't screw up anything. I promise you if you had killed him, I bet a hundred cops would testify he died of spontaneous bleeding. Just relax, being upset can't be good for either of you."

"I can't face Barry. I just…" before Kara finished the sentence the doors on the still moving vehicle opened and Barry was inside, his arms wrapped around her. Kara recognized the red tri poly suit and began crying again, apologizing over and over. Barry held her, not saying a word. Joe drove the ambulance to the door and then backed in. The door was blown wide open and resembled a garage door more than an entrance.

Once he backed in, Cailtin was waiting for her, walking with her quickly to what was left of the med bay. Cisco was hard at work trying to repair the sonogram and doppler machines with shaking hands, Harry actually helping him without being sarcastic.

Caitlin didn't say a word and neither did Barry. Oliver was in the hallway pacing, Felicity trying to calm him. He saw Kara.

"What the hell is wrong with you! What is wrong with you?! Answer me, right now damn it!"

"Oliver stop." Felicity told him. Oliver swung his bow at the wall, cracking it, then tossed it to the ground and walked off. He had just talked to Thea over the phone and knew she was alright. and didn't have time to be relieved because of Kara. The group would wait two hours, talking to police while Zatana recharged. Everyone was fine and everyone could have been killed, Barry included. Barry didn't say a word, a thousand emotions going through him at once but only one thing mattered at the moment, making sure Kara and the baby were okay.

Without a word, Caitlin looked at the table, Kara sitting, not arguing, trying to avoid the looks of her family, who had all gathered around. Caitlin walked up and snapped the bracelet on Kara's wrist.

"You try to take this off and I will kill you myself." she muttered. The anger in her was barely beaten out by worry. Using her laptop since all the electronics were destroyed, she first ran a diagnostic of Kara's suit, happy to see her cells were not fully powered thanks to the bracelet. She briefly thought of padlocking the thing to her wrist.

After a nod from Cait, Kara sat up slowly, tears still in her eyes and slipped off her uniform top, laying in only her sprouts bra and pants. Caitlin moved her waist band down slightly and rubbed gel over her flat abdomen. Running the doppler over, she immediately found the heart beat, sounding strong. The sonogram was more difficult mostly due to Kara's deep breaths as she struggled not to cry. Everyone's eyes in the room, including a still angry Oliver, who walked in, with a stone faced Nyssa, who had just yelled at him for losing his cool, had their eyes glued to the monitor. Then the fetus was found. Caitlin let out a deep breath.

"Nothing has changed. The baby looks good and hasn't had any accelerated growth." she told everyone.

"I told you it would be fine." Alex whispered to Kara.

"Fine? You think this is fine?" Barry asked.

"She is okay, the baby is okay and a guy who was out to kill us all is about to go to a very deep hole int he ground, either alive or dead. Yeah, I would say considering what could have happened then everything is fine now."

"It is not fine!" Barry yelled, causing Kara to flinch. Jeremiah nearly stepped in, except someone had to say it and he didn't want it to be him. It would be better coming from Barry. "Can I have the room?" he asked. Everyone filed out, except Alex.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not until you calm down."

"This is as calm as I am going to get! Get out!"

"Watch how you talk to me!"

"Alex! This is between the two of them. She can answer for herself." Nyssa told the woman. Alex locked eyes with Barry but didn't argue with her love.

"You better remember that upsetting her only hurts the baby and I will mess you up, Allen. I don't care how fast you are, you have to sleep sometime." Alex told him, walking out. For once Barry didn't give a damn about her threats.

"So everyone was okay in Detroit?" Kara tried.

"I won't take anymore chances. Remember that Kara? It was only a few days ago. I won't take anymore chances. What the hell do you call what you did today? We hook the hologram machine up, and everyone except Nyssa, Oliver, Alex and Sara go to your room. Harry and Cisco would guard the outside but no one could get inside. No one could get to you! What part of this didn't you understand? Because I don't remember the part where you took out a room full of people with your heat vision, or standing behind Harry and Cisco. If it hadn't been for Cisco all three of you would have been gunned down! He doesn't even know how the hell he did it! I won't take anymore chances with our baby, Barry. Any of that ring a bell?"

"I… I'm sorry. You were stressed and he tried to have Mom killed and he attacked an entire city just to draw us out so he could murder everyone left behind. If he escaped who knew what else he would do. I already had a power outage so I thought I would be good for a while, I had been watching Ray in his suit, I had a fairly good idea how to fly it. I took a chance I shouldn't have and I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." he finished and resumed pacing, then walked to the monitor and ran his hand over the baby's picture.

"Does this mean anything to you? Is being a hero more important than being a mother?"

"I wasn't trying to be a hero! I was trying to protect our child and our future!"

"Except our child was in between you and a madman in armor. A man who froze Ray's armor! How is that protecting our child?"

"I did what I had to do. I protected our child today and in the future."

"So I suppose you were fine when Cait was watching you with our satellite and you were being held in the air by the neck? That was protecting our child? Why didn't you tell Cisco to activate the panels immediately?"

"Because I didn't want to risk the baby being exposed…"

"Instead you just hoped he didn't hit you in the stomach? Is that it Kara?"

"Go to hell Barry! I made a call and yeah it was probably the wrong one but in a year I can take our baby to the park and not have to worry about a drone dropping a bomb on our heads!"

"Of course you won't. You won't have to worry about anything because nothing else could happen. We took him down and thats it. Thats the end of evil in the world. This is what we are Kara! Someone will always be after us! Its who we are and we have to be careful. One of us always has to be there to protect our child and that one is you right now since our child is inside you!"

"Stop yelling at me. Please just stop. You don't think I was scared? You don't think I know I took a risk? You think you can make me feel any worse? Just stop yelling. Call me stupid, tell me I'm a bad mother, I'm reckless, I'm an idiot but please do it quietly. I'll take it if you will just do it quietly." Kara told him, laying back on the table.

"Yeah, no problem, I'll stop yelling." Barry finished and was gone. Kara lasted ten seconds before she started crying again.

Barry ran into the pipeline of the particle accelerator and briefly wondered how close he had came today to having to go back in time, to change reality, because if Kara had died, that is exactly what he would have done. Instead he ran, not as fast as possible, not vibrating, just running, trying to clear his head. How could she do that? Yeah she took him down and probably saved a lot of lives the bastard hadn't taken yet but he had her by the throat! He could have lost her, lost both of them. The intercom was back up apparently because Cisco announced the return of the rest of the team. Moving quickly to the control room he took them in. Zatana looked exhausted.

"You were amazing out there." Barry told her, grabbing her shoulder in thanks. She had really came through. Diggle was limping but scooted over to Barry and hugged the man, followed by Thea. Firestorm split, Dr. Stein immediately hugging Jax. Kendra asked if Kara was okay immediately. Barry told her she was but didn't elaborate. Ray was all smiles.

"So how much are the repairs going to cost me?" he asked Barry, humor in his voice.

"Cisco and Harry are working now. I'd be more concerned about the blood on the floor. A.R.G.U.S has already moved the dead bodies and confined the ones left alive but there are probably a few thousand rounds buried in everything."

"Is Prometheus dead?" he asked.

"In A.R.G.U.S. custody."

"That's great! Who got him? All four of them?"

"Kara actually." Barry admitted.

"Thats not good. Look I need to go find my other suit and patrol the skies. I can't believe I just fought a major battle in a huge city in a pink A.T.O.M."

"Suit is dead, Ray. Kara wore it to fight Prometheus. She flew after him, pulled him out of a helicopter and when they were on the ground apparently he had some sort of device that froze the controls. She had to rip it off." Barry explained as casually s possible.

"Wow. Okay then… so where is it?"

"The park still, unless Lyla picked it up. You can get it back from her."

"Okay then… where is Kara so I can yell at her? This is coming out of her paycheck."

"She has already been yelled at enough, just send me the bill."

"It was a joke Bar. Lighten up, we won."

"You think so?" he asked and began to walk away. Before he made it far, Vixen had a hand on his shoulder. Barry hadn't even noticed that she was with the rest.

"We need to talk, now."

Barry nodded and looked at the rest of the group who walked away, slowly. Once they had left the pipeline and entered the main lab, Barry turned to listen.

"Those people are dead because of you and Oliver Queen. I should never have agreed to meet with you. He knew I was there and I made Detroit a target. That's on you." she told him, trying to reign in her anger.

"Is that what you think? He wanted to kill our support team. He was going to do something to pull us out somewhere. He didn't attack you directly. Yeah he attacked Detroit and I am sorry about that but it is his fault! Not mine and not Oliver's."

"You are sorry? Did you see the bodies on the street?"

"Yeah and I saw the faces of every one of the two hundred and eighty five people, I moved out of harm's way. Did he target Detroit because of us? Maybe. It could have been New York, Chicago, Washington, Star City. He sponsored a bomber in Central City that killed hundreds. He slaughtered a village in Siberia. He needed to be stopped and it took all of us. We stopped his weapons, the team left here stopped his hired guns and Kara stopped him. So pick a city, Mari."

"Excuse me?"

"Pick a damn city! What city should be attacked? You want to blame me for the actions of a mad man? He could have picked you anyway. He didn't like anyone who fought for justice and you are making quite a name for yourself as a hero. I almost lost everything today! I almost lost my pregnant fiancee and left her safety in the hands of others, because I went to help Detroit! Do not try to lay the actions of that man at my feet. I've been responsible for some horrible things in my life but that isn't one of them."

"Say what you will Barry, if I hadn't traveled to Central City…"

"Get out."

"Excuse me?"

"Get the hell out. You don't want to be a part of a group of good people, many of whom almost died today, to save lives then get out. I promise we won't bother you again. Something happens in Detroit we will stay very clear of the city. I don't need this crap right now, Mari, so if you teleported with an exhausted sorceress to tell me off, I have news for you. You are going to be disappointed. Take Ray's jet and go back to Detroit."

"I think we need to…"

"What? Talk? What is there to talk about? You blame me, I blame him, we agree to disagree and I promise never to bother you again. You think those deaths won't haunt me? They will but it could have happened anywhere and I am proud that we were there to stop it before it got worse. Now leave. I'm not in the mood for this. A year ago, a month ago, even a few weeks ago, I may have agreed with you but not anymore. I could have lost the woman I love and my child today! You think I give a damn about your feelings being hurt about what city he decided to attack? We could have stayed here, I knew he had to be around but we didn't. We went to help. I asked you to be part of the Justice League because I know you have a good heart and want to help the world but I am not going to beg. Again, leave and I promise you no one will ever approach and ask you for anything again. But if you ever need help, don't hesitate to call. We will be there because that is who we are and that is what we do."

Vixen took in the man before her, his anger actually stamping her's down. This was not the Barry Allen she had met before. This wasn't the fun loving, wise cracking meta who had accompanied Oliver Queen to find out exactly what she was.

"I'm sorry Barry. I'm upset and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Whatever. I need to go check on Kara. Talk to Ray and he can have you back to Detroit in a couple hours. Don't bother Zatana, she needs her rest to recover."

Barry ran off, leaving Vixen alone. She wasn't sure exactly what to do, so she moved to find Ray Palmer.

While Barry and Mari vented their frustrations, Eliza, Jeremiah, J'onn, Alex and Caitlin walked into the med bay where Barry had left Kara. Jeremiah wrapped her in a hug. Kara stayed calm though, remembering Nyssa's words. She would stay calm. She made a call and right or wrong, she had to live with it. No more apologizing.

"Are you okay?" Caitlin asked her.

"Never better. Nothing like risking your life to capture a madman and then be berated and yelled at the minute I reach a place I consider a second home." Kara stepped on the floor, prepared to find a hotel room or someplace she could be left alone. She just wanted to be alone.

"Kara…" Caitlin started.

"It's fine Caitlin. I just need a little time. Emotions are high right now, Barry won't even look at me and I get it, okay? I should have let Prometheus fly off so he could kill more people. Everyone wants me to forget who I am. Got it. Here I am, forgetting. I just want to leave."

"Kara, stop that!" Eliza practically yelled. "People love you and are worried about you. Yes you did a brave thing today that probably saved many lives but you also put your child at risk."

"I know! I've heard it since I came in. Enough already. I'm not that blonde. Tell me something a few hundred times and I get it, okay?"

"Sit down now!" Eliza yelled, causing Jeremiah and Alex to flinch. Eliza never, ever used that tone with Kara. Ever. Kara met her eyes in challenge but finally backed down, taking a seat on the table.

"Honey, you can't do it anymore. You are going to have to keep your bracelet on, get colds, handle them for a week or so until it becomes a danger to you or the baby, because we have got to begin developing your immune system. From this point on, your only job is making sure that baby has everything he or she needs. Just because you aren't showing, doesn't mean that child is in any less need of everything from an immune system to healthy food instead of the crap you normally eat. No more Superwoman for a while. Just be Kara. Promise me."

Kara looked towards Alex.

"If you had been in my position today, what would you have done?"

"Let my sister fly the tin can suit after the bad guy while I stayed pregnant in my very secure safe room." she answered.

"Really?"

Alex sighed. She should have took longer to answer.

"I don't know Kara. I really don't know."

"J'onn?"

"Protect your child at all costs. To hell with the rest of the world. There will always be people ready to stand up and fight evil." he told her, still shaken, learning everything that had happened here. He did not expect an assault of this magnitude in his wildest thoughts and fears.

"Why don't you get dressed and come home with me tonight?" Alex offered.

"No, she is going to her home where I can keep an eye on her. You are welcome as always, Nyssa is as well, but she is coming home." Caitlin told them all, leaving no doubt.

"That seems like a really good idea. I know I could sleep for a long time. You ready?" Barry asked Kara as he walked in the door.

"You want to come?" she asked, surprised.

"Kara even when I am furious with you, I will still always love you. Nothing is going to change that and right now I am not letting you go anywhere without me. Let's go. Caitlin can we catch a ride?"

"Of course. Get changed Kara and we will be ready."

Kara slowly walked towards the locker room only to find Oliver standing in front of the door. He looked like hell.

"Hey." she greeted him, prepared for another ass chewing. Instead he walked up and held her tightly.

"I love you too. Don't ever forget that, no matter what."

Kissing the top of her head, he walked off.

Once in the apartment, the trio watched the News anchors, replaying the events of today. Reporters began speculating on how Superwoman was able to be at two places at once and why she was wearing the A.T.O.M. suit when fighting the helmeted figure. Many were speculating that the woman in Central City today was not Superwoman because she had been seen lifted by the neck. Others disagreed, pointing out that due to the dress of the mystery terrorist he was obviously an evil meta who had gained a momentary advantage over the Woman of Steel. More footage showed a man with white hair being escorted by FBI agents into a courthouse. He was not identified, but reporters were told by an FBI spokesman that this was the terrorist responsible for multiple bombings and the attacks on the cities of Detroit and Central City.

"Thats not him." Kara pointed out, tensing immediately.

"No, its not. He is A.R.G.U.S custody. This man is most likely an FBI agent or one of Lyla's and will either plead guilty or fake his death in prison to avoid a trial. In the mean time, A.R.G.U.S. will keep him locked up in their most secure facility, probably for the rest of his life. I believe Dig mentioned one on the South Pole. Even if he were to escape, he would die from exposure." Barry explained.

Barry turned it off and asked Kara to follow him to bed. Kissing Caitlin's cheek, she followed him.

The two made love slowly that night, for hours, Barry feeling the need to possess her completely. The morning came too soon, the two not having much sleep, not wanting nightmares to have a chance to attack.

While Barry and Kara were in bed, Caitlin, calling Winn over to hold her while she prayed she didn't have nightmares of finding Kara dead in the park, the familiar figure of Lyla Diggle, Director of A.R.G.U.S. walked the halls to the secure temporary prison five miles outside Central City. This was the black site where the man who had been tortured by Oliver and Nyssa had been brought and his friend's body burned. The man ultimately gave up, unfortunately having nothing to offer when he did talk. He knew little about the man now in custody, not even his name, only that he had hideouts around the world and him along with several other operatives had been ordered to murder police officers who had been rewarded metals for bravery that past year.

The two guards at the door, snapped ready, and opened the door to the cell for Director Michaels. She was Michaels here, wanting no connection that could lead prisoners who may escape to find her daughter. No one had ever escaped but she did not take chances with her family.

Prometheus, still in chains, looked up at her and smiled as the guards closed the door inside.

"You think in chains, I am any less dangerous?"

He stood up from the bench and moves towards the woman, planning to choke her or snap her neck with the cuffs around his wrist. He reached her as she put a hand on his chest, pushing him back against the wall with amazing force.

The villain shook his head, trying to clear his blurry vision. When he did, he saw a sight that shocked him. Prometheus thought he had seen everything this world had to offer. He saw the raw power of a woman who was not of this world and now Lyla Michaels had apparently turned into something not of this world.

"What are you?"

"Your biggest problem at the moment. If you have to call me something, the Martian Manhunter works. I'm beginning to like it. The question is who are you? I realize you will never talk. If your operatives never spoke you certainly will not. So I am afraid I will have to take the information from you. I promise, this is going to hurt."

J'onn placed his hand on the bastard's skull and invaded his twisted mind. What he saw surprised him. Prometheus did not even know his own name.

He saw a vision of a little boy, riding with his parents in a convertible along a desolate highway, cutting through the dessert. A roadblock. Police gunning his parents down, blood spraying everywhere, including on the little boy. The officers took him from the convertible his dead parents sat in. It was the last time he saw them. He looked in the mirror and saw his hair was beginning to turn white, no doubt from the trauma he witnessed. The young boy swore revenge. His parents had given him the world. He was five, had no memory of his true name. His father always called him Champ, or Sport and his mother called him her baby boy.

Images of foster homes filled J'onn's head, not physically abusive but cold, no love, no attention. The boy excelled at school, determined to acquire as much knowledge about the world as possible. He left his foster home at 17, traveling by bus, to a little town where he walked for miles into the woods, finding the spot his parents had left the money from bank robberies before they were stopped. Taking the cash, over a million dollars from multiple crimes he began traveling the world. He had a driver's license and passport under the name, Grant Graham, one that he was given by the system. Once out of the country, he began his search for knowledge, academic and physical knowledge. He trained as a pit fight in Brazil, a kick boxer in Okinawa, joined a terrorist group in Libya and traveled with nomads in Siberia, learning to survive in any environment. He used his natural genius level intellect to learn all he could of the rich of the world, the power brokers, the political positions that mattered. He learned a dozen languages and walked into classes of the best universes, unnoticed, learning all he could of computer technology. Eventually he found the lost city Shamballa in the Himalayas and studied with a group of Monks who worshipped evil itself. It was here he organized his knowledge and made his plans. Frequent trips to civilization brought back all he would need to craft his helmet, leaving the group after two years, read to take on the world. He studied film of the best martial artists in the world, including a fight on a bridge in Star City between one Oliver Queen who he had watched slaughter his nomadic group years before and the feared Ra's Al Ghul. He watched the fight between Nyssa and the airport guards, filmed the Arrow and Sara Lance, unknown to the two, saw Nyssa Al Ghul fight Slade WIlson's Mirakuru soldiers during the siege. Downloading the videos into his helmet he perfected the physical link between his greatest technological creation and his brain, flooding his nervous system with their skills as well as other great martial artists of the century. He bided his time, deciding the best blow to the justice system that murdered his parents would be to kill the best in front of the world.

J'onn continued to let the man's thoughts flow through his own brain. Once done, Prometheus slumped to the bench in incredible pain.

"What did you do?"

"I took your thoughts." J'onn calmly explained. He pulled a pad and pen from his cloak and began writing everything he knew, because after this the man would not be talking again.

"I will never stop. You think there is a prison that can hold me? An environment I cannot survive? I will take them, I will kill them all."

"I know. That is why I have to do this."

J'onn placed his palm back on the man's head and unleashed a mental assault that he had only performed on James Harper and never to this degree. Trapping Prometheus in a cycle of his own past, his thoughts focused on his entire history to be reran, over and over again, J'onn effectively paralyzed the genius madman. Prometheus would no longer think of the future, no longer move of his own free will, instead trapped in his own mind.

The door burst open and Lyla Diggle, along with the two guards in front of the door entered, guns drawn.

She relaxed when she saw the green figure whom John had told her about.

"J'onn Jonzz I presume?"

J'onn slowly turned around and took control of the guards mentally, sending them back into the hallway, weapons dropped.

Reaching out the notepad to Lyla, she carefully took it and looked over the information.

"His entire history as he knows it. The man will no longer be a problem."

"What did you do to him?"

"I've trapped him in his own mind. Lock him up in your most secure facility. He won't be a bother any longer."

"Uh huh." she said doubtfully. Lyla was not sure if she could trust the Martian who had impersonated her to gain access to this madman.

"Trust me or not, it doesn't matter. I won't allow a madman to harm by daughters. Good luck to you Lyla Diggle."

With a wink, J'onn flew up through the wall, phasing until he reached the sky and flew towards Jeremiah and Eliza, planning on spending the rest of the night comforting the shaken parents. Lyla simply shook her head. After seeing the Flash, Ray Palmer and Firestorm, nothing surprised her anymore, including see a woman turn a drone into a pig on live TV.

Kara woke up sore, in Barry's arms. She did not want to open her eyes, wondering how many people would be angry at her today. Barry whispered in her ear.

"I know you are up. You breathe differently. I know everything about you. Happy birthday Kara."

Kara smiled, assuming the man may have forgotten considering the action that had taken place the day before.

"Are you still angry?" she asked, fearing the answer.

Barry had not appeared angry or said much at all to her the night before, simply taking her, the both of them needing each other and words weren't needed.

"I was more frightened than angry. Angry I can handle, fright I'm not so good at. But no, I'm not. Kara swear to me and mean it this time. Your focus is on our child."

"My focus was on our child. Protecting her from this mad man."

"Let me protect the both of you, please?"

"I swear." she told him reluctantly. She felt she knew what she had been doing. She felt there was no way the man could take her, harm her or the child but Barry and her family were right. It was a chance and probably not one she should have taken.

"Thank you. Now lets get up. I have a surprise for you at home."

"Home?"

"Yep. Our home. Maybe we haven't moved in yet but it is our home. Your birthday gift is there."

"You got me a birthday gift?"

"Of course. Kara, I will always love you. Nothing you could ever do will change that. Don't you want to see your gift?"

The blonde smiled.

"Yeah, I really do."

"Then get dressed. Its time to go home."


	38. Chapter 38

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Thank you for all the reviews. You all make me want to write faster. I had a couple reviews in the last 24 hours asking if I had writer's block because I usually update by now. I can assure you I don't. I will say this about my update schedule, I don't really have one. I work in a lab on nights. I go in at 7 PM and get off at 3:30 AM unless a sample is going to come in between 3:30 and 7. Then I stay at work no longer than 7. On most nights I am home by 5 at the latest and write until about 10 AM. If I can get five hours in mostly uninterrupted, I can get a chapter out. This week has not been good because nearly everyday I have had to stay until 7 AM. So while I worked in bits and pieces all week it isn't really how I like to do things. I will have another chapter out by Monday because I will be off at 3:30 tonight, then have the weekend off meaning while the family sleeps I have all Saturday and Sunday night to write. So now that I have bored you with my work schedule, you at least understand why some weeks I may be slower to update than others. Okay after all the drama of last chapter, this is going to be a laid back kinda chapter, no gun battles, super power battles or arrow battles. No swords involved. Just a fun kind of chapter to give us all a break from the tension of the last couple. Enjoy and keep leaving those reviews. I love that you all tell me exactly what you think, good and bad. If you say you don't like something I promise I don't take it personally. I love that you care enough about the stories and characters that you do get upset about something every now and then. Carry on, because you keep me going and make this fun.

Chapter 38

Kara and Barry approached their new home that they would be moving into after the wedding, slowly. They held hands, not in a hurry, enjoying the crisp cool day. Kara wondered how bad of a cold she would get from this but decided it would be worth it. Compared to the pain of giving birth, a cold would be a walk in the park. She still had to face everyone today, all those who were angry at her the day before, but at least Caitlin hadn't appeared angry before they went to bed, and Alex was defending her like always. Even Oliver seemed to calm down somewhat. Barry didn't appear to be angry but she had to make sure.

"So how mad are you still?"

"I love you. I never want to think about that monster having his hands near your neck again. Let's move on. We have a future to look forward to. No reason to be stuck in the past." he answered.

"So pretty angry." she concluded. Barry laughed.

"No Kara, I'm serious. You know you scared the hell out of me and probably yourself. I know you won't do something like that again. I'm not mad, I just want to keep you near me, make sure you are safe."

"You know the whole police department…"

"Yeah, I imagine they have known for a while and not one of them have said anything. Everybody loves you. They are some great people and have our backs, so relax."

Barry took a set of keys from his jean pocket and unlocked the front door. Kara let out a relieved breath when she walked inside.

"I'm really glad you didn't buy furniture. I wanted us to pick it out together."

"I know. We can go tomorrow. We are also going car shopping later. I am thinking of an extremely strong and safe vehicle. Just because our baby boy could be indestructible, doesn't mean I want us to treat him that way. I've been doing research and the safest car on the road for the past few years is the Volvo XC90. It had zero deaths last year."

"A Volvo? Alex gets a Porsche and I get a Volvo?" Kara asked humorously.

"Yep, if Alex and Nyssa ever adopt a child, I doubt either of the poster children for overprotective ninjas would have the kid in anything less than a tank. So yeah, it can't hurt to look right? Plus the vehicle looks pretty badass."

"Fine, we can go look at Volvos later. As long as it has windows that roll down I should be good. So… where is my gift?" she asked, looking at the barren house.

"Backyard. I had the fence finished yesterday. Or at least the company did while we were all taking care of business."

"You bought me a fence? You shouldn't have."

"Just follow me."

The two walked out through the living room and kitchen, exiting the sliding glass door that opened to the large patio. Kara did see the wooden, eight foot tall privacy fence and while it blocked the view of the woods, the tree tops remained and she admitted it did feel a lot more private. Then she saw it in the back corner.

"Is that a dog house?"

"Charlie! Come here boy!" Barry called.

A small fuzzy mutt popped out, running towards the two. He was tan and had curly fur, his breed resembling that of a Yorkshire terrier but not quite, obviously mixed with something else. He immediately began jumping up and down Kara's leg, while she stared at him, frozen, too shocked to move.

"This is Charlie." Barry explained. "Thats what the pound named him. I figure you will probably have him inside but I thought a dog house for when we are away or he wants to run outside might be a good idea. He's a rescue dog, just a puppy when he was taken from an illegal puppy breeding farm. Cute little guy. Likes to lick your face a lot and jump. He won't grow much bigger. Anyway he needs a home and I knew you always wanted a dog so… what do you think?"

"You bought me a puppy?" she whispered, slowly kneeling down. Charlie immediately jumped onto her bent legs and began licking her cheek.

"Yeah, Curtis and his husband have been watching him for me for the last few days but he isn't really a dog person, so I thought I would bring Charlie home. We can…"

Barry stopped talking when Kara lifted the puppy and moved towards him, wrapping her arm around him and holding Charlie in the middle.

"This is the best gift ever." she sniffled. "You gave me a puppy. I love him, he is adorable."

"He would be a lot more adorable if he didn't lick so much." Barry muttered, backing his face away from Charlie's tongue.

"That means he loves you." Kara pointed out, kissing the excited pup. "Thank you so much Barry. Wait! Where will he stay? He can't stay at Caitlin's. The building has a no pet policy!"

"He can stay here. I thought after we get some furniture I would go ahead and move in. I'll still sleep with you and maybe we can sneak him in at night but during the day, he can stick around or your Mom offered to dog sit during the day. He has a bed for the inside and some toys. You really like him I guess?"

"I love him! He is perfect! Thank you so much! Best birthday gift ever! Look at his eyes! Oh…oh he is smiling! See? He likes me! If he likes me the baby will probably like me right? No flying off?"

"The baby is going to love you. How can anyone not love you Kara?"

"I don't even think he knows I'm an alien."

"I don't think he would care, anymore than any of us do. Being where you are from is part of what makes you so special. You aren't an alien anymore. Earth is your home."

Kara continued to hug the excitable puppy, finally putting him down, only for Charlie to once again try and jump back into her arms. She rolled on the cool ground with him, while he jumped back and forth from the ground to her chest.

"I have to show him to everybody! Nobody can be mad at me if I have a puppy right?"

"No one is mad at you." he told her, sitting on the ground next to the duo, who apparently were victims of love at first sight. "You scared the hell out of all of us but no one is mad. We probably didn't react in the best manner but if it makes you feel better, I yelled at Mari McCabe yesterday too. You weren't the only one. You are just the one I feel horrible about."

"No you shouldn't. You were right, they all were. We could have waited, I should have waited. But its over now. Please don't ever tell our little girl what I did. She might hate me then."

"She won't hate you. She is going to be a hero like her mother one day and will understand. You couldn't have let him go. It's not who you are. Just maybe next time throw a car or something at the helicopter and take him out from a distance? Curtis already fed the little guy today, so why don't we drop him off at your mothers and go to the precinct? I need to check in, Joe wants to see you with his own eyes again. He called Caitlin four times last night, asking for updates. Dad nearly came over, but she convinced him you were fine and sleeping. He is going to want to see you today too."

"You want me to go by the precinct? Even though they know…"

"It doesn't matter. Like everybody else, the police love you. Captain Singh is having them sign confidentiality agreements today and no one is going to talk regardless. They have probably all known for a while. Its that laugh Kara. Even with your mask on, everyone can see your eyes squint. Its fine, its one of the most beautiful things about you. Although you officially have revealed your identity to more people than Oliver now. Thats a big accomplishment. He may as well wear a t shirt around Star City that says I am the Green Arrow."

"Fine, but I want Charlie to come with us."

"I don't think dogs are allowed…" Barry gave up, seeing the look on her face. "Okay, who is going to tell Superwoman she can't bring a dog into the police station? Hey Kara, how old are you today?"

"I'm 26. You know that Barry."

"No, I mean when you take into account the time in the Phantom Zone how old are you? Do I get to be considered a boy toy since you are a cougar?"

"You really want to get hurt today, don't you?" she asked him seriously, not liking to think about her true age. "My growth was stopped and time was stopped for that matter so I am 26. That's final and it shall never be brought up again. Got it, Flash?"

"Got it Superwoman. Lets move. Charlie isn't exactly house trained yet, so be careful."

"Barry! He is adorable, he can poop where he wants!"

Barry groaned internally. It appeared he would be responsible for house training. Maybe Eliza could help. She raised a secret agent and an alien, a dog shouldn't be much of a problem, right?

Before the two had left their house, Alex and Nyssa had pulled up in Alex's conservative, practical Porsche. Rushing out, Kara's sister wrapped her in a hug, the dog still between them.

"Happy birthday baby sister. I hope this is one secret you didn't mind me keeping from you." Alex told her, noting the furry bundle Kara held tightly to her chest.

"No, definitely not. This … he is amazing. His name is Charlie."

"I know. We had him for a day last week because Curtis needed a break. Nyssa had the carpets steam cleaned after he left. I had to talk her out of getting them completely replaced."

"We were just about to come to the station and see you Alex." Barry told her, hoping that since Alex was smiling she wasn't too angry about their heated conversation yesterday.

"Thats funny, I stopped at Caitlin's apartment this morning, hoping to catch you still asleep. Damn the luck. Maybe another day. There is always tomorrow right?"

"Uh… yeah. Good morning Nyssa." Barry tried, focusing on the sharply dressed business woman walking up.

"You ever yell at Alex again and I will gut you." Nyssa told him with a charming smile.

"Hey! Don't talk about violent things around Charlie." Kara scolded. "I would ask for a ride but since you only have two seats…"

"That dog wouldn't be in my Porsche regardless. He is cute though. He will be even cuter when you are cleaning up his crap. Wow, you are going to have to smell his crap, then a baby's… better keep that bracelet on for a long time little sis. See you at the station. Joe is really anxious to make sure you are okay."

Nyssa looked a bit annoyed at Kara.

"Nyssa? Is something wrong?" Kara asked, wondering if she was mad at her.

"Do you know what I have been doing since Siberia? I have replayed my battle with Prometheus over and over in my head, analyzing his styles, looking for weaknesses, pushing my body to its limit while Alex worked, all so I could defeat him. You kneed him in his testacles. Quite frankly I'm a bit disappointed in myself and jealous. As many times as I have kicked Oliver Queen in the nuts you would think it would be one of the first strategies I thought of. I am a bit annoyed but the credit goes to you, Kara. Excellent job. We must be off. Alex needs breakfast since she rushed out of our home, hoping to catch Barry still asleep all for the purpose of inflicting bodily harm on him. Have a wonderful birthday, Kara. Have a nice day Barry. I wouldn't nap if I were you."

After Barry made sure the two were far away, he and Kara walked towards the station since Kara didn't feel it would be good for Charlie to move at super speed. No cab would allow a dog in, so the walk was long, making Barry even more resolute about buying a car today.

Finally arriving, the family of three walked in and the entire station went silent and stared at them. Kara began to feel a bit uncomfortable until the applause began. Soon the entire room was cheering and patting them both on the back. Joe moved quickly to his soon to be daughter in law and wrapped her in a hug, not caring that the fur ball in her arms yelped from the force.

"Please don't ever do that again Kara." he whispered in her ear. The whole department knew that the Flash and his friends had saved Detroit and Superwoman took down a madman however no one but Joe knew that she was pregnant.

"I won't. I'm out of the super hero business for the next nine months at least, I swear Joe."

"Yeah, yeah. A hero is who you are. Just be careful, okay? You're giving me grey hair and I am too young and handsome for that."

"Allen! Mrs. Allen! My office please." the Chief of Police, Jim Corrigan, ordered from the second floor. The entire station grew quiet and began working on other things quickly, except for Joe and Singh who decided they would be called eventually so escorted the two up to the Chief's office. When they reached the office he was seated behind his large desk and motioned towards the two chairs. Joe and Singh stood in the back by the door in case a quick escape was needed.

"So, the… don't we have a no dogs policy, Captain?"

"Uh, I'm not really sure but I don't think so. Even if we did, you have to admit the mutt is adorable… sir."

"Fine. So the secret is out. There is something I can finally talk to you both about. I held back before Allen, because you were doing your best to remain incognito…"

"How long have you known? Uh… sir?" Barry asked.

"I don't know, lets see, you wake up from being struck by lightning during the particle thing disaster at that lab, after 9 months, completely healthy. The Flash shows up at nearly the same time, catching criminals. Joe has an outstanding arrest rate, better than he ever has before. Oh and you had lightning bolts on your red suit. Yeah the lightning bolt, being struck by lightning, c'mon Allen, we are cops. A lightning bolt? You should have just worn a name tag. But the general public doesn't know and that is who we have to worry about. Now lets talk business. Auto and home insurance."

"Excuse me… what does that…" Barry started while Joe groaned in the back of the office.

"Auto and home insurance are at an all time high rate in Central City. Any idea why?"

"It can't be the crime rate. Crime is at an all time low… except for the occasional evil metahuman or terrorist, of course."

"That is true Allen, but shattered windows are at an all time high. When you run through the streets, and when a certain beautiful young lady flies overhead, a sonic boom usually accompanies the two of you. While I realize that you are most likely in a hurry to save someone and there is no speed limit for running, or flying for that matter, I would ask that unless it is absolutely necessary, the two of you try to refrain from breaking the sound barrier in city limits. So unless someone is seconds from death, please, for me and the citizens and our wallets, cut it out."

"Of course Chief." Kara agreed quickly, lifting Charlie'e head side by side with hers, hoping to ward off any more criticism.

"You don't need the puppy to be adorable Zorel. You got that down. I won't be angry if there are more broken windows, I just ask that you keep it in mind. Now, since you two are obviously a huge part of the crime fighting community in Central City, I believe we can be open with each other. Each officer has signed a confidentiality agreement but there are things Singh doesn't even know, things that Joe keeps secret out of respect for your privacy, but things I need to know, that will not leave this office."

"Whatever you want to know Chief, I promise. We both do." Kara assured him.

"You can promise for Allen? Nice to see who is in charge of this relationship." the man joked.

"I meant me and Charlie promise. Barry is on his own. I'm sorry, this is kind of new to me. I'm not used to so many people, especially police, knowing who I am. I'm a little nervous here. Charlie is too. He is new to this whole Superhero thing and…"

"Kara, relax. I want to know why you were in the shrinking Iron Man wannabe's metal suit, then busted out, burned the bastards's shoulders with your laser vision stuff and then had to resort to kicking him in the nuts to take him down. What happened for that moment?"

"You saw that?"

"All the cops in Central City saw that."

"I had a minor…"

"She had a power outage Chief. It doesn't… it didn't happen before but recently it has become a regular occurrence. Right now as a matter of fact, she doesn't have her powers." Barry explained.

"If it didn't happen before, why is it happening now?"

"Yeah, thats a good question and why am I just hearing about it?" Singh asked. "Joe knows, don't you Joe? I thought we had an agreement Allen?"

"I have told you everything I know about metahumans and open cases Captain. Kara's case is a bit more sensitive and personal." Barry explained patiently.

"Uh huh. Kara?" Singh prodded.

"I'm pregnant." she blurted out. Joe dropped his head.

"You're pregnant? You left her to go fight a battle in Detroit while she was almost gunned down at the damn SuperFlash Cave?" the Chief asked.

"We don't call it…" Barry started.

"It sounds better than S.T.A.R. What the hell were you thinking?"

"We… I didn't leave her alone. She was supposed to stay in a safe room. We had friends left behind…"

"This would be the Green Arrow who we are supposed to believe is not the former Arrow or the former Hood, correct?" the Chief asked. "Because the Arrow died in prison, or at least someone a foot shorter than him faked his death in prison. Star City Police are idiots."

"He would be one of them, yes."

"Who else?" the Chief asked.

"The Canary."

"I heard the Black Canary was dead." Singh said, surprised.

"She is. Laurel Lance is… but there is another, not the Black Canary, just the Canary."

"Who else?" Corrigan prodded.

"A woman who you do not want to know, but she is around a lot when bad guys die of spontaneous bleeding due to natural causes. Also a woman called…"

"Yeah, Detective Zorel, Kara's sister. They both wear the same symbol, not hard to figure out. You two got a thing for S's huh?"

"It's actually… yes we do." Kara settled for. "It's our favorite letter."

"So what does she go by, Kara?" Corrigan asked.

"Valkyrie."

"Thats not bad. I guess Cisco can come up with some winners every now and then. Pied Piper, Rainbow Raider, Captain Cold… kid needs better material sometimes. I did like Heatwave and Tar Pit though. Multiplex was a winner too. Joe, I plan to have a talk with you and your partner later. Just so she understands if she wants to go superheroing thats on her own time. She is still going to have to follow procedure while on duty. I don't want to make her mad. Judging by the car she drives, she doesn't really need this job and her reports are amazing. Best I have seen in a while, better than your BS reports. Hell, you would think Allen wrote them, they are so detailed and precise. But for God's sake, Joe teach her how to give out Miranda rights. I heard a cop asked her last week if she even knew them and she started saying something that was a cross between the Ten Commandments and the pledge of allegiance. Its kinda becoming a running joke. Okay, since we brought it up, I guess Kara here is going to be out of action for a while?"

"Yes sir." she told him quickly.

"You still need to be seen. I'll expect both of you at the SuperFlash Day. Seeing as how you both saved Central City from that asshole's drone fleet, the Mayor wants to celebrate you. Hopefully a giant metahuman won't show up to kick your ass this year Allen. We will have snipers all around, protecting Kara. Before you ask, I don't want to know how Kara was in two cities at once. Probably some more weird crap I'm not really in the mood to process right now."

"I beat him sir. Atom Smasher? I mean… not that day, but you have to admit the gas canisters I threw and Joe shooting them, was kind of genius."

"Think about weight lifting kid. Especially after Zoom. We can hook you up with the department's personal trainer if you want. Bring the Fire guy and Shrinky along too. They were there. The mayor doesn't know anything about you two and it stays that way. I trust cops, I don't trust politicians. Your friends, the ones in Detroit and here… are you guys some kind of gang now?"

"We are. We call ourselves the Justice League." Barry told him.

"Cute. Justice Society would be better, but okay. As of right now, you two are listed under our department's confidential informant policy. This means not even a Judge can make a cop divulge your name or personal information. Kara, everyone in the department chipped in last week and got you a birthday gift. Joe said today is your birthday right?"

"Uh…yeah, yes sir."

The Chief slid a small box across his desk to her. She picked it up, opened it and found a gold badge, Central City Police Department engraved on the top and Superwoman engraved on the bottom.

"Chief…" Kara gasped.

"It's not official so don't be trying to use it to get discounts at food trucks and Big Belly Burger, but you deserve it kid. Just kinda our way of thanking you, making you one of us, even if it is just honorary. Get out of here, go have some fun. It's your birthday and judging by yesterday, you two could use some fun."

Barry and a teary eyed Kara, holding her badge did leave, as Alex was walking up to the Chief's office. Barry and Alex bumped into each other but before he could apologize he felt her fist in his groin.

"Excuse me Flash. Didn't see you there."

An uncomfortable Barry and a very happy Kara left and headed to the Volvo Dealership where they were greeted in the lot by a young, short man in his mid twenties wearing a classy suit and tie. He had close cut blonde hair, sparkling white teeth and was obviously in shape. The guy introduced himself as Mark and had salesman written all over him.

"Hey Mark, we are wanting to look at some of the XC90s."

"Great, why don't we go inside and talk about what your needs are and how we can custom fit a vehicle for you. We can run a credit check and…"

"Credit check won't be necessary. I'm paying in cash. I think we want to look around for a bit alone. We have some other places we want to check out today. I know Cadillac has a new crossover I would like to look at and compare prices, features that sort of thing."

"Oh… okay, let me show you what we have out here. So you are really looking at Cadillac? Don't let the name fool you, Volvo's have them beat by a mile as far as features, luxury, safety. You won't find a better car on the road, especially considering the power versus miles to gallon ratio."

"I understand that, but we want to look at all our options before deciding on one car. I know that BMW had some great new models coming out. This won't be an easy decision." Barry told him, letting the man know he wouldn't be played for a fool. Joe had told him when dealing with car salesmen always make sure they understood that you don't really need what they are selling.

"I can certainly respect that. First of all, lets get to the fun stuff. What color are you looking for?"

"That is up to her. First, I want to see the T8 Hybrid that holds seven passengers."

"Barry!"

The man turned to his fiancee and her ever present dog who was still licking her face and recognized the look in her eyes.

"Yeah Kara? See something you like?"

"Yes! I want this one. I have to have this one! Please?"

Mark's smile grew exponentially while Barry dropped his head. So much for playing it cool.

"You can fit seven people in here. The baby could have two seats and Charlie could have two. Does this have seat warmers? I don't want the leather to be too cold and with Winter here this could be a concern."

"Yes, as a matter of fact it does. So you like red?"

"One of my two favorite colors." Kara admitted.

"Well you certainly have great taste. This is our most fully loaded vehicle on the lot. Only $75,000."

Barry snorted. "Yeah, thats not happening Mark."

"But Barry…" Kara started.

"Mark would you mind giving me and Kara a minute?"

"Of course. I'll head inside and start the paperwork."

"Don't bother if you think I am spending $75,000 on this car. "

Mark walked away, not arguing but knowing he had the woman at least on the line.

Barry stepped over to Kara, who had opened the vehicle and was trying to buckle Charlie into a back seat. To the dog's credit, he sat there and let her try.

"Kara? Honey, I realize you have never bought a car but I watched Joe do this before. You can't just decide you want the first model you see and then say you want it. There is an art to this. If we act too eager he is going to be less inclined to negotiate."

"Yeah, I get that I guess, but look at everything it has. I thought a Volvo was kind of lame but this car is amazing, Barry. It has the camera that looks all around and the collision warning system. This is an important feature Barry. I haven't driven a car since I left Midvalle for college. I wasn't that great then either. Mom finally gave up and just started driving me everywhere. Not that I really had any place to go. Pretty much just school and back home. Still it would be so cool to have a car that I could actually drive without wrecking. Not that I'm that bad of a driver. I only wrecked her's twice and only one of those was my fault. Okay probably both but they were harmless fender benders. At least the other car's fender got bent. Mom's whole front end was pretty much crushed but I did use my strength and heat vision to fix it. It looked pretty good, I thought. House paint doesn't work that well on a car. Did you know that? I didn't."

"Okay, don't panic." Barry whispered.

"I'm not panicking."

"I was talking to myself. Let's go to another dealership or at least tell him we are, so we can come back and have some negotiating leverage."

"But what if it's not here? What if someone buys it?"

"It will be here or one like it, I promise."

"But I want this one. There aren't any more red ones on the lot." Kara pointed out.

"Kara could you do me a favor? Take off your bracelet for just a couple seconds and listen to what the salesman is saying to the guy inside standing by him."

Kara did as requested and frowned.

"He said you must have a rich father because he can't figure out how you bagged a dumb blonde trophy wife who carries a mutt with her. Im going to hurt him."

Kara's eyes lit up until Barry grabbed her shoulder, trying to hang on.

"Kara? Baby, put the bracelet back on."

Kara stared at Barry for a moment and then slipped the device back on, her eyes going back to their sparkling blue color.

"So what do we do?" she asked. "I want this car and I want to make him hurt. I don't think I can have both. I just got a badge so I probably shouldn't be involved in police brutality."

"Just let me handle it. We can get him to come down on the price. I was going to suggest you test drive it but that may not be a great idea until you can get some more practice… in a large empty parking lot. You did have a Driver's License on your old Earth… right?"

"Of course. Well, I had a learner's permit. But after the second accident, Mom decided I should use taxies when I moved to college. I don't really know why. She was probably worried about other people hitting me. How was I going to get any better using a taxi? I only had a year of practice."

"A tank may be a good idea." Barry mumbled. The two walked inside and had a seat at Mark's desk. Kara was glaring at a suddenly uncomfortable Mark who straightened his tie and coughed.

"So have you talked about it? Came to a decision?"

"$55." Barry countered.

"Yeah, I can't even take that offer to my manager. The car without any options is $60."

"Yeah and it's the holidays but not quite Black Friday. You know December is going to be a huge month but this month is looking a bit slim, isn't it? You can sell it at cost. It will improve your numbers and you do have a quota to fill. Plus this is cash, no dealing with a downpayment, credit checks, bank loans, any of that. It's a solid win for your dealership. So you don't make that big of a commission off of it. Next month is your money maker and this month keeps your boss happy." Barry reasoned.

"I can't do any better than $71.2"

Barry glanced at Kara who looked back at him with her puppy dog eyes and her puppy dog. He had royally screwed himself buying that mutt.

"Mind if we step away for a moment? I need to make a call."

"Of course. Take all the time you need."

The two walked to an empty corner of the showroom and Barry pulled out his phone.

"Who are you calling? Joe? Your Dad? My Dad? Mom?" Kara guessed.

"Worse. I don't feel like being here all day. Its time to end this."

Thirty minutes later Nyssa walked into the showroom.

"Which one?" she asked.

Kara pointed at the vehicle in the lot.

"Give me ten minutes."

The two watched Nyssa smile charmingly at Mark and sit across from him. Though they could not see what she was saying and Kara didn't want to take her bracelet off to find out, they both noticed Mark's smile fading, while his face turned paler. After nine minutes, Nyssa shook the trembling man's hand and rose, walking toward the couple.

"He has agreed to $56. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes it is Nyssa. Thank you." Barry told her gratefully. Nyssa Al Ghul gave new meaning to the phrase make you an offer you can't refuse.

"Anytime. It was almost as fun as negotiating for Alex's car. That only took five minutes though. This man held out longer than most. See you both later, have fun today. Alex called and wants to have lunch. She is apparently upset about someone named Miranda. Probably a new woman on the force, intimidated by her beauty."

Two hours later, the two drove out of the dealership, Barry driving, with their new vehicle. A stop at Petco blew Barry's mind.

"They actually sell dog safety seats for cars?"

"Told you. I've wanted a dog for a long time and have done my research. Lets go to Mom's! I want to show her Charlie and Charlie's seat! This is so freaking cool. Best birthday ever which is surprising considering the nightmare we went through yesterday."

"I can't believe it is leather with sherpa lining." Barry mumbled, still a bit dazed. Arriving at his future mother in laws, the three were greeted by the smell of a late lunch, Eliza knowing that Kara must be starving. While Kara scarfed down four grilled chicken breasts and a large bowl of salad, Barry showed Eliza and Jeremiah the features of their new car.

"Barry, Kara is going to need a lot of practice driving. She isn't the best… not to say she can't drive but she can't…drive." Eliza finished.

"Yeah, I kind of got that feeling. I'll work with her…"

Barry's sentence was cut off by loud barking and yelping from the house. All three ran in to find Charlie next to Kara in the bathroom, regurgitating the food she had just eaten.

"It's okay boy. Kid Flash just decided I ate to much." she whispered and took the towel Eliza offered her. A few more attempts to enter the kitchen were met with similar runs back to the bathroom, until Eliza opened the window and allowed the cold air to blow away the smell of cooked food.

"Oh Rao, I'm hungry again."

"Have all you want sweetie, I don't think we are hungry anymore." Jeremiah offered. After feeding both Barry and Kara, both wished Kara a happy birthday.

Leaving the house, Kara was a bit disappointed.

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah, this is the first birthday I have had since Dad has been back. He is the one who helped me figure out the date of my birthday. Mom always came down and spent a few days with me in National City. I just figured they would want us to come over tonight. And where is my gift? I always get a gift. Alex didn't give me one this morning but her gifts are kind of… she isn't great at gift giving. She usually gives me a hundred dollars and tells me to go wild. Its kind of weird they don't want to spend the day with me. You think they are still mad at me?"

'No, they probably just figured we would want to spend the day together. Thats not so bad, right? I hope I'm not too terrible of company."

"Of course not. I love days like this where its just the two of us, buying dogs and Volvos and dog safety seats and morning sickness. I could do without the morning sickness. Being called a dumb blonde wasn't great but at least he admitted I'm a trophy wife. Getting my gold badge was awesome too. Alex's badge isn't gold and she wouldn't even let me borrow it so I could try to get a discount at Big Belly Burger. And finding out about this SuperFlash day, is pretty cool too. Jax is going to be so psyched. I don't think we should tell Ray. Did he ever get his suit I tore up back?"

"I guess. He can always build another. I can call around and get everyone together if you want but I kind of had special plans for you tonight."

"Oh yeah? Do these special plans involve clothes?" Kara asked, already knowing where his mind was going. Hers wasn't far from the same spot.

"Yep, at least at first. I was thinking we could go to the Karaoke Bar. We haven't been in a while. You up for some duets?"

"Yes! Let me call Cait and Cisco and…"

"I kind of wanted it to be just the two of us." Barry told her quietly.

"Oh… okay. Lets go hang out at our house and play with Charlie in the yard. No wait! Its going to be colder tonight. We need to stop back at Petco and pick him up some sweaters."

"Sweaters… I thought we could just leave him in the house while we are out."

"Alone? In an empty house? By himself? With no one around?"

"Kara, we can't take him to the bar. I'm pretty certain there is a no dogs policy."

"I'm pretty certain we aren't leaving him at home alone. Thats fine, I can pick up a doggy carry bag. Its a purse and his head can just pop up when he needs some air. We will sit in the back?"

"And when we want to sing?" Barry tried.

"I'll take the purse with me on stage."

Barry let out a breath, giving up. He had gotten her the perfect gift and he would pay for it. Between the leather car seat, the bag they were about to buy, sweaters and who knew what else, the dog had already cost him more than he actually paid to adopt the animal.

Two hours later, after sneaking the dog into Kara and Cait's apartment, they were ready for the night. Kara was disappointed Caitlin was not around, as she hadn't seen or heard from her all day.

"Caitlin is mad. She is mad at me. I know she is. She never goes this long without texting me."

"She isn't mad. Her and Winn are probably doing things."

"Are you kidding? They do things at our apartment. Can you imagine Caitlin doing anything at Winn and Cisco's place?"

Barry admitted he couldn't.

Driving up to the bar, it seemed a bit empty for a Friday night.

"Not much action. Good, we won't have to push anyone off stage. What do you want to sing?" she asked, as the two walked inside.

"How about happy birthday?"

Kara's eyes lit up when all her family and friends yelled surprise. Everyone was there!

"A surprise party?" she asked quietly, taking in the smiling faces of her family who did not appear angry.

"Yeah, are you surprised?"

Kara nodded her head dumbly. "I've never had one. I've never really had many friends…"

"You do now. You have a pretty big family that loves you."

Kara waded into the room, receiving hugs from everyone, Kendra and Carter, Oliver, Speedy, even Ray was there smiling. She was glad he wasn't to upset about his really expensive superhero suit being destroyed.

The music started but no one was dancing. Alex brought four slices of Chocolate Pecan Pie for her little sister and all gathered around for gifts. Kara grabbing a seat in the middle, doing her best not to rip the bracelet off and see what was in the boxes.

Her first gift was from Jeremiah. She opened it and found a diamond heart necklace.

"My father bought my mother a diamond heart necklace for their one year anniversary. He bought her another for their ten year anniversary. She passed them on to me and … Eliza kept them."

Jeremiah handed another box to a surprised Alex.

"I'm not honestly sure which belongs to which anniversary, or how he found two identical necklaces but… one belongs to you now and one belongs to Alex. I want something of your other family around your neck as well. Happy birthday daughter."

A teary eyed Kara and Alex hugged their father, not having words to express what the simple act meant to them. Jeremiah sat, holding them tightly, still feeling surreal. While he missed them all everyday, birthdays and holidays were the hardest, and to be here, despite everything they had all gone through was a miracle."

Alex was next and handed an envelope to Kara.

"A hundred dollars?"

"Hundred and fifty. I'm a gold digger now, remember?"

"Yeah, hard to forget. Thank you Alex."

"Remember when I told you that sometimes I wished I could be you?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm a bad ass vigilante with a super suit and a Porsche and you are a soccer mom in training driving a Volvo. I'm good now."

Kara threw a bow at her sister, both of them laughing. Nyssa gave Kara a beautiful blue silk robe that must have cost a fortune. Eliza gave her new paints, brushes and canvases and asked her to never stop painting.

The biggest box came from Oliver. Kara took the very long box, only a couple feet wide but around five feet long, noting it was very light. Ripping into it, she gasped when she saw what it contained.

Inside the box was a beautiful bow. It was like Thea's only blue, and on the curve, a darker blue engraving, Predator in large letters.

"Oliver…"

"If you are going to work with me on Archery, you have to have the right tool. I made it myself to custom fit you. I think I got the draw right. It also has grappling capabilities, so once you have your child, maybe I can teach you how to swing from rooftops. Give flying a break for a while and live on the wild side with us vigilantes."

Kara hugged Oliver but before she could pull back, Thea had a box stuffed into her hands. "Arrows." she explained. "Most are just really sharp but a couple are grappling, one bola, one magnet and a couple exploding ones I snuck in, so be careful."

The gift giving continued, Catlin giving her a framed photo Barry had taken without their knowledge, not long after Kara had moved in, of the two of them snuggled on the couch, eating ice cream and watching TV together, both nearly asleep. Joe, Henry, Harry, J'onn, the line continued on and on.

After the emotions of the night, Kara had a hard time gaining her equilibrium, not knowing who to thank first once again. Before it became a dilemma, Cisco stood and walked to the microphone.

"Please tell me he isn't going to try and sing again." Kara whispered to Barry, who snickered. That was one night the patrons of the bar would never forget.

"I would like to make a speech. Or just say a few words. I guess thats a speech. Yeah…"

"Get a haircut!" Thea yelled out, Cisco ignoring her but running his hands through his long, dark locks.

"Yeah so a little less than a year ago, Barry brought Kara into our lives in a spectacularly frightening fashion that I don't think any of us will forget as long as we live. I don't want to, because as horrible as that night was, I gained another sibling. Kara, you have changed all our lives. I could tell how much Barry already loved you just by the way he looked at you, like his life depended on yours and I guess it pretty much did. We all went through some crazy stuff in the last year, all of us. I won't bring up names we don't want to hear because this is a celebration but before you came here, a lot of us were… beat. We were tired and our confidence shaken a little. I don't know about everyone else but I was questioning if it was worth it. I hated to see Barry and Caitlin go through so much hurt and Oliver and Thea, Dig, Felicity… I know Laurel is here with us right now. I can literally feel her in every one of the faces here who knew her and were blessed to know her. Iris, when I look at you I can feel Eddie here with us. Point being it was a rough time Kara and then you came. You gave us all new life. Back there everybody, that table in the back corner is where our team, our family was given new life. Because of you, we became stronger, not just with powers but as a family. You were the missing link that pulled us all together. When we felt down, when we were tired, when a madman was bombing cities, you were there and you are the one we look to for the light in the darkness. I don't know what force, or being decided to bless us with you but I am glad whatever it was did. We all love you. We are going to love being aunts and uncles to the littlest badass in the universe and we are going to keep going, stronger, more confident and save more lives because of you. So thank you. You saved us all whether you know it or not."

Cisco raised his drink and walked down, hugging the blonde who was sobbing by this point.

"Speech, birthday girl!" Ray shouted. Kara wiped her eyes and glared at the man but gave in and smiled. Walking shakily to the front of the stage where her and Barry had sung so many love songs together she took in her love and her family, all of them.

"I don't know really how to follow up that Cisco. Damn it you made me cry."

"Its not hard!" Alex shouted, Charlie barking in agreement, from his bag sitting on Barry's lap.

"I'm not really sure what to say. I guess, its funny in a way. The day Barry brought me here, I have had nightmares about what happened. But… I never felt normal, not since I came to Earth. Even when I started using my powers, I never felt normal. But now, I look at all of you and I don't want to be normal. None of us are and I like that we aren't. Honestly, I have never had many friends, Winn was pretty much my only friend in National City."

"And the coolest!" the man added.

"Yeah, definitely the coolest. Except maybe the time you made me try on the spandex shorts and top."

"He did what?" Jeremiah asked.

"But all of you… if what happened hadn't happened, I wouldn't have you all. I wouldn't have my family whole, I wouldn't have my … I wouldn't have any of you, including you Barry, who loved me enough to risk everything just to save me. I've been in love with you since you pulled that mask off your head and told me your name, followed by fastest man alive. He is really proud of that title, even though at that time I was faster than he was."

The room laughed, Oliver clapping Barry on the shoulder.

"You, all of you have given me everything, made my life make sense, brought everything… I … thank you all. I love all of you and I know you love me and that means everything to me."

Kara finished and walked off the stage before she became emotional again, Barry meeting her with a kiss.

"Okay, who wants to see some magic?" Zatanna asked.

"So long as it doesn't involve dead pigs." Harry agreed.

"No dead pigs. For my first trick I will need a dog to volunteer." the sorceress told the group.

"No!" Kara yelled, running over to Charlie who had ducked back in the bag.

"I'm joking Superwoman. Honestly I am not going to do any magic tricks until I hear it. I want to know if it is as intimidating as the legends say. Constantine says it is not that big of a deal."

The entire room looked at Oliver.

"Really?"

Felicity handed him Shado's hood, the one he had not worn in years but she kept as a remembrance. Thea handed him the voice modulator.

"This is ridiculous. You all realize I don't say this anymore right? It was just a thing when I was targeting the list and… no magic or singing unless I do this, I am guessing?"

A round of agreements and Oliver took the offered hood and Kara's bow, Snapping the modulator on his belt he stood up, looking strange in his jeans and blue sweater, green hood on top, holding a blue bow.

"No, he looks ridiculous." Felicity told the room, much to Oliver's relief. "Turn the lights off. The red emergency lights are just enough, perfect."

The lights went off and Oliver stood in front of the stage.

"I need a volunteer please?"

"Harry has it!" Cisco offered and pushed the man forward. Harry smirked, not seeing the big deal.

Oliver turned on the voice modulator, raised his bow and stared at the man.

"Harrison Wells," he growled, "you have failed this city!"

"Holy shit." Harry whispered, impressed and a bit intimidated.

"God I wish I had you at Cadmus." Jeremiah agreed. "Seriously if I walked into a dark room and you were there saying that, I would lose control of certain bodily functions."

"Thats is kind of… sexy."

"Mom!" Alex and Kara both shouted.

"I'm just saying! Maybe we can get you a bow, Jeremiah. I like it. Maybe a hoody? One of those voice things…"

"Mom, please stop." Alex begged, while Jeremiah growled teasingly into her ear.

"Barry do your voice thing!" Kara begged as the lights came on, not wanting to think about her parents role playing.

"What, like this voice thing." he asked, his voice vibrating, freaking everyone out in the room but Iris and Joe who had heard it quite a bit, even more than Cisco and Caitlin.

"Yeah, I figured out I can do it too. It's like swallowing but you just relax your throat and do it really quickly. I can make my throat vibrate quite a bit…" Kara started.

"And how did you figure out this trick with your throat?" Caitlin asked, already knowing but enjoying seeing the realization dawn on Kara's face, Barry hid his face in Charlie's bag, taking the licking the mutt was dishing out.

"Who wants to sing? I do! Barry, come sing with me!" Kara begged, hoping to take attention away from Caitlin's question.

Everyone sat back and watched the two soon to be newlyweds and parents sing on stage, Jeremiah and Eliza relaxing in each other's arms, enjoying the sound of Kara's voice, while Alex did the same, leaning back into Nyssa.

Oliver sat down next to Jeremiah and handed the man a glass of Vodka. "Life is not for the weak. You, my friend, are very strong. You have strong women in your life. What else can we hope for?"

The two toasted and drank, Jeremiah doing his best to not show Oliver how the strong Russian Vodka affected him and considering asking the man if he could borrow his hood for the night. Dr. Stein shared a drink as well, cringing at the taste. Life was not for the weak and neither was this Vodka. Jax tried for a glass until Oliver asked him for ID.

At one AM the party broke up, an exhausted Barry and Kara, followed by Winn and Caitlin, all sneaking a dog into their apartment. Kara slept that night and had no nightmares. Instead she dreamed about a blonde haired little girl with bows in her hair, playing with Charlie in the living room of their house.

At six AM, Barry was woken by his phone. He saw Joe and answered quickly.

"What happened?" he asked, knowing Joe did not call this early unless it was important, especially considering how much the man had drank the night before.

"Got a homicide. Patrol is on scene roping the area. Alex will meet us there."

"Why? Its Saturday." the Flash reminded him. He was pressed against a still sleeping Kara and did not want to leave this bed. He also admitted Charlie made a good foot warmer.

"Possible metahuman case. Until we can prove otherwise its ours. Probably ours regardless. I don't know much but it sounds strange." Joe provided the address and ended the call. Barry tried to get out of bed until a strong grip, from an arm that had a bracelet moments ago, pulled him back.

"I am going to sleep another hour or two but I am also in the mood, so unless you want to be hurt, you are staying in this bed." she mumbled into the pillow.

"It's a homicide. Maybe metahuman. I have to go."

"Oh, metahuman? Can I come with you? I have a badge now."

"Stay in bed, get more sleep and I will be back in a couple hours with breakfast for you. If he is good, Charlie might get a breakfast taco. If you are still in the mood, just remember we are furniture shopping later and can have a bed delivered to the new house today."

"Fine, go be Sherlock Holmes. I'll be here, naked, in a very nice, warm bed."

Groaning, Barry dressed and actually drove to department to grab his bag and then to the scene. He entered an apartment complex, following the directions of the officers to the third floor. Alex had just arrived as well and followed him up. A door at the end of the hall was open and the two walked in, Joe motioning for them to join him in the back bedroom of the one bedroom apartment.

"911 hang up. Officers followed up and found the door open. She was here." he pointed to the old woman, laying on her back on the bed, obviously dead. She wore a long t shirt of a local rock band concert a few weeks ago.

"An old lady called for help and died before she could ask. Why do you think this is a homicide? She has to be 90." Alex pointed out.

"Meet Gayle Marsh, the only tenant of this one bedroom apartment. According to her ID and the Snap Chat account on her phone, Gayle Marsh is 28 years old. I can't imagine what would cause this to happen but she has died of old age at 28. This can't be natural, so while I canvas the neighbors my favorite bioengineer and forensic scientist can figure this out. If it isn't a drug, we have a very bad, very dangerous metahuman on the streets."

Joe walked off leaving Alex and Barry alone.

"Wow." Alex whispered.

"I know right? I just wanted to get this done quickly so I can get back in bed with your sister. This is going to take a while." the man admitted. Alex shook her head, wanting that image gone.

"So drug?" Alex hoped. Because a person who could do this was frightening as hell. A murderer using a drug would be a lot simpler.

"I don't think so. Look over here." Barry pointed to the dresser where a vase of flowers was withered and dried. "And over there."

Alex saw a fern in the window, also dead.

"Oh boy." she whispered and shook her head.

"Congratulations Detective Zorel. Looks like we caught your first real metahuman case and it is not going to be pleasant."

 **A/N For those if you who are wondering, if anyone is, yes Charlie is my dog. If you are looking for a dog, I would recommend rescue dogs from animal shelters. You won't find more loyal and loving pets. I've got three myself but only Charlie gets to be a supporting character in this story.**


	39. Chapter 39

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N Thanks for the reviews last chapter. Not many but it was pure fluff after all. This has a bit more action in it. Some fine police work by our resident meta human task force and some fine breaking and entering by our favorite sisters. Enjoy and let me know what you think. I have two endings for this story in mind, one on Earth 1 for another five or six chapters maybe ten and another ending with an adventure on Earth 3 meaning another fifteen. What do you think?I can always start the Earth 3 story line in a sequel but… I kind of want it all in one story no matter how big it is. I saw a story on here the other day that was like 100 chapters and 4 million words. I'm not kidding so I am not worried about word count any longer. This won't go cray cray like that though. Just need to decide six or ten more or fifteen more. There are going to be some short time jumps if we add fifteen more.

Chapter 39

Oliver knew this place. It seemed as if he was born here and in a way he was. He knew every rock, every cave, every hiding spot. He knew where to find water, food, paths of animals he could feed on. He knew the exact number of rivets inside the wrecked plane he called home. After everything, fighting to escape this hell, he had come back after Russia, marooned himself, perhaps to atone for his sins the past few years, hide from the horrors he had witnessed, the acts he had done. Perhaps it was penance for Sara, dying once again, finally meeting her fate in the cold water. Oliver knew where every land mine on this island was. He knew the cold at night, no matter the time of year and how it would settle in his bones while he lay under a tattered blanket he had found in a burned out camp.

Maybe he was hiding from his mission, the one he promised his father he would complete. He would right his father's wrongs but not now. Now he needed to rest, to try and remember what humanity he once had. He needed to suffer more, because when he returned he knew he wouldn't really be there. He would hide who he was because Thea could never see. His mother could never know what had become of her son. The scars were deeper than the ones the outside world could see.

Maybe he felt the need to suffer. Shado never left this island, why should he get to leave? He had loved her, despite loving Laurel, betraying her with Sara, not just on the yacht but on the island itself, but before Sara he had loved Shado. She taught him to fight, to survive, to be more than he ever thought he could be, and he chose Sara. He fell on his knees in front of Ivo and heard the gun blast and knew, in an instant, another woman he loved was gone forever.

At night, Oliver dreamed, not one night went by when his mind was not racing. He dreamed of Ra's and falling from that snowy cliff, knowing he would never see Thea again, never touch Felicity's cheek, never do so many of the things he had hoped, in his more optimistic moments, that he could do.

Other times he dreamed of Vertigo, those three needles pressed against Felicity's neck. This time he slipped, he didn't pull the arrow fast enough and by the time he had grabbed another, it was too late, the needles buried in her throat.

The worst dreams though were of Shado. No matter when he came to the island, she was always here, waiting on him.

"Hi." he greeted her.

"You are becoming less human. I thought Felicity was supposed to bring you into the light." she told him with a soft smile, teasing as only she could. No matter what she said she was always smiling. It was just her. He had loved that about her.

"It should have been you. I should have chosen you." he admitted.

"So you could leave me when you met Felicity?"

"So you could live, be with your sister. So Slade wouldn't have gone insane"

"It wasn't meant to be. This place is my hell, the same as it is yours. We will never leave Oliver. Slade is stuck here, you are stuck here, we are all stuck here. This isn't Purgatory, it is Hell. The sad thing is, you miss it, don't you?"

"It was simpler here." Oliver admitted, sitting on the makeshift bench in the rotting hull of the plane. "Kill or be killed, nothing else mattered. There was no one to care. I was gone, but I went back and I failed. I failed and I came back here and Felicity pulled me back again. I should have stayed."

"Maybe." Shado admitted, kneeling in front of him. He saw a hole in her forehead now, with only a trickle of blood. "I won't make you feel better. You have failed. Look." Shado pointed behind Oliver and when he turned he saw the body of Laurel levitating in the air, a green arrow stuck in her abdomen, ripping her black suit. Her mask was on the floor but her eyes were wide open, dead but looking right at him.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Perhaps you were born under an unlucky star. Perhaps you sinned so much before the island, Hell came for you sooner than death. Only you know why you fail. Maybe you just weren't good enough. Maybe you are just a spoiled little rich boy, trying to play soldier. Waller didn't turn you into a hero, she turned you into a killing machine. Why do you let Thea go out with you, night after night, knowing one errant bullet to her head and she is dead? Why do you bring John Diggle along, knowing if you make another mistake a little girl will have lost her father, the way Thea lost hers?"

"They would go out without me. I can protect them if I am there."

"It was your arrow that killed Laurel. How many did you plan to send into Darhk, knowing they wouldn't strike?"

"I don't know. I was stupid."

"Oliver, when will you ever learn? You are not fighting crime, not fighting to save the city, you are fighting because you don't know any other way. You know why you are here now. What would have happened if Kara had lost her powers a split second sooner? She would have had three bullets buried in her chest. John saved her from another. Where were you?"

"I… I know."

"How would Barry have looked at you then? Would he still see a hero, or see you for what you really are? What about Felicity? How would she see you? You know how quickly she turned on John, blamed him for Laurel's death. Yes she apologized but she still blames him. You can see it in the way she glances at him, every time Laurel's name is brought up. This is your dream, Oliver. Can't you be honest, even in your dream?"

"Yes! Yes, Felicity would have hated me, I would have kept hating myself, Barry would have hated me, I get it! It's all I can think about!"

"Kara is vunerable. You know this right? The most powerful woman in the universe, brought to her knees by a child, of all things. How easy could Prometheus have snapped her neck? He will escape. He will come after her just like Slade continues to come after you and your loved ones because you let him live. What if Slade knows you see Kara as another sister? Another person to fail? Prometheus will get her first though."

"No… the Martian did something, Lyla told me…"

"It will go away when the Martian goes away. He will escape and what then?"

Oliver sighed. As usual, Shado was right. Of course she was, she wasn't a ghost, just a ghost who lived in his head, the one who told him the truth even when he wanted to ignore it. She was the island he retreated to.

"I have to kill him, before it gets that far."

"Yes you do. But what will you do about Kara? Barry can protect her… to an extent. But what if he and your new friends are off saving the world somewhere else? What if someone she has stopped before, finds out who she is? What if they attack her, thinking her weak? That is what will happen. Will the man with wings truly be able to protect her?"

Shado pointed behind him once again and though he didn't want to turn, he had too. Floating next to Laurel's body was Kara, dressed in the costume he had only seen on the wall of her room when she had showed him her paintings. The bright blue of her top, darkened, covered by blood and her blue eyes wide open.

"Not her. I can protect her. I have to protect her. The three of them, Barry, her and the child. They deserve this. I don't, but they do. I have to do this, no matter what. There has to be some good from what I am."

"You won't absolve yourself. Nothing you could do will atone for your failures. Thousands, hundreds of thousands lives destroyed in an instant, because you weren't good enough to stop Darhk. You should have killed him when you had the chance. Instead thousands and Laurel died. Tommy is dead, because you weren't smart enough to stop Merlyn's plan in time. You aren't smart enough, you never have been. A spoiled trust fund baby who never took the world seriously. If it weren't for Felicity many more would have died? How many deaths does she have on her conscience now? How many died in the Siege? As part of Slade's plan for vengeance on you? All because you chose Sara."

"I know. You aren't real. Why do I do this? Why do I come back here? I was past this."

"Felicity dragged you back. She brought you back to your nightmare but it was only a matter of time. You are going to die alone Oliver. Alone in some underground lair, filled with costumes and arrows. Do you really think you can save Kara?"

"Yes. I have too. I can't fail. Not again."

"I hope so. I really do, Oliver, because you don't have the best track record of saving the ones you care about. Ask your mother. She is right behind you."

Oliver turned back around, and saw his mother smiling at him, next to Kara and Laurel's bodies. When Slade's katana sliced through her he woke with a scream. Felicity, used to this, rolled away from him quickly. Seeing that he wasn't fighting, she grabbed ahold of him and brought him close to her.

"Hey, hey it's just me. Calm down. It wasn't real."

"Yes it was." Oliver whispered, trying to control his breathing. Felicity didn't argue, knowing he was probably right. Dream or not, they were always real to Oliver.

"I can't go back. She is … she is vunerable. Barry could lose… if something happens, something almost did, I wasn't there. I can't leave. Not until her powers are back."

"What about Star…"

"I don't care. Not anymore. How much more do we have to give up? This… this damn Justice League is more important. If Star needs us we can all be there. I need to make sure they can fight, I have to make sure she is safe. I understand if…"

"I stay where you are. I'm your partner right? Thea likes it here, it's a good place for the three of us. I'm betting Lyla can keep Digg out of trouble for a while. Give him a chance to be a full time Dad instead of a part time Dad and part time vigilante. I can work from anywhere. We can stay. I know you can't leave her like this. I don't want to either and neither does Thea."

"You blame Dig, don't you?" he asked, not needing to clarify what she blamed him for.

Felicity didn't bother to lie, instead staying quiet.

"It was my arrow that killed her." he reminded her.

"It was his brother, he was the reason she was killed. You warned him! He never listens to you! He thinks, ever since that League of Assassins mess, he thinks he is better, a better person than you and he can be so stupid…" Felicity stopped talking, forcing herself to calm down. She loved John. She did, but what happened, she had forgiven Oliver a lot because she loved him. Yes, she had left him but she knew she would never be able to stay away for long. The broken man was an addiction to her that she couldn't shake, part of her own soul now. But John, John should have trusted him. Instead he trusted a man who had forsaken his wife and child, let them believe he was dead to work for HIVE.

"We stay. This group can't operate out of a basement in Palmer Tech. We need something better, something more secure than S.T.A.R. and more accessible than Ray's play pen. More importantly they need someone to teach them how to go to war. Nyssa can't do it alone. Alex, Sara, Thea, half the team doesn't have super powers. They are good but they aren't leaders, yet. They aren't prepared to do what is necessary without hesitation. Ray doesn't really have powers. If his suit goes so does he. He can't fight worth a damn as you certainly know. They need you and Kara needs you. She needs you to…"

"Turn her into me?"

"No, to protect and love her. She looks up to you. So does Barry. A lot of people do whether you think you deserve it or not. If we are going to do this, Barry and Kara can lead but you and Nyssa have to make them all ready. I know you can do it. If there is one thing I know in this life, it is that you always find a way. I believe in you, I will always believe in you."

"Why?"

"Because. I don't need a reason. What you see as failures I see as survival. You would die for any of us. That is one of the many things I love about you."

"So you are good with staying?"

"Yep. We stay, you make them ready I figure out somewhere, someway this team can work out of, that gives us a technical advantage. Maybe S.T.A.R. can be fixed, maybe you and Ray can make it secure. I believe in you Oliver. You can do this and you can keep her safe."

"You always believe in me." he admitted.

"And I always will. Win or lose, we go together. After this, after Kara has her child and the League is secure, we leave. The two of us, just like before only this time I swear I won't drag you back. This time we live the same dream we were living before. You were happy."

"You weren't." he reminded her.

"I was happy, I just missed the action. I think I have gotten enough action over the past year that I won't miss it anymore. I just want us. So we do this for now. We have 7 months to prepare this team for war, we protect Kara, and then we are done. Just the two of us."

"Okay… Felicity, do you think when J'onn goes back to his Earth that whatever he did to Prometheus will stop? Could the man regain his mind?"

Felicity had thought of this as well. She suspected she knew the answer and J'onn most likely didn't or thought it was over. He could be right but if he wasn't… how much had she changed? What happened to the woman who wouldn't let Oliver out of his lair to threaten a man with two children into giving stolen money back, because she was afraid the Hood would kill the man?

"If you had killed Darhk the first time he lost his magic instead of arresting him like I wanted… a city would probably still be alive instead of being quarantined because there is too much radiation for the Army to recover bodies. Thousands wouldn't have been crushed in an underground whatever that was that turned into a sink hole. Slade killed two guards the last time he escaped. If you are asking me for permission or approval, you have it."

Oliver was silently thankful. He knew what he would do regardless but having her support meant everything. He tried to ignore the fact that she had given it so easy. Thea was right. You can't fight the darkness without it getting on you. Tommy may call him a murderer in his next dream but the dead didn't get to judge. Considering what happened to Laurel he had a feeling Tommy would understand.

"I will handle it after the wedding. J'onn can keep him lobotomized until then I hope. I will talk to Lyla. She will understand."

While Felicity and Oliver made plans to kill Prometheus after the wedding, to murder him in prison before he could escape, Barry, Joe and Alex dealt with another problem. A very dead problem.

"So the plants are dead in the room. It is unlikely he took the time to spray them, meaning whatever this organic material is around this meta dies after being in its presence." Alex surmised.

"Yep, but there has to be a limit. The people in the surrounding apartments didn't die. Maybe it can't penetrate an inorganic barrier. Maybe touch is involved and the meta actually did touch the plants. We won't know how this happened until the autopsy is done." Barry pointed out.

The CSI began wandering the room, checking the sheets around the body, being sure not to touch anything. Grabbing his bag, he began running a blue light over the dresser where the roses were placed on top, and the window sill where the dead fern had withered away. Checking the drawers carefully he noted the underwear definitely did not belong to an elderly woman.

"Are you seriously going through her underwear drawer?" Alex asked, at this point having nothing to do but stand and watch her soon to be brother in law do his thing, waiting for the moment he popped a derby cap on and brought out his magnifying glass and pipe.

"Yep. I think she is beyond caring at this point, Alex."

"Still it's kind of… ugh. What do you hope to discover in there?"

"DNA if we are lucky, DNA that doesn't belong to her. I have to check all these drawers, looking for anything from a single hair strand to small amounts of blood if we are lucky. She called 911 and the call was ended before she could talk. There may have been a fight and if the meta was even scratched then a trace may have been left. Maybe she had sex with him before tonight and her laundry wasn't washed for some disturbing reason Maybe he wanted something and looked in the drawers. We check everything. I'm checking her sock drawer and the one underneath it that I hope holds tee shirt and shorts and nothing else. There could also be dried semen that didn't wash out…"

"Okay! Okay I get it. Just do your… thing while I try not to vomit."

"Yeah, I would definitely appreciate it if you would not vomit on my crime scene. How can this bother you? I know you saw some pretty disgusting things fighting aliens."

"Yeah, but I never had to look through any of their panty drawers for dried semen. I'm going to go search the rest of the apartment, do detective stuff until you or Joe can give me a target."

The medical examiner walked in at that moment and greeted them both, asking if the body was ready.

"Yeah, go ahead. I definitely want to see the sheets under her."

"More dried semen?" Alex guessed, getting a strange look from the ME who then shrugged it off.

"Weren't you going to do detective stuff?" Barry asked. "Look for clues, that sort of thing."

"I got clue." Joe told the two, walking in. "Talking to the neighbors, canvassing potential witnesses, things we have to do as cops instead of waiting for targets." he said, looking at Alex with a grin.

"Yeah, I was just about to do that. So… what did you find? Because Barry has been checking panty drawers for dried semen and I would definitely prefer to follow you around."

"Gayle was a professional psychic. She had clients visit her here. According to one neighbor who used her services, she wasn't much for predicting the future but knew specific details about what was bothering her and the person she wanted to contact from beyond the grave. Almost like Gayle was reading her mind."

"She was a mind reading meta." Barry guessed. "Considering how most of them use their powers, conning people for phony psychic readings isn't that bad. Anything else?"

"Yeah, she was seeing someone, rough looking Hispanic young man, short hair, covered in tattoos. One neighbor saw him come in and out at weird times. He was heard by the nosy woman across the hall, leaving the apartment around 7 last night."

"The 911 call didn't come in until early this morning. It couldn't have been him." Alex said with certainty.

"Unless he sneaked back in." Joe reminded her.

"Oh crap." the ME's assistant muttered.

All three turned to the ME who along with her assistant had been trying to move the body into a bag. The body that had just turned into a human sized pile of dust when she touched it.

"You have to admit you don't see that everyday." Barry whispered.

Joe shrugged his shoulders, silently agreeing with his foster son but trying to play it cool.

"I need to get a sample. You mind?" Barry asked the ME who raised her hands.

"Not much I can do an autopsy on. She was … wow, you are right Allen. I've never seen that. Whatever or whoever did this did this has seriously bad mojo."

Barry grabbed a large plastic bag and began carefully brushing the dusty remains inside, making sure to collect the dust that had been the head.

"That is so disgusting." Alex muttered after the ME had left the room to grab an airtight collection of bags to gather the victim in.

"Seriously, Kara told me you fought an alien bug man. How can this bother you?"

"You are dusting her body into a zip lock bag! How can this not bother you?"

Barry shrugged. "I guess after a while, you just get used to certain things. This isn't nearly the worst I have seen. Meta's usually kill with their powers. Regular humans kill in some of the most vile ways you can imagine. After a while, it becomes a puzzle that needs to be solved. If you start thinking about it too much, thinking of them as people with lives and families, it is going to drive you crazy. So don't think about it too much Alex. This is just something you have to get used to."

He handed the bag to Alex.

"Now Dr. Zorel. We need to figure out why a 28 year old metahuman was turned to dust. Since biology isn't my area of expertise, I leave it to you."

Barry had been gone three hours by the time Kara made herself rise from the bed, deciding whatever happened, he wouldn't be back with breakfast. It was just as well, because she made a quick trip to the toilet as soon as her feet hit the floor, Kid Flash making his or her presence known.

She finally made it to the kitchen, hoping for coffee and for Winn to have clothes on. Luckily Winn was not there and Caitlin was pouring a cup of fresh coffee.

"Good morning!" Caitlin greeted, way to happily.

"Winn left early this morning, I am guessing?"

"Yeah, he had some coding he wanted to finish. He thinks he has figured out a way to make a nanobot recognize potential tumors before they grow larger, maybe before Stage one. He is so brilliant." she finished dreamily. "He's pretty good at his job too."

Kara blushed, wiping that image from her mind and unintentionally remembering Winn's brilliance in the storage closet with Siobhan.

"Where did your boy toy go this morning?" Caitlin asked.

"Homicide. Probably involving a meta. I could have gone but nope, stay in bed naked, Kara, I'll be right back with breakfast. Since I haven't gotten breakfast, I decided to put clothes on. I wonder what is taking him so long?"

"Crime scenes take a while. You watch enough CSI and NCIS to know this."

"Yeah, but it usually only takes until a commercial break. Then the lab results, another commercial break, interviews with at least two suspects who say they didn't do it and of course they didn't because there are three more commercial breaks left. Follow that up with figuring out who really did it, chasing him down and then getting him to admit to everything without a lawyer present in less than a minute and the case is closed, show is over. I really miss CSI Miami. I loved how Horatio would always say something cool and then take off his sunglasses, then boom, music starts and the chase is on. Alex bought me all the seasons on Blu Ray, two Christmases ago. I should get Barry to wear sunglasses more. He would look so adorable in them."

"He kind of would, wouldn't he?" Caitlin agreed. "Since it is the two of us, what do you want to do today? It's actually a semi warm day for November and I want to be out on the town. Oh, lets go look at furniture so when you and Barry decide together you can manipulate him into getting exactly what you want."

"Charlie could use a walk." Kara admitted. "I need to feed him his morning breakfast taco could stop somewhere and get one for the both of us, since Barry thinks homicides are more important than my stomach."

"Kara, dogs don't eat breakfast tacos and I think Charlie might not want to be stuck in furniture stores all day. Why don't we take him to your mother's and the two of us could have a relaxing day? He could eat in peace and run around. Don't you think he deserves a chance to bond with your mother?"

"Only if we stop and get him a breakfast taco on the way. He needs the protein and I saw a documentary once on how dog food is made. Not happening."

"Human food isn't good for a dog." Cait told her.

"Human? Why do you have to bring species into this conversation? Human food is good for me, so it is good for him. End of discussion. Besides he loved the wings last night."

"You fed him… of course you did. That was the red coloring mixed in the fur around his mouth. Lets get dressed and go furniture shopping."

"No! I have a better idea. Lets go to the crime scene!"

"Kara, we can't just stroll into a crime scene."

"Of course we can. I'm Superwoman and I have a badge now. I bet we could help!"

Caitlin let out a breath, knowing she wouldn't win. They could at least stay outside. An hour later, after Kara fed Charlie a breakfast taco in Caitlin's car, the two had left the dog at Eliza's who wasn't as good at pretending to be excited as Kara seemed to think she was. Shortly after tracking Barry's cell phone, thanks to Cisco's help, the two arrived at an apartment building. The entire building was roped off with police tape.

"So what is going on here?" Carter asked, startling both women. They turned and saw Kendra and Carter both looking at the apartment building.

"What are you guys doing here? It's Saturday, go have some fun." Kara tried.

"My job is to be with you when Barry isn't. Kendra had nothing better to do today and decided to come with. So what is going on?"

"Homicide. Alex's car is across the street parked in front of mine. I'm going to see if we can help. I know the two officers by the rope."

"From what I understand, every officer in this city knows who you are." Carter reminded her, not happy about the development but recognizing it was too late to do anything about it.

"I can probably get Caitlin in, with her being a scientist but they are not going to let my bodyguard and his reincarnated soul mate inside. Stay here and act casual."

Kara strolled confidently towards the yellow tape. She recognized Amy and Mike, both patrol officers. Amy had three children, the youngest being five and her husband worked at a steel mill just out of city limits.

"Good morning you two! Great weather, huh?"

They both crossed their arms and looked at her.

"So, whats the deal here? Just between us cops of course."

"The deal is the Chief and Captain said you are to stay away from any and all crime scenes, especially dealing with metas." Amy explained.

"And that you are also on inactive duty for the next seven months at least. He wouldn't tell us why but the timing seems suspicious." Mike added looking at her stomach. "So since you can't enter active crime scenes, why don't you relax, enjoy the day, take your puppy to the park? This is no big deal."

"You have an apartment complex roped off. Barry has been gone for hours and didn't bring me breakfast. I think I can tell when something is a big deal or not." Kara reached into her purse and removed the shiny gold object inside. Showing the badge to the two officers she stood straight and proud.

"This says Central City PD. Can I be let in now?"

"I told you all, buying her that was going to cause problems. I said get her a really nice plaque but nope, you guys said a badge would be cooler." Amy muttered.

"Kara, maybe you shouldn't carry around a badge that says Superwoman on it." Mike suggested quietly. "and no, you don't get to come inside. The detectives and the CSI inside are very good at what they do. You know this." Mike calmly explained. "Besides you don't have experience moving around a crime scene. We don't have experience. Why do you think we are out here?"

"But… but I'm Superwoman." the blonde tried.

"Put on the cape and mask and then we can tell Superwoman no." Amy told her. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, whats with the silver bracelet? It looks like a cuff or something. Can't Barry buy you better jewelry? Want me to have a talk with him? Or is this something you two are into? I'm not judging but shouldn't you have one on both wrists? I read Fifty Shades. Been tying my husband up ever since, so I get it."

"I don't need a man to buy me jewelry. And no… why would I need one on two wrists? One is enough. What is fifty shades anyway? It doesn't matter, I will find out bracelet is very important for reasons I can't discuss and… Amy, you are a genius."

"Why am I going to regret being a genius?" Amy sighed, but didn't have to find out. Kara walked quickly back to her three friends. Slipping off the bracelet, she handed the device to Carter.

"Kara…" Caitlin warned.

"Not doing anything risky, I just want to see and hear what is going on."

Kara used her X ray vision, seeing Barry running some sort of light in the living room of a small apartment. Alex and Joe were searching drawers. To her great consternation none were speaking and there was no dead body that she could look at for clues.

Letting out a disappointed huff, she slipped her bracelet back on.

"Its pretty boring. Joe and Alex are rifling through drawers and Barry is running some blue weird flashlight over the surfaces for some reason."

"Probably a UV light to try and pick up trace fingerprints." Caitlin guessed.

"My vision is better but whatever, let him play with his toys. He will tell me everything that happens when he is done or else. Okay Cait, you win, let's go furniture shopping. Or we can try to lose Carter and Kendra. Think you guys can keep up?"

"I think we are going to follow you around and you won't escape us. As a matter of fact Kendra could use a girl's day on the town. She should ride with you two. Doesn't that sound like a good idea, Kendra?"

"Sounds like a great idea. Let's go look at furniture. Oh, we haven't looked for baby furniture for the office yet. Maybe we can find a dog house for Charlie to put in Ray's office!"

"You are so smart, Kendra. Okay, enough of the boring crime scene. First, is anyone hungry? I am really hungry."

"Have you tossed your food from last night yet?" Hawkman asked.

"Big time, first thing this morning, when I realized my bed warmer wasn't coming back. I want hot dogs. Hot dogs with peanut butter. Isn't that weird? I mean weird that no one has thought of it before. Peanut Butter and Jelly is delicious, and Hot Dogs are delicious."

"Speaking of uneatable food, we also need to find a caterer who can work on short notice." Caitlin remind her. "Zatanna volunteered but I'm not sure her frying a bunch of live chickens with a spell is the way to go. And remind her that we are cooking a turkey the old fashion way for Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, and we need someone to marry us." Kara remembered.

"Barry said Ray talked to him and they agreed he would marry you." Caitlin told the trio.

All three froze. "No way is a guy we have recently defeated soundly in a prank war going to marry Kara and Barry. This is exactly the kind of opportunity he needs for a counterstrike and renewal of hostilities." Carter pointed out.

"Don't be ridiculous. He married Dig and Lyla and did great. Besides he is too scared of Oliver to pull any tricks." Caitlin reminded the group. "Lets go, caterers aren't going to book themselves."

While the foursome left downstairs, Barry was nearly finished. He had found several sets of fingerprints, but due to the in and out nature of a psychic who worked at home, it was doubtful any of them would mean anything other than a visit. It could help identify the mystery boyfriend. Barry packed his bag, hoping Joe and Alex were having luck with the camera watching the door. It apparently was spotty according to the building manager, who obviously didn't take security seriously. Maybe he would after this.

"What do you have?"

Barry turned quickly, in less than a blink of an eye, startled but not completely surprised to see Oliver, in full regalia. He apparently snuck in through a back window. Barry was certain that no police officers outside had been injured during his entrance.

He was 50% certain.

"You have got to stop doing that!" he whispered. "You didn't knock any officers out, getting up here, did you?"

"No. They aren't very observant. I came from the roof across the street. Again, what do you have?"

"Possible meta on meta violence. The lady who lived here was 28 years old and died of old age. When the ME tried to move her body it turned to dust."

"Magic?" Oliver suggested, not wanting to think about someone like Damian Darhk walking around, stealing life forces again.

"Doubtful. The plants were dead too. I have samples of both. My guess is a meta who can accelerate aging quickly. It's up to Alex to figure out how."

"Kara still wearing her bracelet 90% of the time?"

"Yeah, she is soaking up some rays occasionally but is afraid if the baby takes too much the growth will be accelerated."

"Caitlin think that can happen?" Oliver continued what was feeling like an interrogation to Barry.

"No, but there is no harm in the bracelet being on. Kara feels better keeping it on. Unless she is fighting mad terrorists of course."

"Talk to Caitlin. If it isn't a problem, convince her not to wear it. Whoever this is could attack her, especially if you and Alex are the ones going after it. Let me know what else you find."

"Uh, you realize this is a police matter, right?" Barry checked.

"If it is a metahuman killing others it becomes a Justice League matter, right?"

"Yeah, meaning we take him or her in if possible. Oliver, don't slip back into old habits, okay? Thats not who you are anymore. I know why you and Nyssa did what you did at Jeremiah and Eliza's home. I don't disagree with it but we can't fall into that. You can't. I'm counting on you."

"I know Barry, and you can always count on me to do what needs to be done, even taking this meta alive. Just keep me informed."

That said, the Green Arrow walked to the back bedroom, fired a grappling arrow to the smaller building across the street and zip lined towards it, the cops below oblivious to what was above.

As soon as the scene was released and the officers went back on patrol, Barry walked to his Volvo, texting Kara to see if she wanted to meet for lunch at his lab, while Alex and Joe lingered, considering talking to nearby tenants of apartment buildings across the street. Alex noticed a Hispanic male walking towards them casually, until he noted the badges clipped on Joe and Alex's belts.

"Boyfriend." Alex guessed and began moving slowly towards the man, whose eyes widened and then turned, taking off at a run. Joe and Alex immediately pursued, Joe falling behind but Alex gaining on him. He turned into an alley, a high chained fence blocking off one end.

"Stop! DEO… FBI… Central City something! Stop now!"

Rather than responding to any of the agencies the woman just mentioned, he jumped onto the fence and began climbing. As he was midway to the top, Alex jumped, landing an elbow into the kid and rolling in midair, landing on top of him as his breath was knocked out by the pavement below.

"You have the right to shut the hell up. If you say anything I won't forget it. You have the right to a lawyer. If you want a lawyer we will appoint the dumbest lawyer who graduated at the bottom of his class. You have some other rights we can go over later, I think, but right now all you need to know is if you so much as ball a fist I am snapping your arm." she told the man, placing cuffs on him, then dragging him up. An out of breath Joe finally caught up.

"You read him his rights?"

"Yep."

"Not the Ten Commandants right?"

"Bite me Joe. Lets have a talk with him and find out why his first reaction to police is to run."

At the station, Joe and Alex sat with Jody Ortega, who admitted to being in a casual relationship with Gayle Marsh.

"Yeah they all start that way." Alex told him. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"I'm not saying anything. What does she have to do with this anyway?"

"Do with what? Why do you think we brought you in?" Joe asked.

"I got papers on me. This isn't about the warrants?"

"Gayle Marsh is dead." Joe told him, grateful the man had some sort of warrants to hold him on if nothing else.

"What are you talking about? I saw her last night. Why the hell would someone… those bastards. They got her. I told her to stay away from them. Weird stuff going on there. I left at 7 and she was alive I swear. I was with some of my boys last night."

"Doing what?" Alex asked, enjoying being part of the interrogation this time, rather than just threatening Linda Park.

"Uh…"

"Yeah, thats what I thought. What gang you run with?" Joe questioned, betting he could pin some robbery or burglary on him. Unfortunately gang violence and crimes were tougher to catch. Barry couldn't just run up and arrest guys with gang tats.

"I'm gonna ask for a lawyer before I answer that."

"You are going to answer right now or so help me…"

"Alex, don't. You can't do that."

"Are you sure? Because I can have him talking in thirty seconds or less." she reminded her partner.

"Look it don't matter what I was doing last night. I got friends who can tell you. You better look at that freak show hospital in Keystone City. I told her not to get mixed up with them. Helping her, right. You can't trust those types."

"What types? What was she involved in?" Joe pressed.

"That center. She thought she was psychic or something. Not that con she was running either. She thought she was really psychic and had some scientists always running tests on her."

"What scientist? What center? You want me to forget you for this I need some answers." Joe told him, finally getting somewhere.

"You let the warrants go if I give you answers?"

"I leave you in here with my partner who still doesn't understand a criminal's rights if you don't answer."

"Aight, no reason to get all threatening. Girl got some serious temper issues. She seen Training Day one too many times. Warrants ain't nothing anyway. Just a suspect in a robbery. Supposedly the owner hit the alarm and the perpetrators who I don't know, had to leave quick before the Flash and his old lady showed up. Honestly I am scared of the blonde more. She can shoot lasers from her eyes. Did you know that? Course you did, she probably works for you guys."

"What center?" Alex asked, a bit more forcefully than Joe.

"I don't know the name! Some big research center in Keystone. Can't be that many right? You are detectives, shouldn't be hard to figure out."

Ortega was sent to a cell while Joe did a bit of research. The only center that came close to dealing with possible mind reading psychic research was the Institute for Higher Psychokinetic Study. One hour later Joe had some bad news for Alex.

"DA says we can't get a warrant on the word of a gangbanger who isn't sure this is the right place. Especially considering it is a Government research lab with confidential records. Unless we can find proof that Gayle was involved with the work done there we got nothing. We can't even interview the scientists because of the confidential work going on." It smelled like A.R.G.U.S. or CIA but Joe doubted even Lyla Diggle would give up information on a top secret research laboratory.

"What sort of link do we need?" Alex asked.

"Something, some information from a friend, relative something that ties her to a particular researcher or project."

"Like a file she may have had lying around her apartment that we somehow missed or may have been hidden under her bed that we recovered during a second search of the scene?"

"Alex whatever you are thinking about, just stop. Something else will come up." Joe warned.

"What? Another decayed body?"

"Why don't you and Barry work the evidence? Maybe we can figure out what caused this and tie it back to the Center. Maybe she wasn't even involved in the Center. Lets just follow procedure, got it?"

"Got it." Alex lied. She went home for the day, promising Barry she would look at the material tomorrow at S.T.A.R. where the equipment was more advanced. Nyssa wasn't there so she left her a note, informing her that she would be having sister time tonight and left for S.T.A.R. Sneaking in and out wasn't a problem, since Winn and Cisco were wrapped up in video games, Stein was writing some strange equations on a glass board and Ray was tinkering with his Iron Man suit, trying to reassemble it and the workers trying to repair the place were gone for the day, meaning the mannequins were back out.

An hour later she was parked a half mile from the center. The place was not what she expected. Alex had expected something resembling S.T.A.R. Instead it was a plain, five story office building with a large parking lot, surrounded by a high barb wire fence with guards posted at the gate.

"What are we doing?" a whisper asked behind her. She nearly jumped out of her suit, until she realized it was Kara. Wait, what was Kara doing here?

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I could ask you the same thing. Are we going to break into that building?"

"I am. You are going home. Where is Barry?"

"Running around town, looking for somebody that can turn people to dust. Its kind of annoying. I get that its important but I have been extremely horny lately when I'm not vomiting. Is that a normal part of pregnancy?"

"It's a normal part of a being 26 and discovering sex for the first time with a man who can vibrate his whole body and really liking it. If Nyssa could vibrate her entire body at super speed I wouldn't be able to walk much less go to work. Its hard enough as is. What I am doing here is my business. Your business is in Central City, luring your boyfriend home with promises of sex. Now go."

"I left my bracelet in my room. I figured you were doing something covert when you left your chest plate at the lab, but your suit was gone from the mannequin. How do you like my outfit?"

Alex took her in for the first time and realized she was wearing a black, tight body suit.

"Please tell me that isn't the Red K outfit?"

"Of course not. I'm pretty sure Lucy or Vasquez burned it at the DEO. I picked up a new one. You have to admit despite being evil, I looked pretty good in it. I think Barry will approve."

"Kara, there are armed guards inside."

"I know, I can see them. I don't even need a fancy helmet. Face it, I am going in or I am calling Nyssa and telling her what you are about to do. I might even call Joe."

"You wouldn't rat me out." Alex told her confidently. "Besides I could call Barry. He could be here in under a minute."

"And he wouldn't approve of either of us doing this. What are we doing again?"

"Gayle Marsh was likely involved in a research project in this place. We can't get a warrant because we have no evidence linking the Center to the crime or her for that matter. I need to find out what she was involved in and with who."

"So you just plan to search the whole place, all five stories, dodging guards, until you find something with her name? I could check those files really fast, faster than you could move."

"You promised Barry you wouldn't do anything risky!"

"And that involved metahuman and super terrorists. This isn't that risky. If they catch us we can just badge them. We can both do that now."

"You are not going in there."

"We go through the roof. After archery practice, Oliver gave me a small crossbow gun. I'm pretty sure I can shoot a grappling wire up to the roof and pull us up."

"No! I doubt you even know how to shoot that thing!"

"I shoot it in the air and it lands on the roof. Hard to miss a roof Alex. Come on, we haven't had any bonding moments in a while. No alien escapees, no end of the world scenarios. It will be like old times, only those times aren't really that long ago so yeah, it will be like not so recent times."

"Kara, I swear to Rao, God, Buddha, Gaia, whoever, there is no way I am letting you go in there. I will call Barry. Go back to your Volvo, and go home to your puppy. I bet he is missing you."

"Don't be ridiculous. Charlie is right here." Kara slid off her backpack Alex had not noticed and unzipped the top, a fuzzy head wearing a black mask popping up.

"Are you kidding me? Wear did you get him a mask?"

"Halloween clearance sale at Petco. The two of us are going to have so much fun next year."

"He is going to bark."

"No he won't. He was a born secret agent." Kara argued. Charlie barked in agreement. Alex tried to ignore the massive headache quickly coming on.

"I'm calling Barry."

"I'm calling Nyssa."

The two sisters stared at each other, reminiscent of their times in high school when Alex would sneak out and Kara would follow or threaten to tell Eliza.

"You stay here and watch out for me. We use the coms. Watch for guards and let me know how much time I have and when someone is near. If it looks like I am cornered cause a distraction."

"What kind of distraction? Like blowing your Porsche up?"

"You better keep your heat vision from my car or some terrible accident may befall McGruff the crime dog."

"Alex! Don't threaten him! He can hear you. Besides sacrifices have to be made. I slightly hit a pole backing out of the parking garage. No big deal, I can pop the small dent out but I made that sacrifice for you."

"You drove your Volvo here?"

"Duh. How do you think I got here? Flying is too risky."

"You driving is riskier! You can't drive! If Felicity hadn't gotten you a fake license you would never have gotten one! Why didn't you take a cab?"

"Yeah, I'm going to take a cab to help my sister break into a base."

"How did you even find me?"

"I placed a tracker on you that Cisco made when you weren't looking. It's on one of the weapons you are carrying but I'm not saying which."

"Do you know what an invasion of privacy that is?!"

"Do you really think I didn't know about the one you had sewn into my skirt?!" Kara countered.

Alex stopped cold.

"Good point. Okay, I'm going in. Watch me and let me know what the guards are doing."

Charlie barked in agreement.

"And keep that damn dog quiet!"

Alex activated her helmet, night vision showing immediately. With Kara, hopefully on top of her game, she wouldn't need infrared.

Cutting the metal fence was easy enough with the knife she had stolen from Oliver, that he usually used to cut steel cables off people. Considering he shot her once with said cables she felt like he owed her.

"I'm in the compound Kara." Alex whispered.

"Call me Predator, Valkyrie."

Behind her black visor, Alex rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'm in the compound Predator. What do I have?"

"Two guards are making a circle on the right side of the building. Lay on the ground. They shouldn't notice you. Its pretty dark where you are. Once they pass, move to the right side. There is a staircase leading down. Looks like it opens into a basement. Cut the lock or I can come break it real quick. There are no wires on the door so I doubt it has an alarm. If it does. I can send Charlie to help you take out the guards and the two of you can escape. He is pretty fierce for his size. We were playing today and he likes to stand on his back legs and box, then chew on my forearm. It is so cute."

"Kara!"

"Sorry, focusing now. And it's Predator, please. Okay the guards are circling in front of you, forty yards away, not looking in your direction. Don't move."

"No really?"

"Shhh! No room for sarcasm on secret spy missions. You should know this, agent."

Alex lay still, not moving while the two guards moved on, continuing their vigilant patrol of the building.

"Move!" Kara hissed. Alex stood up, still hunched over and ran quietly, making her way to the building and splitting to the right. She found the staircase that did appear as if it was going into some sort of storage room or basement. The knife did not work.

"This lock is too thick for my knife to cut through!" she whispered.

"You expected to cut through a lock with a knife?"

"Yeah, its a strong knife. Worked on the fence."

"You stole Ollie's knife?"

"I borrowed it. Can you find a good angle and zap it?"

Alex felt a rush of wind and her sister was by her side. Reaching the lock, she snapped it.

"Well since we are here, we may as go in with you." Kara suggested. Alex noted Charlie's head was still sticking out of the backpack and trying to lick Kara's neck, but his mask had slipped and resembled a bandana now.

"Don't worry about Charlie. He is really good with super speed. We took it easy at first but I think he enjoys it." Kara opened the door and motioned for Alex to enter. "After you Valkyrie."

"There are armed guards in there. Do you realize what happens if you take a shot in the gut and your powers dim? No more Kid Flash and no more Kara. Who is going to take care of Charlie and Barry? What about your baby? I can take care of myself but you have so many others to take care of. You think Barry would hook up with Iris if you were gone? I bet she would take advantage of his grief and make her move."

Kara cringed at the effective guilt trip Alex had just executed. "I'll be back in those trees watching you."

Another rush of wind and Alex relaxed.

Entering the basement, she found a number of data processors and truly wished she had included Winn in this operation. Checking infrared, Alex noted only a few people on the floor above. One resembled a guard at the front sitting, probably near a desk, and three people scattered in three offices.

"There is a guard sitting at a desk. Sounds like he is watching football on the TV in front of him. Central City U just kicked a field goal."

Alex shook her head. No matter how high tech, nothing beat Kara's vision and hearing.

Climbing the stairs, to the first, she decided priority number one was finding a computer in one of the empty offices. She was happy to see the lock was a simple push button locked from the outside and turned easily for her.

"I think the guard just noticed the door opening. He is standing up… never mind. Going to the bathroom. Mission is a go, Valkyrie."

"Thank you Predator." Alex whispered, moving to the left and taking the corner. The first office she reached was locked. The next had one of the stragglers in it. She briefly thought of taking him and forcing him to find the info she needed but it would be better if she could be in and out undetected.

"Try the third office down. Looks like the door is unlocked and a computer screen is lit up. Somebody didn't lock their computer before leaving."

Kara was definitely better than a spy satellite.

Checking the door, she was happy to see that it was unlocked.

"Where is the guard?" she whispered.

"He is still in the bathroom with a newspaper… oh thats disturbing. I'm glad I didn't come with you. Something tells me I would have smelled that wherever I was in the building."

Alex held back a laugh and silently entered the office, locking the door behind her. Checking the computer she was disappointed. There was a screen lock on it.

"You were wrong little sis. This is password protected. I wish we had Winn here."

"I can call him."

"No! No one can know we are doing this."

"Alex you know I suck at keeping secrets. Besides its just Winn. He will keep it to himself."

"Yeah but the last thing we need is for someone to notice one of ours hacking into a government database. I'm going through his files."

"Steal the hard drive!"

"No! Someone is going to notice and I want this to be in and out."

"Like no one is going to notice the security fence cut open." Kara reminded her.

"Not when you use your heat vision to weld it back together." Alex reasoned.

"Oh, now you need me. Check his files but be quiet. The guard is finishing up and…okay I'm not going to watch him anymore until he is completely out of there. Disgusting. Using two sheets for what you just did? I would hate to see his laundry."

Alex moved quietly through the file cabinets. Quite a few files had project names on them, not really mentioning many details and most of them looking harmless, studies involving people guessing which cards a researcher was holding up, identifying potential psychics and dismissing most of them.

One had redacted information, torn pages and Project Blue Skye.

"Some files are labeled Project Blue Skye with a lot of redacted information. I wonder what that is?"

"If it is anything like Clean Sweep lets burn the building now and launch a war against A.R.G.U.S." her sister suggested immediately. "Touch the computer terminal with one of your fingers."

"Why would I do that?"

"Cisco always keeps surprises in the suits. See what it does. If this guy has a small office on the first floor he probably doesn't know anything important, but you can break into his security system. Maybe a small shock will reboot the system and allow you to jump onscreen. I realize you are no Overwatch but you do know how to hack data that you have a direct port to right? If not I can walk you through it."

"You? What do you know about hacking?"

"Photographic memory and hang out with computer nerds all day. I picked up a thing or two. Touch the monitor with your glove. Shock it."

Alex uncertainly reached out, firing the electrical impulses in her suit. The terminal made a whirring noise, filling her with hope until a small shower of sparks erupted and smoke indicated the death of the computer.

"I killed it."

"Wow, I really thought that would work. Thats what you get for listening to me. Looks like all the guards are on lunch or at least heading to a lunch room on the second, except the one up front who is still watching football."

Alex took a look around and exited the office. Running quickly to the staircase, she silently made her way up to the fourth floor, using infrared to determine no hostiles were in her way. On the fourth she had found what she was looking for. A series of rooms, guarded by steel doors.

"This is getting ridiculous. Should I shock these too?"

"Nah, it will probably set off an alarm. Hold on." Kara mumbled.

"Are you eating?"

"Yeah, I packed some sandwiches for me and Charlie. You wouldn't believe how hungry pregnancy makes us. Listen, the window to your right, no your other right, yeah open it. I'm going to burn a hole into one of the rooms. As long as you catch the concrete we should be quiet."

"No! I cannot catch concrete!" Alex whispered harshly.

"This is a lot easier with one of our nerd hackers. If you would have let me come in through the roof like I wanted we would already be in one of those rooms. Hey looks like an office at the end. Pick the lock and see what is in there. I bet it belongs to whoever is in charge of these creepy cells."

Not having any better idea Alex, did as suggested and pulled to pins from her inside boot pocket, next to where she kept a small blade. Picking the lock was disturbingly easy, easy enough that she doubted she would find anything of value. What she did find was an appointment book in the desk. The desk belonged to one Daniel Pendergast PhD. The appointment book had exactly what she was looking for. Gayle Marsh, November 2nd, 2 PM three weeks ago.

Taking an appointment card from inside his drawer, Alex scribbled Gayle's name and Pendergast's name as best she could imitating his handwriting in the notebook.

"I got what I need. How am I looking down below?"

"Not good. Guards are walking all around. I'll be right back."

Alex heard a whoosh and then Kara was back.

"What did you just do?" Alex groaned.

"Took advantage of the guards outside being on the other end and welded the lock back together on the basement door."

"Then how the hell am I supposed to get out?" her sister hissed.

"Go to the roof. I'm going to use my crossbow pistol thing I stole from Oliver's locker to fire a bolt into the rooftop. Zip line down."

"No!"

"Better hurry. You are thirty seconds from having to fight your way out and I can't fly up to get you. Too risky. Zip line down or blow your clandestine entrance and have to beat up security guards?"

"You could have left he basement unlocked until I came out. You've been wanting to use that damn gun! Damn Oliver Queen. I knew he wouldn't give that to you. Why does he make it so easy for you to steal things?!"

"Twenty seconds."

"Fine, shoot. I'll be on the roof in ten seconds. Don't hit me."

"I'm the Predator. I never miss big sister."

Alex ran quietly, finding the emergency exit and climbing up into an escape shaft, opening onto the roof. She ducked her head, just before a small arrow implanted itself into her helmet, instead hitting the concrete guard for an AC vent behind her.

"My bad. That was close. You have to be more careful and not get in the way of my shots. Check if it is secure. I got the other end. Use your belt and glide."

Alex checked, impressed with his strongly the arrow was buried and disturbed by how near the small projectile had come to being planted in her shiny black helmet. Slipping off her belt, she wrapped it over the line, took a deep breath and jumped. She admitted the line was tight and in seconds she let go, feet from her sister.

"Back up I need to bring this back in. Here hold this." Kara instructed, handing her a half eaten cheeseburger.

"You were holding the line with one hand? What if you lost your powers?"

"Then you would have definitely fallen hard but Kid Flash had your back. I would have grabbed you in a few seconds when they came back on."

"Let's go. Drive in front of me so you don't rear end my Porsche."

Kara made it back to S.T.A.R. without incident other than few swerves, Alex following in her Porsche going thirty miles an hour to keep pace with Kara. She still couldn't believe that they made safety seats for dogs, and she hoped Barry saw the dent in the fender before Kara fixed it. He would realize the importance of keeping keys away from her.

The lab was quiet, still mostly empty today as workers worked all day to dig bullets out of walls and equipment. Even Cisco had left, newly bought video game systems silent. Ray had probably gone to wherever he called home when he wasn't here. Smooth sailing. Alex had expected trouble if anyone noticed her uniform gone, but a check of her phone in her car showed Nyssa had not tried to call her tonight, which in and of itself was weird but the woman could be like that. She was probably going through her intense training routine that made Alex too tired to think about.

"I'm surprised no one noticed your chest plate here and your uniform missing. Looks like we made a clean getaway. If Barry runs till midnight I should be in bed waiting for him, ready to go. This kind of got my adrenalin pumping you know. I won't even be nervous about sneaking Charlie in the building. Piece of cake. Cake sounds really good."

"Lets get in, get out and please change out of that black thing… Barry might like it but it is freaking me out." Alex told her.

"It was this or my Predator uniform. It's not nearly as sexy as this. Guess what I have planned to wear on our wedding night?"

"You seriously think I want to know? I don't!"

The two walks along a bit more before Alex stopped.

"Okay you have me curious. What are you going to wear?"

"Winn is making me another Supergirl costume." Kara told her with an excited squeal.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with that … period of your superheroing life."

"I don't, but Barry met me in that outfit and I saw how his eyes roamed. I doubt it will be on for long."

"And that is what I get for asking." Alex sighed. The two walked into the control room where most of the mannequins were amazingly standing. The Hawks mannequins were destroyed but everything else had been left unharmed.

Before they could reach the mannequins the lights switched on. In front of them were a very irritated Nyssa, Barry and Oliver.

"Sup guys? Doing a little late night vigilantism? Or maybe some superheroing? We should probably figure out the differences and put it in our membership handbook. We are going to have one of those, right Alex?" Kara tried.

"What? Yeah a cookbook seems like a great idea." she agreed to something involving a book.

"My knife?" Oliver asked, reaching out his hand towards Alex, who reluctantly gave it back.

"My crossbow pistol?" he asked, extending his hand towards Kara, who rolled her eyes and brought her back pack to her front and unzipped it. Charlie's head popped up and she reached around him pulling out two more uneaten sandwiches and the weapon in question, handing it over but keeping the sandwiches.

"Where were you at Alex? Your chest plate you are so proud of was here." Nyssa asked.

"Didn't need it tonight. I left you a note. Kara and I were having sister time. Bonding and stuff."

"Yep, bonding. Hey baby, have a nice run?" she asked Barry who hadn't taken his eyes off of her.

"He did until we were notified by Cisco that Alex had gone rogue and Caitlin checked your room and discovered you had gone MIA." Oliver told her. "Teamwork, right Kara? Stronger together or something that sounds Spanish? Why are the two of you sneaking off on your own missions with my stolen gear?"

"It wasn't team business, it was police business. Business that was better kept off the books, and I only technically borrowed your knife. I had no idea about the bow gun thing. You can talk to your protege about that." Alex argued.

"And Kara?" Oliver prompted.

"I have a badge now. Besides I did nothing risky. I was not at risk at all. Charlie was with me and we mostly just looked out for Alex, broke a lock and used X ray vision to watch a guard with some serious digestion issues. I nearly shot her in the head but she really should have been watching where she was going. I'm pretty sure her helmet would have protected her. Given her one hell of a headache but protected her."

"You didn't feel like including me Alex?" Nyssa asked.

"I had it. You weren't home.I needed to move. Time was of the essence."

"You couldn't have called?"

"I had it. I've been breaking into places since college. Walk in the park."

"Barry didn't you have something to say to Kara?" Oliver prompted. Barry had not taken his eyes off of her since she walked in though his eyes did take her all in, several times over. He stepped up closely to her, placing his hands on her waist.

"No risk huh?"

"Nope."

"Good enough for me. Didn't you tell me you wore an outfit like this during that whole Red K disaster?"

"Yeah, but while I was totally evil I kind of dug the outfit. You like it, don't you?" she asked, recognizing the look in his eyes.

"God yes. Where is your bracelet?"

"My room here."

Barry grabbed the backpack, ignoring Charlie's yelp as it was shoved into Oliver's arms.

"Need you to watch the dog tonight Oliver. We are spending the night in your room baby."

"But…" Oliver tried.

"Take him for a walk before bedtime to do his business and he likes breakfast tacos for breakfast, Chorizo or bacon in fine, but no cheese. It gives him gas. At least it did this morning. That could have been the wings last night. Later everybody."

Barry picked her black clad body up and the two were gone. Charlie licked Oliver's face.

"Wow, I hope he isn't too hard on her." Alex laughed, seeing the annoyed look on Oliver's face as Charlie continued to lick his face. "I guess I should peel out of this uniform. I am pretty sweat underneath. Then we can go home and you may punish me for leaving you out of our fun tonight Nyssa. I just hope you won't be too hard on me. I deserve it though. I was a bad, bad girl."

"No! I mean, I … you should just wear the uniform home. We can talk about … punishments later."

"Uh huh. Fine, I'll wear it for you. You can peel me out. Lets go home baby. Bye Ollie."

Oliver stood alone, furry mutt in one hand and crossbow pistol in the other. His phone buzzed so he dropped the pistol.

/Thea and I R watching movies and pigging out on ice cream. Staying here tonight. See u in morning. Love u. F/

Oliver sighed.

"How in the hell am I the only one not getting laid tonight? You ever had beer Charlie? Congratulations, because tonight is the night."


	40. Chapter 40

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N Sorry its been a few days. Tough week. Thank you for the reviews as always. I am pretty sure I have gotten back to all of you but if I missed any then let me know. I have received a couple guest reviews lately that have complained about quite a few things. I love all reviews, good and bad, even guests, but here is my problem. I can't really respond to guest reviews. So I usually don't in ANs because these things are long enough. But this one time I will explain a bit about how I write. Yes, the story can become convoluted when it gets this big. I have a goal in mind and stories I want to tell in between and it is what it is. As far as hating or not hating characters, I don't hate or not hate any character. I write them to the best of my ability. Now sometimes I may see things a certain way and someone else sees them as another. My wife and I can sit and watch the exact same show at the exact same time and have completely different opinions on characters, plots etc. As far as writing the characters OOC. Yeah probably. Not intentionally but here is the thing. These shows have writers. If you aren't one of the writers you are basically writing how you see the characters acting because unless you are a writer for that show, you are not going to be in their head enough to know motivations of the characters. That is what writing fanfic is right? Changing characters to your liking or changing situations, placing them in different situations as you see them, changing pairings, relationships. I know during the course of this story I have had some great conversations with readers who don't like the way I write something or some character. I have responded with my reasoning, they have responded in kind and it has been fun. Sometimes I come away seeing things differently, sometimes they may see things differently and sometimes we just agree to disagree and thats fun too because we are talking about comic book shows. Its supposed to be fun. But if you want to write couple paragraphs about how you don't like things as a guest and how I should write it, first I have to write what I have to write, thats just me. But second if you are going to take the time to do that, take five minutes to add a log in so I can respond. But regardless I thank all of you for the reviews. I do hope the majority of you are still enjoying the story and I appreciate the great support you have all given me. Only one other thing to the guest that said Kara is a Mary Sue (?) and everybody shouldn't love her. C'mon, who doesn't love Kara Danvers? Seriously how could you not? I've seen others right her darker in stories and I have tried to show a bit of her darker side like torturing a guy but turning her completely dark just isn't her. What makes her great in my mind is the way she is able to balance it and she is freaking adorable. Okay, thats all I got. If you want to ask me about why I write things a certain way get a log in and PM me. I love to hear from readers, good or bad, but would love to be able to respond as well.

Chapter 40

Kara Zor El woke up on the floor of her so called room of solitude, sofa cushion under her head and still wearing the black bodysuit from the night before. She noted the black body suit was torn in certain necessary places and her neck was very stiff. She slipped off her bracelet and her neck instantly felt better.

"Gotta love instant healing. Wow, fiancé left me alone once again in the morning without a word. Why doesn't he just leave money on the nightstand… or yeah, I don't really have a nightstand to put it on, do I?"

Standing up, she noticed that despite the bracelet being off, her legs were still quite sore and smiled remembering why. It was 6 AM and the lab was quiet. Kara checked her screen on the wall of the security feeds through S.T.A.R. and was happy the workers hadn't arrived. She still needed to move the mannequins in her room, close off Ray's workstation, which he insisted on repairing himself, and basically hide any evidence of superheroes operating out of this giant lair.

Checking her hidden wall closet, she was disappointed that she had no clothes to change into, remembering she had taken all her laundry home to wash.

"This is a dilemma. Maybe I can wear the suit. I wonder if the Volvo is here. If I drove home…no! No driving. I still need to pop that dent out. I wonder if Barry saw it? He has a change of clothes in his locker. And I am talking to myself. Oh crap, I need to get Charlie. He better not have any arrows in him."

The blonde made her way to the makeshift locker room, not remembering the combination to Barry's locker so snapping the lock off instead.

"I can't believe Alex thought she could cut a padlock with a knife. What a dork." Kara laughed to herself. "And I am still taking to myself. I don't feel nauseous. Donuts would be really, really good right now."

Kara texted Barry good morning, but received no reply after a few minutes. It didn't matter. She felt fine today and was in the mood to yell at him later for being insensitive. Instead she texted Alex.

/Got laid last night. Red K uniform killed it, but now sadly unwearable. I'm getting another. How bout u?/

/I was a bad girl and got punished :) /

Kara rolled her eyes and changed clothes, opting for a long button up shirt of Barry's and a pair of his clean, she hoped, boxers. Figuring she had an hour before workers arrived, she strolled to the coffee pot and found she was not alone.

"Uh… Mom? I thought you were all working out of Palmer Tech?" Eliza took in the state of her daughter's dress and hair.

"I…uh… I am, I mean I was, I am. Just your Dad needed some of his research notes from his safe…"

Kara froze and turned around, catching the second heartbeat in the room.

"Hey… look… its you. Dad… hows it going?"

"Kinda early to be at the lab, isn't it? I know there isn't a dress code here but you are taking it to the extreme, Kara." he told her, frowning.

"I… spent the night here."

"Alone? Did you and Barry have a fight? Do I need to talk to him? He isn't allowed to fight with you. I covered that with him. It was number two on the list as a matter of fact."

"No! No Barry was… here."

Jeremiah took in her hair and dress and dreaded understanding sunk in. "Then… guess the whole waiting for the wedding thing is… yeah."

"Yeah." Kara sighed, not meeting his eyes.

"Okay then. We better get to Palmer Tech. I think Caitlin wanted you to keep the bracelet off today, let the little one get some sun rays. You may want to double check. Love you."

Jeremiah walked off, seeming cool with everything.

"He took that well." Kara whispered.

"Yeah… I think the sex hair shocked him. Alex has short hair so he is probably never going to have to deal with that. Just with you… he will probably grind his teeth later today but he is doing well. I couldn't get a hold of you or Alex last night. Were the two of you together?"

"Yeah, definitely. I mean earlier, before I came back here. We were… bonding."

"Bonding? Doing what? I mean its great, just the two of you. What did you do? See a movie?"

"Nah, mostly just hung out, talked, sister stuff. The usual." Breaking into buildings was the usual. Kara had seen Alex do it enough times growing up and helped her once or twice with her vision. They made a good team, even if Alex spent most of her time annoyed that Kara threatened to rat her out if Alex wouldn't let her come with.

"Thats good, so long as you are careful. Where is Charlie?"

"With Oliver."

"Oh… oh okay… you may want to get your puppy. Oliver is a wonderful boy but he doesn't strike me as an animal lover."

"Yeah, first I need to find Barry. I woke up and he was gone."

"He didn't say good morning or tell you where he was going? Don't let Jeremiah find out. That was number 16 on the list. He always has to tell you where he is going."

"16? How long is the list?"

"Pretty extensive. Enough that your father put it on a spreadsheet and it also has a bar graph, detailing the severity of screw ups. See you later honey… you might want to find some clothes… and brush your hair."

"Yeah, I will definitely do that."

As Eliza left, Kara moved towards the control room, noting Barry's suit was gone. She checked the monitor and found him, apparently standing in…

"Barry?" she asked, putting on the com.

"Hiiii Kara. How are you?"

"Not good. You didn't leave my cash on the nightstand. If you are going to leave me in the morning you can at least wake me up. I'm your baby mama according to Cisco, not your call girl."

"I'm really sorry. I just went out for a run, and you were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you. I thought I would be back by now before you woke."

"Okay… did you look at the Volvo this morning?"

"No… why?"

"No reason. Uh, do you realize you are in South America?"

"Yeah of course. How could I be in South America and not know I was here? That would be crazy." he answered then tried to laugh but couldn't sell it.

"Why are you in the Amazon Rainforest?"

"Thats… a good question. I just wanted to see how fast I could get here. It was pretty fast. Yeah… hey I need to check on the accuracy of the GPS while I am here, for calibration purposes only. Are you showing me to be in Brazil or Columbia or farther South?"

Kara sighed.

"You're lost, aren't you?"

"No! I'm just checking."

"So where do you think you are?" she asked, enjoying the fastest man alive being lost.

"Uh… the Amazon Rainforest?"

"Try the Southern most tip in Bolivia. Head North."

"Okay… I'm moving now."

Barry took a quick run of three miles and stopped, thinking to himself that the humidity was killer. Still if Kid Flash didn't mind the temperatures like Kara, it would be cool to bring her here. They could basically take her anywhere in less than an hour.

"Barry?"

"Yeah?"

"You moved farther South. The time to run from me was when you found out I was pregnant. Now you are kind of stuck with me. Could you turn around and come back please? We need to pick up Charlie and then breakfast before you go to work and I enjoy my vacation. But if you hurry we may have time to… back in my room?"

"I'm moving." Barry told her quickly.

"Now you are going West. Turn right, no your other right. There you go, keep running. If you can make it in less than ten minutes you get a treat."

Kara kicked back, watching her man move like a speed demon, zipping through trees and over rivers, not losing a bit of time. While she enjoyed her coffee, Cisco came strolling in.

"Hey, somebody got laid last night. Nice hair." he greeted her.

"Thanks." she replied, long since past blushing where Cisco was concerned.

"Whats Bar up to?"

"He ran to South America and got lost."

"Again? Wait until he sees an anaconda. Those things scare the crap out of him."

The two waited for the fastest man alive to unleash a girly squeal until he hit Mexico. Once he hit the relatively open plains he gained speed.

"Is something wrong with the readings?" Kara asked.

"No, I don't think so. How in the hell is he going that fast?"

"Barry do you know how fast you are going?" Kara asked. Barry however, couldn't hear her. Once he broke the Rainforest he ran, thinking of two things, sex and food. But this morning he felt a difference in the air. Instead of tapping into the Speed Force, pulling on it for power, he felt more whole, more… just more. He didn't hear the com, he didn't notice the sounds around him, the boom he was making and outrunning by ten seconds. He saw lights of all colors on both sides follow him and wrap around him. His legs stretched, his arms pumped and he felt everything. Every molecule, every atom, every grain of sand his boot touched.

"Barry slow down!" he heard Cisco shout from somewhere, but that didn't matter. The sooner he got to Kara the better. He was in a tunnel, a slick hole in the universe and nothing could stop him. He felt his body become denser but still fluid. He knew his vibrations were off the chart and anything he touched in front of him he would move through or destroy. He hadn't felt this good since Siberia but this was so much better.

At the lab, Kara and Cisco were freaking out. Barry was moving like a comet literally and would be here in under two minutes.

"Just relax, he is matching the vibrations of this universe. He isn't going to skip off, not without a device harnessing the tachyons." Cisco told himself and Kara, trying to convince both.

"He is going to burn up! He has never ran this fast before! You told me his time remnant burned up and wasn't close to this speed! What is going on? Call Caitlin! What are his vitals? Barry slow down!"

"His vitals are good but don't yell, I don't think he can hear us. I'm not sure he can hear anything."

"He has to slow down." Kara whispered. "He just passed Mach 30 and is still climbing. This isn't right."

"Don't worry, something is going on with him. I'm trying to pull up sat feed but it can't keep up with him. He is almost here. Oh crap, he just passed Central City."

Fifteen seconds later both of them and the whole city felt the sonic boom. Barry passed 30 miles away but the pressure wave was still felt, not breaking windows but setting off car alarms. Any seismographs would detect a tremor.

"Where is he going?" Kara whispered.

Barry had lost track of time and distance. He felt the Speed Force wrap around him in a way he had never felt before. The Flash had never felt more alive and in control while out of control at the same time. It was like harnessing chaos.

He found himself in a room.

"Hello Barry."

Barry shook his head. He was not in his house this time, simply a room swirling in light and electricity, He knew was in the Speed Force that Iris and Cisco once pulled him out of.

"Mom?"

"Yes and no."

He thought as much.

"What happened? Did I burn myself up? Please, I have to go back. Kara needs me."

"You will go back. You haven't left. You are still running. You have broken another barrier. Can you feel it?"

"Yes." Barry told her and he could. He felt everything and nothing. He knew on a subconscious level that he was still running, still on Earth but he was more.

"I didn't just tap into the Speed Force, did I?" he guessed.

"No, you are controlling it now. The time has come for you to embrace it. You can reach light speed Barry. You can circle the globe in seconds. You can go faster than the speed of light. You are almost there. It isn't physical, it never has been with you. You can do it. You will hit infinite mass one day."

"And then what?"

"Then you will have mastered speed itself. You will harness all the speed in the universe, become the fastest creature in the universe. You will break speed."

"And I die? I become absorbed in the Speed Force? I can't leave Kara and the baby."

"No, you will not. Not if you have an anchor. She is your anchor. Your daughter will need you too, because whatever you do, whatever Kara does, I promise she will surpass the both of you. The ability to manipulate speed and gravity has always been unheard of. It has never happened. But thanks to you and her it will. You have to get there first so you can help your daughter."

"How?"

"Keep running. Stop making yourself slower." Nora told him.

"But I'm not. I'm working every day to become faster, stronger, invincible."

"Yes, and when you can do this without Harrison Wells or Kara encouraging you, then you will have succeeded. You are going to alter reality Barry. What was once thought impossible will be possible. Since the universe came into existence we have been waiting for you."

"Why me?" the man asked.

Nora Allen disappeared. In her place was Oliver Queen, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood.

"Because that bolt of lightning didn't strike you Barry, it chose you."

The vision faded as quickly as it came and Barry noted he was surrounded by ice. He had crossed the Bering Sea and was at the North Pole. He tried to turn and lost control, sliding for miles, hitting a glacier and instantly healing the cracked bones in his body. He realigned his own spine before he had time to register pain. Heading South again, he ran faster with only one goal. Get to Kara and their child. He had things to do, he seemed to remember a meta who murdered someone but his mind was racing, a million thoughts filtering through his mind. Equations, calculations, speed, mass, his daughter, her possible physiology. He understood, he knew how to keep Kara alive, no matter what, he knew his daughter could not be harmed, even in the womb. He could stop any sickness, provide life wherever he wanted to for a time. If he had this when Kara was shot, he wouldn't have needed Caitlin to perform surgery. He felt like no force in this universe could stop him.

The Flash passed Canada in a minute, making his way across yet another border. His thoughts finally calmed when her voice broke through the com that survived inside his suit, a suit not held together by Cisco's genius, no man made material could hold up to the speed he knew he was moving at. Nothing could. It was his power, not being tapped into but flowing through and around him. He understood what all the equations he and Harry had worked out, could not understand.

The key wasn't breaking into the Speed Force, but becoming it.

"Barry, stop running now!" Kara voice cut through, panic, anger, worry, and the one that bothered him the most and made him slow, fear. He had seen and heard many emotions on Kara, but fear was not one he heard or saw often. Usually only when she was around the automatic doors at the Mall for some reason.

He slowed quickly, quicker than he would have thought, to the point he nearly vomited from the sudden change in motion. That would take some getting used to.

"Barry? Barry can you hear me?"

"Yeah… yeah Kara, I'm here."

"What the hell are you doing?!" she screamed at him, making him wince from the sound through the com.

She wasn't happy. He could understand from her point of view her worry. He could imagine what she was seeing. When his remnant stopped Zoom's machine, his remnant burned up because he was tapping into the Speed Force and pulled more power than he was ready for. But now, now he was ready, now he wouldn't pull, he would become.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I just broke a barrier and had to ride it out."

"Ride it out? Do you have a clue how fast you were going? It's a miracle you didn't burn up! This is getting ridiculous Bartholomew Henry Allen!"

Yeah, Kara was not happy.

"Dude, she just went full first name and thew the middle in for the kill. You better get back here." Cisco told him with way to much humor in his voice.

"I'm on my way back. I won't run that fast. No faster than Mach 10. You have to trust me Kara. I won't leave you. I won't, ever. I won't leave either of you. I know you have been left in the past by a lot of people but not me. Not ever."

"I believe you Barry, just come home." she told him tiredly.

"Be there in five minutes."

"Make it ten… please."

Kara sat down, having been standing and pacing in front of the control station. Cisco sat, eyes wide, huge smile and still disbelieving of what he just saw. Zoom, Thawne, neither of them combined came close to what Barry just did. He could have destroyed them both with a touch.

"We need to call Caitlin." Cisco whispered. Kara nodded her head and picked up her phone, then turned to Cisco.

"Tell the workers they have the day off. The lab is closed except to the four of us. Okay?"

Cisco nodded his head in agreement and moved to the front, prepared to turn away the contractors with a lame excuse, call Ray and let him know not to come in today, even though he owned the lab and try and figure out what the hell just happened.

Barry arrived eight minutes later, meeting Kara's eyes with a sheepish grin. She was not amused, pointing to the medical bay instead. He walked there slowly, her right behind him. The man sat down on the familiar hospital bed he had spent many hours on over the course of his career as the Flash.

"Do I want to know how fast I was going?" he timidly asked.

"A couple days ago Barry. A couple days ago I lay right where you are, while you yelled at me for risking our child. I was reckless, stupid, any of this ring a bell? You pointed to our child on that monitor and dared to ask me if being a hero meant more than being a mother. Why don't you answer the same damn question! Is being a hero more important than being a father? Is it?"

"Kara, I didn't mean to. It just happened."

"38,000 miles an hour! 38, 000 miles an hour does not just happen! It's not like getting pulled over because you didn't realize you were going ten miles an hour over the speed limit Barry! You passed escape velocity at Mach 33 and kept climbing! For ten seconds I watched you crush escape velocity and thought I lost you! At least when I did something reckless, it was to save our family, and not out for a morning jog!"

"Kara would you please calm down? How do you even know about escape velocity and…"

"Give it up, Barry. Kryptonians are naturally intelligent. Our brains can process information quicker than humans. You continually break the laws of physics. You really think just because I don't care about science means I don't know anything about it? I've actually learned quite a bit about physics since I fell in love with you. I've been waiting for the day when something takes you away from me. At first I thought it might be Iris or some mad bomber then I started realizing, hey he might just disintegrate one day! Slow down, damn it!"

"I can't. I have to keep getting faster." Barry told her.

"Why?!"

"Because of Doomsday!" Barry yelled, stunning Kara.

"Doomsday? Barry you killed that thing and even if you hadn't, it's in another universe. I don't think we have to worry about it."

"No, you don't have to worry, but I do. You have to think about our family and our child and I have to think about the ways to protect the both of you. You can't beat Doomsday. That creature was designed with one thing in mind, genetically engineered to kill you and if it was ever perfected, instant regeneration, then no one could stop it."

"Yeah but…"

"Do you wonder why you don't have a doppleganger on this Earth? I do. I wonder all the time. On your Earth, while you were at the DEO and I was at CatCo trying to figure out a way home, I searched for myself. I died in a car wreck when I was ten with my mother. Where are you here Kara? You aren't."

"Because Krypton is still there." she whispered.

"You sure? What if it isn't? The core was unstable probably in every universe, there is every chance it could have blown up here as well. What if you and your cousin's pods didn't make it? What if you are both stuck in the Phantom Zone right now or worse."

"What could be worse than being stuck in the Phantom Zone?" the blonde asked, having a seat, not liking where Barry was going with this.

"What if one of you landed? Both of you? What if you were taken by some government before you knew what was going on? What if you were thrown in a dark cell and kept there, never being exposed to sunlight? What if Kryptonite had been dragged along wit your pods and made you weak? Alex, Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers. They were killed working on a top secret project overseas at a hush hush lab in an explosion. What would a family of three bioengineers be working on? One of those engineers we know could potentially have the ability to make something like that beast."

"Jeremiah wouldn't do it if…"

"KIller Frost, Reverb. Deathstorm. Black Siren, Earth 2 dopplegangers of people we love. Dopplegangers are living proof that the line between what makes us for the most part good people and what can push us over the edge is very thin. Who knows what the Danvers were working on, but I have to consider the possibility that somewhere out there, someone knows about aliens and may try to create something they believe can stop you. What if Non and his crew had won in one universe? What if they figure out inter dimensional travel and arrive here one day? What if your doppleganger and your cousin's from another universe figure out how to get here and they aren't as nice as you are? Can you fight them both Kara?"

"I would … would try."

"And you would lose. Kara, something like Doomsday, there is only one thing that can defeat a creature like that. I have to hit him at light speed, reach infinite mass and strike him with the power of an exploding dwarf star. I have to turn him into nothing."

"And destroy the Earth, possibly open up a black hole, rip the fabric of reality, all to protect us."

"No, I can control it, Kara. Today I spoke to the…"

"Yeah?" she prompted.

"There is something I didn't tell you about the time we were apart. I told you I gave my speed to Zoom but I never told you how I got it back."

"You did. You said you recreated the … what didn't you tell me?"

"When we recreated the particle accelerator explosion, I disintegrated."

"You did what now?" Kara asked, having missed this part of the story and pretty sure she would have remembered it.

"I turned into, I went into the Speed Force. I spoke to it."

"You spoke to the Speed Force? I'm sorry, I know I bragged a bit ago about my intelligence but I'm trying hard to understand this."

"The Speed Force is sentient in a manner of speaking. While I was inside it, I had to deal with some things, come to peace with others. Cisco knew I was there and he and…"

"And?"

"Iris, pulled me back. I was given my speed back and Cisco and her pulled me back to this reality."

"Iris pulled you back?" Kara asked, gritting her teeth. She would not be jealous. She would not be jealous.

"You know she has been like a sister to me…"

"That you wanted to screw since puberty. Kinda messed up analogy right now Barry. Let's continue please?"

"Kara…"

"I'm not jealous. I have moved past that. On with the story." she encouraged. She was past this. She was bigger than this.

"So when I was running today, something snapped, I don't know what, but while I was running I spoke to the Speed Force, or I suppose it spoke to me."

Kara nodded her head, understanding. Something didn't feel right though. She needed to do something…

"Could you give me a second Barry?"

"Yeah." he agreed quickly. Kara calmly walked over to an empty mannequin that had held the suit Barry was now wearing. Cisco walked in just as she knocked the mannequins head off and quickly turned to leave the room.

"Okay… I'm good now." she told him, letting out a small breath and smiling.

"Are you sure? Because I am pretty sure you just kinda punched my head off my shoulders, symbolically."

"On with the story Barry. What did your Speed Force friend tell you?"

"It appeared to me as my mother this time. It… she told me I had broken another barrier. She said I could one day break speed but today was different. In the past I could pull my power from the Speed Force. Today I felt at one with it. I wasn't going to burn up. I can control it, I can and I will be able to direct it. I can become it and when I do, nothing can stop me from protecting you and our little girl."

"Oh now you believe we are having a girl." Kara muttered, looking at the floor but her hand absently rubbing her belly, trying to quell the fear rising inside her.

"The… my mom told me our daughter would surpass us both and we had to be ready to help her. I had to learn to control this force because one day it will be running through her on the ground and in the sky. If we can't help her, who will?"

"I can't help her if that is true. I can't fly that fast Barry. I don't have this mysterious Speed Force thing. I'm not a Jedi."

Barry chuckled. "Thats the Force."

"It was a joke, ass. I'm trying here but you are sounding like a lunatic and confirming all the worst fears I have for our child."

"Don't be afraid."

"I can't help her!"

"Yes you can. After you have her you are going to be faster, stronger."

"How?"

"The baby soaks up solar energy from you. Have you ever considered what she could be giving you in return? Our child is going to do great things, Kara. She will be a hero, just like her mother."

"And her father." Kara added. "And hopefully be more sensitive about leaving without saying good bye. Barry, this scares me. All of it. I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't want to encourage our child to become some flying, super strong speedster. I don't want that."

"If she is anything like you, she won't have a choice. She will do it on her own, with or without our help. I think it would be better with, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kara admitted, You really think you can control this?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Barry, if I lose you… I can't lose you."

"You won't. Unless you punch my head off like you destroyed my mannequin. Even then I am pretty sure I can heal."

"Okay… I need some… air, and I need to get Charlie. Can you promise to let Caitlin look you over when she gets here?"

"Yeah, I can do that. Are you going to drive home, dressed like that?"

"No… can you run, not that fast and get me some clothes?"

Barry was back in a minute with his favorite pair of jeans she owned and a tee that was probably tighter than what Kara would normally wear but enjoyed the way he looked at her.

"Did you notice the dent in the rear of the car?" he asked, having spied the injury on the way out.

"Yeah, I backed into a pole trying to get out of parking garage. I'll pop it back out. There will probably be more by the time I get back so I may as well wait until I'm home."

Barry noticed the sad tone of her voice. Reaching out, he touched her cheek, hoping her eyes would meet his. When they did, he saw desperation and sadness and it hurt him deeply. Bringing her in the two held onto each other tightly.

"Kara, I swear to you, I will always protect the two of you and I will never leave you alone. I swear baby."

"I know." she sniffled.

"Do you?"

"I'm trying. I'm getting there. It's just a lot to take. I thought you were going to disappear any second this morning."

"I didn't. I'm right here and I won't make a habit of running that fast but I will have to practice at times. You understand?"

"Yes, and I will be there, next to Cisco watching the entire time, worrying."

Kissing him on the cheek one last time, Kara put her car in reverse, slammed the brakes when it moved forward, double checked and actually had it in reverse this time, then left. Like Barry's her mind was racing, thousands of thoughts at once but unlike Barry she was having a much more difficult time handling them.

Soon after Kara had left, Caitlin rushed into the lab. She took a look at a sheepish Barry who just shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't mean to." he offered. Caitlin didn't respond, instead walking to Cisco who pointed to a monitor. Caitlin's pale face went paler.

"I know we should stop saying this around here but Barry, this isn't possible."

"Yeah, it is. I know how and I can go faster and no, I won't burn up. Kara wants you to check me over for her own peace of mind but I can tell you I am fine."

"You are fine?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yep. Fine as can be. Every atom, every molecule in my body is exactly where it is supposed to be. I need to get to work. It will be okay Caitlin, I promise." Barry brought the woman into hug and kissed the top of her head, then walked away, leaving Caitlin gawking at Cisco who shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know what to tell you Dr. Snow. Do you believe in miracles?"

"I have for a long time Cisco. Sometimes I doubted everything but since I met Barry I have never not believed in miracles. Show me everything, especially his heart rates and respiratory rate at what speeds, oxygen absorption. Do I even want to know what kind of destruction he left in his path?"

"None." Cisco smirked at her disbelieving face. "There was a pressure wave of course and a sonic boom, but the wave wasn't near what it should have been. I've been having the satellite back track his path and its nothing like Siberia. Almost like all the electricity stayed inside him instead of vibrating out into the world. I can't explain it, Caitlin. As much as I hate to admit it, we are going to need Harry."

"I doubt even he can explain this Cisco but yeah, lets ask him."

While the original Team Flash geniuses tried to figure out what was going on with the quarterback of the team, Alex sat at her desk, waiting for Joe to arrive so the two could get to Keystone.

"For real?" Captain Singh asked.

"What?" Alex noticed he had the plastic bag in his hand.

"You got up at 6 AM, decided to follow a hunch, went back to the victim's apartment and found an appointment card with this guy's name on it, wedged between sofa cushions."

"Yep, even put it in a bag without touching it."

"I've watched Barry since the day he got hired on, way before this Flash stuff. He was awkward, bumbling, always late, clumsy but one thing stood out about him. He knew his stuff. Kid is a brilliant forensic science. Not only brilliant but he combs a crime scene like no CSI I have ever known. Barry misses nothing. There is no way that he missed something like this between sofa cushions."

"I understand why you would feel that way but in this instance wouldn't you just rather go with it, than question it and perhaps delay a warrant being issued?"

"A warrant? She had an appointment. This gets you in to talk to the guy. He can of course hide behind confidentiality and top secret clauses all he wants and an appointment card isn't opening up any of those doors. I doubt anything can. But by all means, travel to Keystone City and have a talk with Pendergast."

"Thank you sir." Alex figured he was right. She knew all about how government agencies worked and hid behind need to know status.

"But before you go I want you to find out how this meta, Pendergast or not, is killing people and how we can contain it."

"Contain it?" she asked, doubtfully.

"Yeah, what we try to do before people like the Green Arrow or your girlfriend put an arrow through him, or a sword, or whatever you crazy kids are using now days. Allen says you are a brilliant scientist. Get to a lab and blind me with your brilliance."

"Oh… but…"

"I'll send Joe to talk to the guy. I doubt he is going to try anything in public or an office and despite what you Justice League heroes think, cops can take care of themselves. He has a gun and knows how to use it. Use your brain, Detective. Go to the Superflash Cave, go to Barry's lab, go wherever you have to but take the zip locked bagged remains with you and tell me what is causing this. Call in Ramon and Snow, whatever, whoever, but we need to know two things. How it is being done and how to stop it, particularly if he touches someone, we need a way to save them. You with me Detective?"

"Yes sir." Alex told him, giving up. She really wanted to be there when Pendergast was interrogated but understood what he was saying. She did need to work on the… dust.

"Relax Alex. You won't miss anything."Joe told her, walking up and setting a breakfast burrito on her desk. "I'll ask to speak to him, he will say he knew her but can't speak about anything in regards to her work with the clinic, hide behind confidentiality and that will be it. The key is how he looks when asked about her. I'll let you know if its him or not. Been doing this a long time."

"I don't doubt you, Joe. I just…"

"Went through a lot of work to find this guy's office, find her name in an appointment calendar or notebook, copied an appointment card in his handwriting, a skill I imagine you find useful and then exited, undetected. Yeah, but you got us an in and didn't get busted. I guess Kara was with you?"

"She followed me. Just like when we were kids."

"And her dog?" Joe guessed, smiling.

"And her little doggy too."

"Okay, so go figure out how we are going to stop this guy. Don't forget to brush up on reading him his rights when we do bust him. I've been meaning to ask you, in your last job, you were a fed of a sort. Pretended to be CIA or something?"

"FBI quite a bit." Alex admitted, chewing her burrito.

"You never had to read anyone their rights?"

"Nope, I just posed as FBI to get information. When we took an alien down we just pretty much took it down."

"Really? So the aliens didn't have any rights?"

"What?" Alex asked, surprised.

"They didn't have rights? You guys didn't give them trials or anything?"

"No. I doubt a courtroom would hold them. These were some really dangerous creatures, Joe."

"Strong, fast, weird powers?" Joe guessed.

Alex nodded her head. "Exactly. Not something a modern courthouse could hold."

"So if your sister was suspected of a crime, she could be taken down at anytime by the DEO and held indefinitely, for life even, without trial on presumption of guilt, with no constitutional protections just because she was an alien who was strong, fast and had weird powers?"

Alex stopped chewing.

Joe patted her on the back. "I'm not trying to be an ass, Alex. Just think about it. Strong, fast, dangerous, everyone has rights, especially your sister, no matter where she is from, right? Metahumans are the same way. Sometimes they don't leave us a choice but we always have to try to take them alive. Now do what the Captain ordered and use that brilliant mind of yours so we can figure out a way to stop this guy from killing anymore people. Its nice to have a partner to rely on instead of Cisco making sarcastic remarks about what an idiot I am. I'll call you as soon as I am done talking to him."

Joe walked off leaving Alex not hungry any longer. The thought of what had almost happened to her and J'onn, at what could have happened if Alex was never a member of the DEO, to Kara. What they did to her father threatening to take a young girl who had just lost her world. Kara was targeted for execution because she was an alien. She dumped what was left of her burrito and prepared herself to work.

"Guess I need to get to work. Find a dust buster and a microscope and get cracking."

"Hey, S.T.A.R. doesn't have any contractors today and Caitlin said a few of the electron microscopes and bio scanners are still intact. Want to head over there and we can figure this out?" Barry asked actually arriving on time to start the day. Alex noticed he seemed off too. His carefree face didn't appear so carefree.

"Did you and Kara have an argument? Because you aren't allowed to do that. I think that was number three on…"

"How do you know about the list?"

"Who do you think helped Dad write it? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is going to be great. Lets get to work. Show me how you geniuses work. Poor idiot forensic scientists like me aren't even reliable enough to look between sofa cushions and find appointment cards." he told her with a wink. Alex relaxed. She would figure this out. Then she would find Kara and hug her.

While Barry and Alex played in S.T.A.R. all afternoon, Kara actually made her way back to work. Going through emails, checking with her PR team and updating herself on the progress of the programmers and hardware engineers, helped keep her mind off the worry she had this morning. She had thought of staying home, but after taking Charlie from a grumpy Oliver, and considering what to do today, the idea of sitting around did not appeal to her.

Ray walked around, catching her in the office, surprised to see her.

"Hey! I thought you weren't coming back till after the wedding…and your dog is here."

Charlie barked his hello.

"Hi Ray. Yeah I just wanted to check in, see what is going on. I think since stage 2 is coming up for tests in a few months you should start being seen on television more. O'Reilly wants you. What would you…"

"O'Reilly is a jerk who still owes me money. He will only want to talk about my kidnapping or who I am supporting in the election."

"Okay, what about Good Morning America?"

"I hate getting up that early. What about Kimmel? That guy is a blast to hang out with."

"I don't really think he is going to want you on his show to talk about advanced medical technology. He will probably hound you about politics and throw out a few HIVE jokes in bad taste. Don't get me wrong, I love his show but not really for us. Maybe you should reconsider the documentary."

"No. I don't want any cameras that we don't have control of anywhere near our research."

"Lets hire our own crew then. Hire a small film division, only ten or so. Document what we are doing and when Stage 3 is passed and we only have final government approvals to get through Discovery Channel can use it for their own documentary or we give one then. We can control the limits of what is released and what is proprietary."

"Let me think about it. But no O'Reilly and no shows before 6 AM. You do not want to cover up what I say between the hours of 2 AM and 6 AM."

"Got it." Kara gave him, and looked back to her screen, absently patting Charlie who had taken up residence, laid out on top of her desk.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Ray asked, noting some of her usually cheerfulness was not present.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine… long night." Kara told him, not feeling like rehashing this morning.

"So tell me about it." he offered. Kara noted he wasn't being sarcastic and wondered how bad she looked. Instead of begging off she found herself talking instead. Ten minutes later, Ray had taken it all in.

"Project Blue Skye huh? Sounds like we need to know what is going on behind those locked doors on the fourth floor."

"Yeah but short of pulling the door open myself, I can't think of a way in. Yeah, Barry could phase through but security cameras are going to pick up the lightning that follows him. Maybe. Actually he might slow down if he knows how to anymore, and be able to slip in and up pretty easy. Phasing through the doors wouldn't be a problem."

"Unless the change in vibrations or electrical impulses sets off an alarm wired into the door. Kara we are a great big team. You have to start delegating tasks. Do you have any real idea of how small I can get?"

"Please don't bait me Ray."

"I'm not! Seriously I entered Kendra's blood stream before. I can go small, very, very small. I'll slip in tonight and check the whole place out. No matter how tight the doors, there must be an AC vent or a for handle I can slip into. They can't keep me out Kara. I will find out what is going on. I can also use my suit to upload the entire system and all the information they have on everything, relevant or not."

"You would do that?" the woman asked, surprised.

"This woman was killed in a very bad way, by an obviously very dangerous person and both have links to a place that experiments behind very secure doors. Yeah, this is kind of what we do. The police and courts can fight for months to get warrants for information I can get us in five minutes. It won't be admissible in court but the number one goal here is to contain this person first. Then we can worry about the how and why. It may not be Pendergast. It could be he is the next target and the killer has a relation to Gayle and Pendergast."

"Yeah, I would really appreciate it Ray. Thanks. Sorry I tore up your suit by the way. That wasn't part of the whole prank war, just a casualty of like actual war."

"Are you kidding? It's great. Most of Central City thinks you stopped the guy but a lot are beginning to think the Atom is a hot blonde and I am betting I get a toy deal out of this."

"But… its not you."

"It's the suit that matters. The Atom is greater than Ray Palmer."

"Okay, never mind then. Wow. You totally went third person. Anyway, thanks. I'll come watch your back tonight."

"Nope. You and your man need to spend a little time together. I got this. I can take Sara or Jax if things get hairy. Speaking of hairy, I'm not going to even try to keep your dog away but aren't you afraid of him using the water bowl on your desk? He might knock it over and fry the laptop if you aren't careful." Ray remind her.

"Oh no, thats not his. He only drinks Dasini water out of his portable bowl in his bag. This is just tap water in a bowl. Its for… stuff."

"Oliver has you slapping water, doesn't he?"

Kara nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm supposed to see him in the basement in an hour for practice."

"Fine, you have fun, let me know if there are any reasonable television shows you think I should do, look into the cost of a film division, a small film division, and we can go from there. You sure you are okay, right?"

Kara smiled at the man's concern. "I'm good Ray. Hey also, thanks. For all this. I realize I'm kinda a mess and aren't here half the time, but I really do appreciate all this. You've done a lot, providing jobs for my parents, helping us all out. I enjoy playing pranks with you but I do want you to know I appreciate it. Every time something bad goes down, I know you are going to be there with us, no matter what. That means a lot to me."

"Anytime. Besides when you are here, you are very good at what you do. I'd rather have you here part time than some PR machine full-time scheduling me for photo shoots. I'll let you know as soon as I leave the Center tonight."

By Five PM, Joe had returned to S.T.A.R. with surprising news. Not only did he not get to speak to Pendergast, the man hadn't been seen in the past two days or heard from. His superiors would not discuss the nature of his work and because of that were hesitant to report him missing, to discourage scrutiny. Apparently the legal team behind the Center was formulating an appropriate plan of action. Joe had checked Pendergast's home in Keystone City and received no answer. By a stroke of luck the door lock was open and he could have sworn he heard a voice calling for help inside. At least that is what his report would indicate. Investigating, he was disappointed to find no one inside, nor did it appear anyone had been for days. No discriminating papers were in plain view. The mail in the mailbox had collected and three days of papers were in the newspaper bin.

Alex, Caitlin and Cisco stood around a microscope Alex was peering into and looking at the projection on the monitor. After trying to isolate recognizable DNA all afternoon from the remains of Gayle Marsh's body, she thought she had finally found one cell cluster that had not completely degraded to nothing.

"Okay, this is it. It has to be, because I am done looking at dirt after this. Even cremated remains have more genetic material left over. I would take dead skin flakes at this point."

"Now that is impressive." Caitlin whispered. "Alex these readings, look at the damage to the cells. These cells are extremely old. Very, very old. Almost to the point of non existence. No wonder most of her is dust."

"Yeah but why?" the woman asked, gently maneuvering the microscopic light needle barely touching the cells, hoping for any sort of readings. They had come close before but each time the material was destroyed at the slightest intrusion.

"Got it!" Alex practically yelled. Caitlin activated the white light wave hoping the least non invasive detection would give them what they need.

"Holy crap, that is amazing." Cisco whispered. All three looked at the results as they popped up.

"Rapid degrading caused by an extraordinary amount of free radicals and cortisol released. Quite a bit of crystalline structures resembling sugar also." Alex noted.

"So the victim died of an unhealthy lifestyle spread out over one hundred years all hitting her in a span of a few minutes. Her cells were attacked by free radicals and cortisol, possibly sugar and I am betting high potassium as well." Caitlin agreed.

"So how do we stop it? Is it a weapon or can a meta do this?" Barry asked, walking back in with chips and sodas.

"I don't think it can be stopped once it's started Barry. Whoever or whatever is doing this can't be a drug. A drug wouldn't account for the wide spread attack to the system… if its a meta, either by touch or breath, maybe both, its cells are changing healthy tissue by flooding the body with everything that causes rapid aging in unheard of quantities." Alex guessed. "Best bet, is don't let him or her touch you. We don't know if its Pendergast but if it is and its connected to this Psycho Center maybe this project Blue Skye, maybe that can give us some answers. But if you want a cure all that can stop this type of biological attack in minutes, I can't even begin to think of one."

Barry sighed, suspecting as much. A cure would be too easy. "Ray is going to look around tonight, find out everything they know about this project and what this Center knows. What I don't get it what this would have to do with a group of people interested in psychics. I've looked all afternoon for cases in the US, in regards to instant aging and have found nothing. Pendergast wasn't in Central City the night of the particle accelerator but Keystone isn't far regardless. Still if he was a metahuman, it seems this would have popped up sooner. This is a pretty noticeable power, hard to hide."

"What if he wasn't metahuman? Or he was a latent like Jax?" Caitlin suggested. "Maybe we are looking at this wrong. Maybe it has something with what Marsh did to him? Maybe she attacked him and her attack triggered something inside him?"

"How would a mind reader attack someone?" Barry asked. Caitlin shrugged her shoulders.

"We are only guessing that was her only talent."

"Regardless, whatever or whoever is out there is very deadly. Joe, no idea of any other place Pendergast might be?" Alex asked, her silent partner who had gotten very good at staying out of nerd talk.

"No other residences. No nearby relatives. 44 years old, never married, no siblings, parents dead. No life outside of work and his co workers won't say anything about him, at least not to us. We can watch his house to see if he returns home."

"So long as they understand not to approach him. If this guy gets near a person and the process starts there is no way to stop it. The body is going to…"

"Decay! Too slow Alex. Yeah totally. This guy, Decay. New bad guy, or girl I guess, if Pendergast is rotting away somewhere." Cisco told the team with no room for argument.

"Okay, then… lets go home." Barry suggested.

"Home? There is a very dangerous killer on the loose and you want to go home?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. There isn't an algorithm that can track a meta who can decay flesh with a touch. Joe has police looking for Pendergast only as a potential witness and they won't approach. He will let us know. We can't come up with a cure because it would take a decade and probably still not work. A B.O.O.T. may work but we are going to have to try that firsthand and hope for the best. Right now, sitting here isn't going to do any of us any good. Lets go home. When we get a lead on Pendergast we will find out more. Ray will let us know what he finds tonight and we can meet here in the morning and continue work. Unless anybody has a better idea?"

Barry looked at the four and all seemed to agree. It did seem strange to leave but he was right, with nothing else to go on, there was no reason to stay. Barry also wanted to be with Kara. He texted her, asking her out for the evening so that she could arrange baby sitting with her mother. Apparently when Kara was gone, Charlie stop at the door and barked hoping to call her back, according to Caitlin. It made hiding a dog in Kara's absence rather difficult.

Meeting her at Eliza's condo, he checked and was happy to see no more dents in the Volvo and she had actually popped the new one out. Kara let out a relieved smile, seeing him. She had texted him off and on all day but couldn't shake the nerves she felt that morning.

"So where are we going?" she asked him, getting into the passenger seat gladly and rolling down the window.

"I'm in the mood for chili dogs. I'm thinking we head to Coney Dogs and see who can down the most in five minutes?"

"Uh… Barry, as good as that sounds, I haven't really had any nausea today and if it does come back tonight, that is going to be ugly. Eliza thinks I should start eating healthier. That the baby is going to need better nutrients than I normally feed myself."

"Probably right. Baked Salmon and a never ending salad bowl at Dockside?"

"Oh yes. I'll probably go with a few lobster tails… or just whole lobsters. Want to catch a movie afterward?"

"The smell of buttered popcorn by the gallons in an enclosed movie theater going to bother you?"

Kara frowned, thinking of the smells.

"Nah, I'll put on my bracelet when we are inside. I've had it off all day, so Kid Flash has probably gotten enough solar energy. Its dark regardless. I just need to keep my phone on so Ray can let us know when he is clear. He swore he had this and I have to trust him."

"He does have it. Ray will find out everything about that place and they will never know he was there. The man figured out a way to shrink small enough to enter a blood stream. I think he can handle this."

As the two began eating, Kara began relaxing. Being in his presence helped her. She reflected a lot today, slapped a lot of water, came close to hitting the target a few times. By target of course she meant anything not the roof or the side walls. Oliver was patient and didn't press even though he knew something was bothering her.

"So any ideas on where you want to go for the honeymoon?" Barry asked her, catching her off guard.

'Honeymoon? I figured you would want to stay here, get the house organized, keep protecting the city, stuff like that."

"Yeah, no. We are going on a honeymoon Kara. We are taking time for ourselves. We have to. If we let this consume us, its going to become our life and I don't want that. I want you and our child to be my life, not… everything else. It can be a part of our lives but we are going to have to make sure we focus on us."

"Okay, you are right. But if we aren't going to let it consume us then why are you being consumed by thoughts of every horrible thing that can go wrong and driving yourself to reckless speeds all because of some slim possibility you may have to disintegrate something one day."

Barry dropped his head, but at least smiled.

"Point taken Zor El. So, Honeymoon? I probably need to start getting the arrangements made. Two weeks somewhere, anywhere, no one but me and you. The rest of the team can take care of the world, we take time for ourselves."

"Anywhere?" Kara asked, beginning to get excited. She had been to many places in the world as Supergirl or at least flown over but never really been to many places for the purpose of vacation.

"Yep. Two weeks anywhere." Barry agreed, thinking of any number of cruises or tropical beach resorts.

"I want to go to Orlando."

"Orlando? Orlando Florida?"

Kara nodded furiously.

"You want to go to Disney World?" Barry figured, liking the idea.

"Not just Disney. Yeah, we could spend four days there but we could spend four or five days at Universal Studios resort, see the Harry Potter attraction, then there is Gatorland, I'll be honest I love alligators and crocodiles. We can go to Kennedy Space Center and make fun of this planets sad attempts at space exploration. Oh and Sea World! I have always wanted to go to Sea World. But we could stay at Universal's Islands of Adventure resort and maybe Animal Kingdom at Disney World. That way we could know what would be fun for the baby to see when she is old enough to enjoy it. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like the most awesome Honeymoon ever. The temperatures in Florida should be good this time of year, not hot, but we aren't going scuba diving or to a beach so yeah… I think it sounds amazing. I've never… I never thought of that but yeah we could have so much fun." Barry said, almost talking to himself. "Do me a favor? Could you organize it? You have obviously done more research into this than I have. Figure out where we want to stay for how long, when we go to what parks, stuff like that? Make the reservations and book the plane… uh?"

"We are driving. I'm thinking we rent a convertible. It's only a twelve hour drive." Kara hoped, pretty sure it was closer to sixteen.

"Uh…"

"Barry?"

'The longer we spend on the road is less time we have…"

"Barry?" she begged.

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"As long as it doesn't involve flying in a plane."

"What if… just hear me out, what if we asked Ray to borrow his jet? You have never been on a plane with your bracelet on, right? Didn't you say the smells were one of the main things that bothered you? And the sounds as well? With the bracelet the smells and sounds won't bother you. And if we are in Ray's jet, alone, then maybe we can find some other ways to take your mind off of things. It will be a two hour flight at the most. If it still bothers you we drive back, or I will even run you back. We can take our suits so no clothes are burned and have our luggage delivered home."

"Fine. That will work. But you better keep me very occupied on the fight there." Kara gave in. She admitted to herself that joining the mile high club without actually having to hold Barry a mile high would be better.

After an hour of non stop eating the two decided on a movie to watch and to Kara's relief the smells weren't nearly as bad with her bracelet on.

"That movie sucked." Barry whined.

"No it didn't. He was hot."

"Hot? What does that have to do with anything? These movies are ridiculous."

"No, movies with cars that fires missles are ridiculous. Daniel Craig does a great job with these Bond movies."

"The whole point of the Bond films was cool gadgets. Without the cool gadgets its not a Bond film."

"Yes it is. It said so in the title. You didn't like the fight scenes? They were awesome and you know it."

"I admit the fight scenes were…" Barry stopped talking. Kara had slipped her bracelet off as soon as they exited the theater and now she was frozen in one spot. He recognized the look of concentration on her face. She was hearing something from a distance.

"Where?"

"Four blocks that way, take a right. Someone cried for help and is groaning. No sounds around, probably an alley." she answered. Grabbing his suit from her purse and moving fast enough that those around only felt a blast of wind, Kara casually walked across the street and as soon as she was out from the crowd moved herself, running behind.

Barry arrived in seconds and was not sure what the hell he was looking at.

A man was standing over a body on the ground, his hand on the victims cheek, The man wore a torn suit that looked like it had seen better days but his skin was wrong.

"Hey! Step away from the man… or lady… person you are over. Remove your hand now!"

The man shaped creature did as instructed, turning to face Barry fully.

"Wow… you are ugly. I… wow. Fear the Walking Dead right here in Central City."

The Flash stood twenty feet away from what appeared to be a man, more resembling a zombie who had just climbed out of a coffin judging by the state of its clothes. The skin was sallow, greyish, and sagging on its face. The longer it stared at Barry, the worse it looked, its features resembling those of a monster more than a human. Shaking its head, it reached out for the body on the ground once again.

"Barry?"

"Stay back Kara."

"You too. He's touching, I think it…"

"Yeah." Barry agreed. Whatever this was, it was feeding off the life of the body on the ground.

Barry vibrated immediately, building static electricity and tossing a bolt of lightning into the creature. The monster broke contact and flew farther back into the alley. Barry moved to the body, to check for life, Kara at his side, ready to blast whatever that was, if it stood back up.

"Oh damn." Barry whispered. The body on the ground was female, and had rapidly aged and worse was still aging.

"He was feeding off of her. He uses his powers or it takes him. I saw him start to look worse." Kara noted. "He's up."

"Don't go near him. I have to save her."

"What are you going to do?"

Barry laid his hands on the woman's shoulders and began vibrating, moving her along as well. Once her body was joined at a subatomic level with his, he felt it. He could see the healthy cells deteriorating. The cells attempted to join his but Barry fought, the same way he had managed to heal in a half second instead of hours, he took control of his cells and healed rapidly defeating the invaders not only from his body but into the victims, The Flash stayed calm and never stopped moving, in perfect sync with the victim. Despite the speed, despite Kara not being able to see him clearly because of how fast the two were vibrating, Barry knew everything that was going on.

"He's running! I'm going to…"

"Let him go Kara." Barry's eery voice told her from severely vibrated vocal cords. Kara thought for a moment, looked at him, at the space the man had just been and her hand went to her stomach. They knew what to look for. He wouldn't get far.

"I'm staying. Are you okay? Its not hurting you is it?"

Barry didn't answer. He almost had this. Electricity built up around him, enough that Kara stepped back, but he held on. Finally it was gone. He knew not only were his cells healed but hers as well. The damage had been repaired. He had never done something like this but knew this morning that it was possible. If he could have had this when Kara was shot, he would have been able to disintegrate the bullets and healed the damage using the power of his regeneration. But he knew now. Now he was fast enough, not only to take life but to give it.

Barry stopped and nearly fell over, only for Kara to catch him. Opening his eyes, he saw a twenty something young woman, who appeared to have been out for a late night jog. Her eyes were wild, her face full of panic but she was alive. Alive and healthy.

"Good save Flash." Kara let out with a breath, patting her man on the back and looking at where the man had run to.

"Call Joe and let him know what to look for."

"What exactly should he look for?"

"An extra from Night of the Living Dead. Don't let anyone approach him, just tell us where he is at. I might be able to save him, but I have to get a skin sample first. Oh and she might need a police officer to take her report. She is fine physically but this is probably going to give her some nightmares."

"This is going to give me more nightmares." Kara agreed and took out her phone to dial Joe think at least they got through dinner and a movie before work called. Barry was fine. That was what mattered. She would just keep telling herself that,over and over so she wouldn't freak out, because a metahuman zombie that could kill with a touch was definitely freaking her out.

She couldn't wait to get to Florida even if she did have to take a plane.


	41. Chapter 41

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N thank you for the continued support. My buddy Theo is moving and I am anxiously awaiting her return but we will carry on without her. For those wondering Prometheus is not done in this story yet. But after this the next few chapters are going to deal with the wedding stuff and getting our newlyweds off to a great start. There will also be an earlier than anticipated appearance by our favorite Queen of all Media on Earth 1. Every wedding needs a wedding planner who orders people around, right? By the way, who of you out there ever goes on Youtube and watches the bloopers and gag reels from these shows? Yeah I watched a few Arrow gag reels the other night and saw Katrina Law, dancing in her Nyssa outfit, swords in both hands and sticking her tongue at the camera and Deathstroke masked up doing the river dance. If you ever start to take these shows to seriously or they get too intense, just check one out. You can see Katy Cassidy do take after take trying to pronounce Nanda Parbat correctly and Ra's Al Ghul dropping F bombs every time he got a line wrong. Great stuff.

Chapter 41

The two men sat in the corner of Jitters enjoying their coffee and watching the early light cascade over Central City. To the passerby, they would seem like two colleagues or long time friends, enjoying a morning chat that had become a twice a week ritual for them. No one would guess the hell both had been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally over the past decade.

Since Jeremiah and Henry had been introduced by Joe, both recognized a kindred spirit in each other and one coffee meeting had turned into two and now sometimes three times a week.

"So did Ray ask you to work for him?" Jeremiah opened after the five minutes of silence they usually enjoyed, sipping coffee at its hottest.

"Yeah, I turned him down of course. Great guy, a really great guy, but I'm a doctor, at least I was. I'm not a researcher. What you guys are doing is amazing, but it's not for me. Plus I know Ray is trying to help but I'm not you guys. I'm not you and Eliza. You are both brilliant researchers who add to his team. Me, I'm just an old family practitioner. I want to make it on my own as a doctor. But my board recertification test did get moved up by six months out of the blue, and I am sure Ray Palmer had something to do with that. I won't complain unless he takes the tests for me. I actually take them next month. I'm hoping to be a doctor once again but who knows about after? Getting hired or starting my own clinic would be tough."

"Why? Seems like good doctors are hard to come by."

Henry chuckled a bit. "Despite being all over the news and having my innocence proven, there will always be that stigma. Who wants to be treated by a guy who spent a decade in prison, right? Even if I am innocent, people will wonder what it did to me. Did it change me? I haven't practiced medicine in a very long time. If it was you and you had to decide who to see, would you choose me over someone else who has practiced in the past ten years and didn't spend a lot of time in prison."

"I think… now, I would go to you. In the past, I don't know. I like to think I used to judge people based off feelings I had about them and I would have gotten a great feeling about you Henry, so yeah, I think so. I think if you give people a chance, they might surprise you."

Henry raised his eyebrows. "That is certainly optimistic, Jeremiah. Good for you."

Jeremiah laughed a bit and took another drink.

"What Kara said when she was on top of the roof at S.T.A.R., got to me. What I have been through has changed me, hardened me, but I can't let it affect the rest of my life. I have got to put it behind me. I saw that day what she could be if she let her anger control her all the time. If she can fight it so can I. I have to, for all my girls."

"But you still give Barry hell." Henry pointed out with a smile.

"I'm trying. What does it take to get a reaction out of him? Only Kara can seem to get any real emotion out of him it seems. He can't be that laid back. I see it in his eyes Henry. He has a lot of hurt and worry. He doesn't need to bury it. But he is fun to mess with. I put the thing about the socks you mentioned on the list."

Henry laughed loudly. "Has he complained yet?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Nope. He will though. That son of yours is something else Henry. He is amazing. He would give her the world and ask her if she wanted more. He loves her the way she deserves to be loved."

"Yeah, I think Joe has more to do with how Barry turned out than I do, but I am very proud of him. Nora would be so… I wish she could see him. I know she is watching but I wish I could see her eyes and the pride I know would be reflected in them. She would be scared like I am, like we are, but she would be so damn proud."

"Maybe you shouldn't cut yourself so short. Yeah, Joe has a lot to do with how Barry is, but he loves you, he never stopped believing in you, he has always… Henry you have been the driving force and a large part of why he became a CSI and a hero. Don't sell yourself short. Have you talked to him a lot since you have been here?"

"Yeah I talk to him on the phone everyday. I wanted to visit him at work but… I just can't do it. Its hard enough being around Joe. I love the guy, at least I love him for what he has done for Barry and helping me out, but a big part of me…"

"Never wants to speak to him again? Wants to hit him?"

"Yeah." Henry admitted with a sigh. "I wouldn't of course, and I understand why he… I'm grateful but I'm jealous. He had my son and tried to convince him for years I was guilty. Yeah, he apologized and I understand but it hurts. I should let it go. Outwardly I have but, its still there. Thawne didn't just take Nora from us, he took all of our lives. But thats the way it seems to go, huh?"

Jeremiah nodded his head. "I would have felt the same way if Eliza had moved on. Grateful but angry inside. Thats human I guess or Kryptonian. I don't know how you did it Henry. Yeah, I was in hell but at least I knew Eliza, Alex and Kara were alive. I could fight for them, do what I had to do, die for them even, but if they had been taken, killed and I couldn't fight back, I would have probably killed myself. You are stronger than I am."

"Strength has nothing to do with it. I did want to die many times. It was so tempting but Barry… if I had, it would have destroyed him. His faith was the only thing that kept me going. I tried to get him to move on, forget about me. I even moved away as soon as I got out, thinking he would be better off without me. Least till your girl got ahold of me. She has a way of making people listen, doesn't she?"

"Yeah she does. Its strange to me. When I left her she was this shy, fragile girl who had so much hurt hiding behind the prettiest smile. She wouldn't speak at a normal volume for months when she arrived, always whispering or speaking lowly. Except at night, when the nightmares hit. But her and Alex, my God they have turned into forces of nature."

"Yes they have. So have you opened up to Eliza anymore? About what you went through?"

Jeremiah shook his head slightly. "I try, I have tried but its difficult. I don't want her to know, or the girls to know especially. They would understand and I think thats the worst part. They wouldn't blame me for experimenting on those aliens,the innocent, scared people who could have been Kara. I'm sure they suspect but they would understand. They would know why and look at me like I was… broken. You know what I mean?"

"Yep. I hope Barry believes that I just left my cell to eat meals and came back to read a book. I never want him to know about the gangs I had to avoid, the many fights he didn't know about, the head games the violent prisoners like to play, just because they are bored. I just want him to think the worst was sitting in a cell locked up. Sitting in that cell locked up was the most peaceful part of my day. I will never tell him the things I saw and endured. He wouldn't look at me the same. He would pity me. I can't stand the thought of that. Offer stands though. If you ever feel like talking about it, I'm here."

"Same goes for you. So what was all that mess last night? Joe say anything? I heard a bit, something about a zombie that kills with a touch?"

"Got me. Apparently this case that Alex, Barry and Joe caught was metahuman who can accelerate aging to the point of the person's body turning to dust. Barry and Kara were leaving a movie theater last night and Kara heard a woman call for help some distance away. Barry found this woman on the ground and some kind of monster on top of her. He saved the woman's life. Joe wasn't exactly sure how, all the woman said was the Flash healed her but she was kinda traumatized by the whole ordeal and Barry has been busy since. Kara made the smart decision not to go after this thing and called Joe instead. Despite all the police in the city looking for him, the zombie disappeared without a trace. Now they are all planning some team meeting this morning to talk about it." Henry explained.

"Yeah, Eliza said Palmer used his suit to sneak into some research center the suspected murderer and the first victim were involved in. Alex found out that she was involved with a doctor there in some sort of experimentation thing. Least thats what Eliza thinks. Between Curtis, Winn, Caitlin and Felicity we all get a bit conflicting stories."

"How did Alex find out what doctor the victim was involved with?"

"How do you think? Used her Robocop helmet to break into the center undetected and found the guy's appointment book."

"Wow. Yep, extraordinary girls. I'm guessing she wasn't alone?"

"Nope, like always, Kara followed her." Jeremiah said with a slight laugh.

"Please tell me Kara didn't go in?"

"Nah, Palmer told Cisco who told Eliza that Kara stayed outside the fence with her dog, used her X ray vision and some sort of zip lining gun to help Alex escape all while her and her dog ate sandwiches and I think a cheeseburger was mentioned."

"Nice. Those girls are scared of nothing." Henry admitted, considering a cheeseburger for lunch today.

"Yeah, kind of like a guy running into a black hole on the off chance he could save the world, figuring he had about zero chance of making it back down. God Henry, can you imagine what our grandchildren are going to be like? Between Alex and Nyssa and Kara and Barry… they are going to change the world more than their parents."

"Yeah, I can't wait to meet our first. You think Nyssa and Alex will adopt?"

"I can't see either of them agreeing to give up her abs. They train like they are going to war any second. Yeah adoption is going to be the way to go for them but you never know… no, I do know. Adoption all the way."

"I don't know much about Nyssa. Hardly anything. Joe said she is private and he knows next to nothing and Joe usually knows everything."

"She is something else. Raised by one of the most evil men in the history of the world to be an assassin from the moment she could walk, surrounded by infighting, attempts on her life, strenuous training no child should have to go through, being forced to kill or die, betrayed by her own father she had dedicated her life to despite never being shown an ounce of love, cast aside because he didn't approve of her choices in love and still held onto honor. How does someone grow up like that and still emerge a hero? She and Oliver stopped a biological weapon from killing everyone in Star City, the two along with some friends, this Sara Lance and a kid named Roy Harper, John Diggle, and Felicity Smoak fought an army of soldiers hopped up on some super steroids from taking over the city. She led a revolt against an evil man who usurped her father and then once she had everything she wanted, the power, her father's position, she tore it all apart because it was, in her mind, the right thing to do. Amazing woman."

"Wow. Barry mentioned they had a real dungeon and hot tub too."

"Yeah, a hot tub that could bring the dead back to life and keep a man or woman immortal by bathing in it once a week. She destroyed that too. She didn't think it was right, against the natural order. Oliver Queen told me that. We got drunk together a couple weeks back. He is quite the talker when he drinks. Unfortunately most of what he says drunk is in Russian but I got the general idea."

"Oliver Queen scares the hell out of me." Henry admitted. "But he is devoted to Barry and Kara so I guess it's a good thing that he is scary."

"None of us can get through this life unscathed but damn, it seems all our circle has gone through hell more than the average person." Jeremiah admitted.

"Thats what makes us stronger right? Thats what makes our children stronger. Good hearts can go through crucibles and come out stronger. Do you feel stronger Jeremiah?" Henry asked.

"No." he admitted. "But I don't feel weak any longer."

"Same here. I guess I better get a move on. Early shift at the ER. Being an orderly kind of sucks but at least I am near what I love."

'Amen brother." Jeremiah agreed.

"Coffee Friday?"

"Why don't you come over tonight for dinner? You haven't had a chance to meet J'onn really. He is a fascinating guy. He's a lot like us. He has lost a lot and survived. His whole family and world, just like Kara. Plus he does the best impressions and I mean that literally. Barry almost kissed him, thinking he was Kara."

"Yeah definitely. Want me to bring anything?"

"Beer." Jeremiah answered immediately.

"Thats a given. Oh and the next addition to the list, add something about Barry making sure the toothpaste is out of the sink after he spits. He used to not rinse long enough and that crap would just glob right there in the bowl. Drove me crazy. Maybe that will push him over the edge. He is going to have to blow up at you eventually."

"I hope so, He needs to. He's keeping it all in. If he lets it out around Kara or any of his friends that he knows will tell her, he knows she will freak. So he's just holding it inside. He needs to vent, but he has the patience of a saint."

"Don't worry Jeremiah. If anyone can push him over the edge it's you." Henry told him with a wink.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

The two shook hands and both exited, ready to begin the day and feeling a little lighter like always.

While the sun continued to shine over the early morning, the Justice League, brains and muscle, held a meeting in S.T.A.R. labs before the construction crew reported for the day. So far, the repair team had pulled out roughly two thousand rounds of ammo from the walls and ceiling. A.R.G.U.S. had been nice enough to clean up the blood when they left.

Kara began to start the meeting and then rushed to the bathroom before the words, good morning could flow from her lips.

"Does she have morning sickness or is she just afraid of public speaking?" Cisco asked. Barry ignored him, addressing the team.

"So does everyone know what happened last night?" the Flash asked.

"You and Kara saw a zombie, you saved some cute girl from getting mummified and somehow, a walking monster disappeared in Central City and nobody knows how or where he went to. That about sum it up?" Jax asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. I had to save her, Kara had no way of stopping the guy nor did I for that matter, so I was hoping the police could corral him while we figured… something out." Barry explained. "Ray, how did the break in go last night?"

Ray smiled, proud of himself.

"Piece of cake. Maybe if I would have been thought of first, Valkyrie wouldn't…"

"Shut up Ray." Alex told him, quickly silencing that observation.

"Fine. I won't bore you all with how I flew right in through the AC vent on top of the roof. I slipped into one of the cells under the door. It was a plain room, concrete, some sort of low grade electrical currents running behind it, almost like an electrically charged cage. There was a desk and two chairs and a video camera in the corner by the ceiling. Nothing else. So I slipped out and hacked into Pendergast's console and went back to the old Atom Cave. I found out quite a bit." he finished proudly.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Are we really going to have to ask what did you find out Ray?"

"Glad you asked Sara. So lets start with Project Blue Skye. Blue Skye's purpose is to identify metahumans with psionic abilities. Telepathy, mind reading, astral projection and so forth. The idea is that no matter the strengths and weaknesses of any meta, the brain will always be a point of weakness."

"Not Barry or Kara." J'onn added. "Barry can move his thoughts too fast for mind reading and it is doubtful mind control would work on him. I can read his mind barely at times but the minute he begins focusing on more than one or two things, I lose him. His neurons fire too rapidly. Kara, I'm not sure why but her and her cousin and the other Kryptonians I fought on my Earth were immune to telepathy."

"Good to know. What else Ray? Who is behind it? A.R.G.U.S.?" Barry asked, afraid of the answer.

John Diggle had gone back to Star City to watch his daughter while Lyla was on a mission. No one wanted to suspect A.R.G.U.S. but by Lyla's own admission she was still discovering projects Amanda Waller had left behind.

"That… is a little it more difficult. The group Pendergast works for, the one that funds the project is not exactly named other than an acronym N.O.W.H.E.R.E. It appears Pendergast was recruiting psychic metas and sending them to a place called the Colony. No records of where this might be. It has some standard military encryption but I don't think its military. Too high class. Probably private, posing as government or working with them. I don't know what the acronym stands for, I don't know where the Colony is but Marsh would have been the second confirmed one they had discovered. Another woman had been recruited named Lilith Clay. She was listed under the file name Omen. Out of two hundred and twenty prospects this Marsh and Clay were the only ones confirmed as true metas with psionic powers. File says Clay can read minds and force others to see what she wants, almost like forcing them into an illusion that is very, very real. She also has limited precog abilities, but doesn't go into detail. Clay was 18 last year when she was accepted into this N.O.W.H.E.R.E. program and sent to wherever the hell this Colony is."

"Felicity?" Barry prompted, knowing her and knowing she had probably been working on this all night.

"I can't find her Barry. It's like she dropped off the map. She was an orphan, her parents had died the year before. Since she was weeks away from turning 18 she was never given a guardian and had no extended family regardless. Her parents weren't rich, they died in a car wreck, I'm not sure how she supported herself. If this is some kind of shady program then she may have been easy to recruit." the blonde hacker explained.

"This tie in with Prometheus? He obviously had a thing for metas. He had the money, the power…" Barry suggested.

"Not his style." Oliver answered. "He wanted to kill heroes. He still does. He doesn't need or want metas, he wants lackeys so he can be the one with the glory. Prometheus is another discussion that can be tabled for now."

"The neural suggestion I implanted does not require my presence, Mr. Queen. It will not go away when I leave this Earth." J'onn told him, reading Oliver's mind. "He is not a threat any longer."

"I suppose we have nothing to worry about then. Thank you J'onn." Oliver told him, in a grateful tone, not fooling the Martian at all.

"I'm serious Oliver, there is no need…"

"Can we get back to business at hand?" Oliver interrupted J'onn. J'onn let it go, but would follow up. He had seen enough when Prometheus's name was mentioned in Oliver's head to know the Arrow planned to kill him as soon as J'onn left this Earth. It was unnecessary and he would make Oliver understand that.

"Yeah, anyway Pendergast was going to recruit Marsh and we should all see the videos to understand why. She didn't just read minds. Like Clay she had additional powers, mainly one, the ability to kill with her mind. The videos from the room showed two men brought in and sat in front of her. She was told that one was a registered sex offender and one was not. She had to read their minds to determine who was who and kill the offender." Palmer told them, almost gleefully.

"Ray please tell me you don't think this is…" Barry hoped,

"Cool? Of course not, its horrible, but she wouldn't do it. She figured out which one it was and told Pendergast to let her out because she wasn't going to kill anyone. So the door opens and I guess both guys walk out and she stays. Next thing you know, one of the guys rushes back in, door slams behind him and he attacks her. Has his hands around her throat and everything."

"This is how he recruited people?" Alex thought out loud.

"Nicer than League tactics." Nyssa reminded her.

"I don't know, I just know it was her last session and before he could strangle her, he grabbed the sides of his head, started screaming and then dropped dead on the floor. The video ended. That was the day before she died." Palmer finished.

"So if she had that kind of power Pendergast must have been pretty quick to get to her. If she refused him or he told her too much…" Barry started.

"What did I miss? Sorry, I really shouldn't have had pickles for breakfast. At least not the whole jar but once you start you just can't seem to stop right?"

"You ate a whole damn jar of pickles for breakfast? What the hell is wrong with you woman?!" Jax asked. Stein kicked him under the table so he let it go.

Barry spoke rapidly for ten seconds, Kara murmured something back to quick for any to hear and Barry spoke rapidly again. Kara nodded her head and sat down.

"So this sounds pretty cool… I mean awful." she clarified.

"Can I ask a question?" Zatanna raised her hand. "I am the sorceress on the team. I have teleported people across the country, I have turned armed drones into dead pigs, and I have healed bullet wounds. Why do we now have a death, involving a zombie and I have yet to be brought in? This is my wheelhouse people!"

The group looked at each other, not even Cisco having an answer. Harry, finally rolled his eyes and took a stab at it.

"This is at heart, a homicide investigation. It requires information and analyzation. What he is doing to people is happening at a cellular level. There is no magic involved. I can appreciate your… talents, but to stop this man, we have to figure out how he is doing this and how we can counteract his abilities. Magic is not what is called for at this time." or any other, Harry thought to himself.

"Eeffoc nrut ot dum." Zatanna whispered as Harry brought his cup to his lips. His eyes opened when the cold mud touched his lips and spit out the foul smelling mud.

"Take your coffee mud to your lab and figure that one out, Wells." Zatanna whispered.

"I love her. Have I told anyone how much I love her?" Cisco giggled, until he saw Carter glaring, encouraging him not to giggle.

"Barry, Alex, was there a mirror in her bedroom where her body was found?"

"Yeah." Alex admitted.

"Bring it to me. I can cast a spell on the mirror to show us exactly what happened in her room."

"Whoa! Hold up Zatanna. What do you mean the.. what spell… wait, I don't want ghosts in mirrors. Thats… not… thats not cool." Kara told her immediately.

"You don't have to be there Kara. I'm sure we can let you know what is found." the sorceress offered.

"No one should be there, not even you. You are a superhero now Zatanna. You can't be getting possessed. Things like that are freaky. Its all fun and games until something reaches out of a TV or mirror to grab you. Then what? What are you going to do then? You wouldn't be able to cast spells backwards because in a mirror everything is backwards. Have you thought of that?" Kara stressed.

"Then I should be able to say them normally and they will work." the woman reasoned.

"Stop being logical!"

"Kara! It will be fine. It was just a movie." Alex tried, hoping to calm her down and wishing she had never shown her Poltergeist when she was 14. Or the dozens of other horror movies she had made her sister sit through since then.

"Oh yeah? Ammityville, Conjuring, Conjuring 2, Insidious, Paranormal Activity? All true stories Alex. I cannot be around ghosts right now. Does anyone want to see a beautiful, super powered baby girl who is possessed by demons? I don't."

"Kara calm down. There will be no demons and I promise no ghosts. I can use the mirror as a recording device and ask it to play back the images from the night of the woman's death. I promise, no ghosts." Zatanna swore while trying not to laugh. She had noticed that Kara ignored the automatic door at Palmer Tech in the lobby and now realized why. The most powerful woman in the universe, scared of ghosts.

"Fine, but … just let me know how it turns out. Let all of us know. Since you are an expert you should probably be alone when you do this right?"

"Yes, I can handle this alone, sweetie." Zatanna smiled.

"I'll bring the mirror and Joe and I…"

"You will stay away form evil spirits Alexandra! I will tell Mom."

"Baby calm down. She will do her thing and we can find out what we need to know. There are no such thing as ghosts." Barry whispered.

"Of course there are. She is right to be afraid. Poltergeist, demons, the restless dead, all looking for the smallest chance to come back to the world of the living and wreak havoc. Honesty is important. That is my primary purpose on this team, correct? Dealing with things that Wells and his cup of mud can't?"

"Thats it, I'm out. I'll be in my workshop if anyone wants to solve a murder with actual science." Harry muttered, stomping away from the table.

"Harry! Don't be a hater, man! Come back!" Cisco yelled after him, laughing.

"I told you Alex. All real. She turned a drone into a dead pig. If anyone knows, she would and its real. All of it." Kara told her sister.

"Kara!"

The entire table turned towards the hall where Charlie was running into the room, followed by an irate Harry, a little mud still on his face.

"Your dog crapped in my lab."

"Sorry. I'll have a talk with him, I promise." she told him, picking up Charlie and placing him on her lap, in the event she had to melt Harry's face off. She hoped not because she really liked Harry.

"A talk… fine, talk to the dog, make it see reason, ask the cocktail waitress to cast a spell on a mirror, whatever. I'll clean it up." he muttered and walked off.

"Okay back on track." Barry tried. "Alex and I will get the mirror for Zatanna or we can just go to the apartment. Who is not actually doing Palmer Tech stuff and is working for us today?"

"Curtis. Me and him will keep working on this underground organization of potentially evil and at the very least weaponized group of metas." Ray informed everyone. "I guess the rest of us can get back to work. Should we try to organize a search of some sort for the walking dead?"

"No. Everybody keep your coms handy or phones at least. If police pick up any sight of Pendergast or a Pendergast resembling zombie we all know. Until then, its probably a waste of time searching the area. He is most likely in the woodland surrounding the city and that is a lot of land. So we meet back here tomorrow morning. Sound good?" Barry asked. Everyone nodded so the group broke up, except for Oliver who stayed behind, asking Cisco to show him everything the man had learned about Prometheus's helmet. No matter what, the Arrow could not get that bastard off his mind. Yeah the so called Decay, as Cisco had dubbed him, was no doubt deadly and this conspiracy could be deadlier but the mad man who had his hands around Kara's throat, stayed on his mind.

As the group exited the building to begin their day, Lyla Diggle, watched the parking lot. As she had hoped, Kara Zor El walked out of the lab and continued walking, passing her new car, preferring to go on foot this fine morning. The weather was not particularly cold and Lyla noted the blonde did not have her bracelet on. She was happy to see that Kara's feathered body guards were not with her. It was important that she talk to Kara alone. The director of A.R.G.U.S. knew Barry fairly well, knew his thoughts, knew his personality and felt the two had a good relationship even if it was no as extensive as her husbands and his was. Nowhere near as extensive as Oliver and Barry's relationship. Despite her husband's good relationship with the blonde, Lyla had nearly zero contact with her and this had to change.

She thought of offering Kara a ride home, but the blonde looked happy, comfortable, in her jeans, blue sweater and brown leather jacket, enjoying the cool weather. Instead Lyla followed at a distance. Once they reached the apartment building Lyla gave the woman a few minutes to make herself at home before she approached the apartment.

After ten minutes she made her way up to the apartment of Caitlin Snow and Kara Zorel. John, not to her surprise, had never told her Kara's whole story, and neither had Oliver. She had no idea where the woman came from, how she had these powers, why she suddenly popped up but considering what she knew of Barry and the Zoom case including the metapocalypse, she knew Kara was from another universe, one that had particularly strong meta humans. John's missing long weekend that he wouldn't talk about, other than to say he helped Kara's family move to Central City, made her suspect John had joined the proud few who jumped parallel dimensions. Of course Kara's sister, mother and father arrived right after. John had said enough about Alex that she hoped the woman might approach her for a job but it wasn't to be. She was not offended that John kept most information to himself. He kept Barry's identity to himself until Barry revealed it. Both of them knew the value of keeping other people's secrets.

Now the landscape of the world was changing. When it had been Barry and his team in Central City and Oliver and his team in Star City, they had been localized groups who did good in their communities, or at least stopped the really bad people. Now there were more metas than ever, some friends, many enemies and knowing who was who was of paramount importance.

Lyla knocked on the door and it was quickly answered by a smiling Kara.

"Hi, Kara? We haven't really had the chance to talk a lot, I'm…"

"John's wife, Lyla DIggle. Please come in. I poured you a cup of coffee but wasn't sure how you liked it. Is black fine or would you prefer cream and sugar?"

Kara strolled towards the kitchen while a surprised Lyla walked slowly behind her.

"I… black is fine. You were expecting me?"

"Yep. Why didn't you ask me if I wanted a ride? You have been following me since I left S.T.A.R."

Lyla froze, not used to being caught watching someone.

"I have exceptional eyesight Lyla. Its fine though, the weather was perfect for walking. So what can I do for you?" Kara asked, handing the woman a cup of coffee and walking towards the living room. Having a seat in the love seat and offering Lyla the sofa, the two relaxed.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you if you wanted a ride. I wanted to meet with you, get to know you but I felt …"

"Being upfront about it would be a bad idea? Or you wanted to talk to me alone and needed to see where I was going and with who?"

Lyla blushed a bit, but Kara didn't sound angry. She sat there with the sunniest smile on her beautiful face.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you alone. I don't know a lot about what happened to bring you here. John is pretty protective about information he has and I don't press. I have been watching you for a while and have figured out that you and your family are from a parallel universe. I know you saved John's life and he and Oliver think the world of you. I want us to be friends. I have an idea from what I have pieced together from Oliver and John that the government where you were from tried to have you murdered… because of how powerful you are?"

"Yes." Kara answered simply, not elaborating.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I was sorry to experience it but it all worked out. It brought me back to Barry. I'm happy now."

"I understand you are expecting. Congratulations. I plan to accompany John to the wedding in a couple weeks if that is fine with you?"

"Of course Lyla. John is like family to me. I would love to have you there. I hope to meet your daughter. John talks a lot about her."

"She will be there. This is excellent coffee. What brand is it?"

"Folgers. Lets cut the nonsense, Lyla. You didn't follow me from S.T.A.R. to introduce yourself and compliment my name brand coffee. What is it you want?"

Lyla was shocked by the sudden change. Kara did not appear hostile but she was on longer smiling. Perhaps the time had come to lay all her cards out.

"Okay… based on what I saw in Detroit and the team work displayed here in Central City to stop Prometheus and his forces I am guessing the team up I saw was not a one time thing?"

"No, it wasn't. But you know that. You know who we all are or could if you wanted to. You probably have people who have gone over and over videos in Detroit and are wondering how a woman in a black skirt and stilettos can turn a drone into a pig or how we all got there so quickly. You are probably wondering how I could be at two places at once. Of course you know I wasn't in Detroit anymore than Oliver was, even though he was seen in the early part of the battle. You saw us meeting today and while John might not tell you everything he will tell you some things, especially about a large group of heroes becoming more organized. What is it you want Lyla?"

"I want your group, to have a good relationship with my organization. I know you have reasons not to trust the government but A.R.G.U.S. is not what it once was. We want the best for the world and…"

"Then you do what you do and we will do what we do. Our aims should not interfere with one another. As far as working together I am not sure what you think you could bring to us. We have the best technical minds in the world. The best hackers, the best equipment, the greatest bio engineers. We have the strongest heroes, the bravest and the deadliest. I'm not sure what you think A.R.G.U.S. could bring to us besides making us vulnerable to politicians and inept military leaders."

Lyla was taken back by her tone. Although Kara was not yelling, she may as well have been.

"I promise you, my organization is not…"

"Who takes over if you die?"

"Wha… what?"

"Its a simple question. Amanda Waller is dead. Its a risky business we are all in. Who takes over if you are dead? Is someone appointed? Is someone next in line? You say A.R.G.U.S. is different since you have been in charge and I have no doubt about this but how different is it going to be when the next person takes over. What about General Eiling? Think he might want the spot? He has already attacked Barry before, attacked Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein. He is going after Grodd right now because he desperately wants to know how to control someone's mind and if you want to know the truth, he is a big suspect in a case we are working. Another like Prometheus, an organization, underground but probably deadly, you haven't heard about yet. Who takes your place, Lyla?"

"I don't know. The position is appointed by the President. But I can guarantee…"

"Nothing. You really can't. I'm curious, does A.R.G.U.S. still run Task Force X? Bombs in necks? Sounds like a Prometheus trick."

'No, I shut down Task Force X. I have made a great effort to clean up the organization and make it into what it is supposed to be."

"And I congratulate you on this Lyla, I do. But we, the Justice League, are independants. If we do you a favor, when will it stop? When will you stop calling us for favors and giving us assignments instead? I think it is best if our organizations stay separate. You don't step on our toes and we don't step on yours."

"I see." Lyla told her quietly, actually surprised by the restrained hostility. "Can I ask you what did happen, exactly on your old Earth, that has caused you to distrust not only the ones who betrayed you but every government?"

Kara sat back, seemingly relaxed and actually smiled. "I'm at peace with dying to save the world. I'm not at peace with dying because the world thinks I am a threat."

"You think I am a threat? You trust John, John trusts me." Lyla reminded her, hoping the same argument she used on Jeremiah would work again.

"John trusted his little bother. How did that work out for Laurel Lance?"

Lyla froze. Her face felt warm and she knew it wasn't a blush. She was angry. Somehow despite being a master at controlling her emotions, this sunny, blonde girl had gotten under her skin and hit where it hurt the worst.

"I think I should probably leave." she gritted out.

"Let me walk you out." Kara offered, standing up. Lyla took a good look at her, looked in her eyes and looked around her. Of course.

The woman sat back down, confusing the blonde.

"You are right Kara. I'm the government. I head up a secret agency and we are involved in a lot of dark work that the general public doesn't know about. I know a lot about your friends and I know a lot about you, just from the little I have heard about you from Oliver and John I figured out much on my own. I know Kara Zorel would never, ever bring something like John's brother up. I know John and Oliver don't talk about it. Felicity or Thea either. There is no way for you to know about that. Barry doesn't even know all the circumstances of what happened in that prison. I also know, that you are nervous when meeting new people, you hardly ever make eye contact and you tend to babble like Felicity until you are used to someone. I know that even though you don't feel like it is necessary, Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders never leave you alone if Barry is not around. They may not be with you in the same room but they are always near. I also know that since your birthday, you go nowhere without your dog. So why don't you stop playing games with me J'onn Jonzz? I asked to speak to Kara, not be played by you again. The mind reading shape shifting thing is neat but its novelty is wearing thin."

Kara Zor El smiled and shifted into the human form of Hank Henshaw. Having a seat back on the love seat he took Lyla in.

"Kara would have done all those things and she would have been your best friend and offered anything you wanted. She also would have been scared to death and too nice to admit it. She worked for a government organization that I was the head of. Of course they had no idea I was an alien but our purpose… it didn't matter. She saved the world. She flew a mental time bomb set to destroy every human life on the planet with a pulse, that would fry every human's brain, into space herself, almost died if her sister hadn't used… I'm the one who held her sister for days, watched her fall apart after Kara was shot twice by men she worked with, ordered by a general who hated her and a President who thanked her four days before ordering her death. I watched her family fall apart in grief. I've worked in black ops agencies for twenty years Lyla and while I have no doubt you have the best intentions, you know what those types of agencies bring to the table. Keep your organization away from the Justice League."

"I mean them no harm."

"I know. But you won't always be there. Whoever comes next can mean harm. I came to this universe because I made a vow to Jeremiah Danvers, or Zorel, to protect his daughters as if they were my own. I came to help with this helmeted freak but I have stayed, watched, learned. Your own military has elements in it, who are after metahumans. I have read all about General Eiling. Cisco keeps pretty detailed records on him. I've seen his actions in Caitlin and Cisco's minds. Stein's as well. You may not be a danger to them and your organization may not be right now but they could be one day. You want to help, keep away from them."

"We could do more together. We have the same enemies." Lyla argued.

"Then let them do what they do and handle your enemies for you. Lyla if you really want to help them, get rid of all the information A.R.G.U.S. has on any of them. Delete Oliver Queens files, Nyssa Al Ghul, any clues to the identities of the others. Don't try to track down the woman in the skirt who can do some pretty impressive things. Wipe out any knowledge A.R.G.U.S. may have about Ray Palmer and his tech. Just leave them alone Lyla. You know government being involved can lead to no good."

Lyla took a deep breath. As angry as she was at this man, she could understand where he was coming from.

"I would still like to talk about information sharing on certain cases we are both interested in with Barry and Kara."

"Then don't ever follow Kara home trying to get her alone. You have a history, a friendship with Barry. He could have facilitated this. You would have had her nervous, wondering why you wanted to talk to her alone. She is pregnant with a potentially very powerful child and has a great fear of the government, any government. Why in the hell would you try to get her alone? I know why. Barry will do whatever Kara wants in regards to A.R.G.U.S. You get on her good side you get what you want, right? Catch her at a disadvantage, lay on the charm, control the conversation, I know the game. Never do it again. Alex and Kara are under my protection. I don't like people to play games with my girls. You should know that where I come from we have our own Justice League. We are also quickly developing our own method of inter dimensional travel. I will be checking in from time to time. If I even suspect any element in the government is planning anything against this League and especially Kara and Alex, my League will attack and if you think these kids are something, you are going to love us. I don't want trouble. I want Kara and Alex to do what they do best, without having to worry about power hungry politicians and militants after them. You are a mother so I am sure you can understand that."

"I have nothing against your girls J'onn. I think the world of them. My husband would be dead if not for Kara. Yes, I did want to talk to her alone and I felt I could convey what I wanted best in a one on one session. I wasn't informed of all the details of what happened to her. I will ask Barry if I can talk to both of them. Understand this though, I do want to help, not hurt them and I will offer my help whether you like it or not."

"Then perhaps I am not making myself clear enough." J'onn mentioned, rising while a suddenly frightened Lyla, wondered if he would make her forget and what exactly she would be forgetting.

"J'onn!"

Both turned towards the door neither had noticed opening. Kara stood there, Charlie in his carry bag, strapped to her shoulder.

"We need a moment, Kara." J'onn told her

"No you don't. I appreciate you trying to protect me but doing that is wrong. Her mind is her own."

"Kara, maybe you don't understand what your family went through…"

"J'onn, I am not naive enough to believe that the caliber of people we have on our team will be ignored by the government, any government. I appreciate your intention, but I want to talk to Lyla myself."

"Okay." J'onn gave in with a sigh and looked at Lyla once again. "Amazons, Atlanteans, Martians, Kryptonians and a couple guys and women that can go toe to toe with Oliver Queen and Nyssa Al Ghul in hand to hand combat and have a fifty fifty chance of winning. This may not mean anything now but if my girls are hurt you will become intimately acquainted with all of them. I won't apologize for coming on strongly. I lost one family, watched them murdered before my eyes and I lived with thinking Kara was dead for a long time. Take care Lyla. I look forward to seeing you at the wedding."

"I look forward to seeing you as well, however you plan to look. Just try not to read my mind because you may not like the names I will be calling you." the woman told him, not backing down an inch. J'onn smirked a bit and nodded his head, walking out of the apartment. Lyla found herself with the woman she had come to talk to.

"So hi? Sorry about that. Overprotective Martian surrogate father. Every girl should have one. The first time I bet him he shot me with a knock out dart and told me to go back to fetching coffee. I don't think he was going to give you a lobotomy. Thats what I am going to tell myself. He was probably just going to plant a harmless hypnotic suggestion in your brain against your will … there is really no way I can lessen how messed up this is, can I?" Kara tried, bright red, not even Charlie licking her face.

Lyla stood and walked towards the blonde, reaching out her hand which Kara carefully and gently took.

"Lyla Diggle. Oliver Queen kidnapped me once while undercover with the League of Assassins from my home while my daughter was there. I forgave him. That? That was nothing. Not a day goes by that I am not threatened by someone. I understand I have you to thank for my husband not being spread across a mountain range."

"Oh that? No big deal. It wasn't even the biggest plane I have ever caught. Kind of small actually compared to a 747. I almost got hit by one of those too. I was fighting my evil uncle a couple thousand feet in the sky and there is this big light, you should have seen the look on his face… I'm babbling, aren't I?"

"I don't mind. Its better than threatening so I am already doing better with you. Does it freak you out when he impersonates you?"

"Not as bad as it freaks Barry out now. Look, I just came home to pick up a wedding planner book from Caitlin's room. She is waiting in the car. We have to go taste cakes and appetizers and stuff. I'm honestly not sure if I will eat them all or not be able to eat a single bite, so Nyssa and Thea are going to meet me and Cait there. You want to come with? We can talk and you can help with the tasting. Would that make up for J'onn almost lobotomizing you?"

"That is not your fault. He reminds me of your father. You and Alex are important to a lot of people, very powerful people who aren't afraid to use that power. I hope my daughter has friends like that one day. I would love to accompany you Kara. Thank you."

Caitlin was surprised to see Lyla entering the car, but greeted her kindly, not having the most experience with the woman, but having heard good things. They arrived at he caterers, the only one who could work on such short notice, to find Thea and Nyssa there. Thea gave Lyla a hug and Nyssa gave her a look that let the director know she was carrying multiple knives and not afraid to use them. Carter and Kendra walked in as well and Lyla had an idea that they had been around the entire time.

After the tasting, during which Kara managed to test four cakes multiple times and vomited the crab puff appetizers before deciding against any type of shell fish, Lyla, Caitlin and Kara returned to the apartment. Caitlin changed and left for S.T.A.R. leaving Kara and Lyla alone.

"So that was fun huh? Sorry about vomiting. It comes and goes."

"Been there."

"So I guess, you want to talk right?"

"I would like to, but if you aren't in the mood or…"

"No! No, its fine. I expected this. Okay I expected you to talk to me and Barry or maybe have Oliver come with you. But… go ahead. I'm not really sure where to start."

"I just want to offer my organizations friendship. I don't expect your team to take missions from us. I know better than to order my husband or Oliver Queen to do anything. The best way to get them to do something is to tell them not to. But I do not want us to be at odds. I suspect, and your green friend confirmed that you have reason not to trust the Government?"

"We all have reasons not to trust somebody right? But yeah, I guess I'm a little more cautious than I used to be. My cousin, he is a superhero in the universe I came from and refused to work with the government. I never understood why until I took two bullets. But that wasn't the entire Government. Just the… President and US Army and stuff. Wow, when you put it that way it does sound bad. But to be honest, I have also had quite a few of other people try to kill me because of who my mother was, so its not like they were alone."

'Who your mother was?" Lyla asked. "Dr. Eliza Danvers?"

"Oh… what has Dig told you about me?"

"Next to nothing about your background. I guessed that you were a metahuman from another universe."

"Okay… see here is the thing. We want to help the world be a safer place. If you know of something that is a threat to the world and you don't think your agents can handle it, let us know. I can't guarantee we will get involved. We won't get involved in political disputes but Damian Darhk types, HIVE, yeah we are all over that. In return if we need something, information on certain things that may not be known to the general public and you know, it would save us time from hacking it. Our tech people have regular jobs too so any assistance you can give would be great. As far as a formal partnership, I don't think we need one, because I am not agreeing to help A.R.G.U.S. I am agreeing that we will help you. In return all I ask is that you keep meddling hands from our business. Politicians, military, they are going to want to know who we are, what we can do, how to use us. You help keep us covered on that end and we help you out when you need it, provided the threat is something your agents definitely can't handle. Thats the best we can do Lyla. I'm not used to this. I was a member of an agency, or thought I was. I was used to taking direction and now people are looking to me and Barry to provide direction. I can't commit them to working with the government but I won't let that stand in the way of us helping if the world is threatened. Does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense." Lyla told her, relieved, getting more than she hoped for.

"And as a mother, I know you will understand this. Lyla, no one can know about my baby. If anyone tries to take her, harm her, study her, this world will wish I had died in my own universe. You can understand that, right?"

"All records of your identities will be wiped. Even Oliver Queens, thought most of A.R.G.U.S. knows who he is anyway. We won't look or dig. I can't guarantee other agencies or military won't but if I find out about it, I will let you know, friend to friend, and do my best to shut it down. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like we can be friends, Lyla. Is John in the city? I know he went back to be with Sara. Maybe we can have dinner tonight?"

"He is still in Star City, being a stay at home dad for the moment. I should probably be getting back as well. I'm glad… thank you for talking to me Kara."

"No problem. Thanks for not making me feel self conscious about barfing crab balls. Sorry you got threatened with a Martian brain wipe. What happened to me was traumatic but, I wasn't awake for most of it. I think it hit my loved ones even harder. I should have let them know I was alive sooner. Thats on me. I just thought… it doesn't matter. Its over now. But yeah, definitely sorry for the Martian brain cleansing threat."

"These things happen." Lyla told her with a laugh, shrugging her off. The two parted at the door and the moment she was gone, Kara was on the phone with Barry.

Later that night, Oliver and Thea Queen were walking through the woods, nearest to where Pendergast had been seen in the alley. Oliver guessed if he had ran, then there would be some trace, perhaps dead foliage, giving the two a trail to follow.

"This is dumb. Its dark. We should have done this during the day." Thea complained.

"Yeah, because we can walk around with bows and explosive arrows during the daytime."

"Hunters do it all the time!"

"Do we look like hunters? Can you please whisper? We are trying to track a PhD in the forest. We should have the advantage but with you talking loudly he can hear us a mile away." Oliver complained.

"Fine… wait! You hear that?" Thea whispered, hearing a slight ruffling of leaves on the ground. Being Fall the ground was cluttered with dead leaves but this was a definite shuffle.

Oliver and Thea raised their bows, prepared to fire at anything from a wolf to a metahuman zombie. Crouching down, they waited but heard nothing else.

The Arrow motioned with his finger to his sister, the two slowly and quietly walking towards the noise. Two closely grown huge Oaks surrounded by naturally grown shrubs and berry bushes blocked their view but the noise had definitely came from behind the trees. Using his bow to brush the foliage aside, Oliver found himself facing a very large gun.

"Oliver? Thea?" a familiar voice whispered.

"Yeah Alex. It's us." Oliver sighed. The helmeted woman stood up, holstered her gun and walked towards them.

"What are you two doing here? I picked you up on infrared, I figured maybe Pendergast had a victim or friend." Alex explained, lifting her visor.

"Where is Nyssa?" Thea asked.

"Behind you." she answered. Oliver and Thea both dropped their shoulders in disgust and turned to see a black clad Nyssa grinning at them, bow at the ready, only feet behind.

"Heavy steps and loud voice Thea." she chided.

"Yeah, yeah. Vigilante, not outdoorsman."

"So since we both had the same idea, any luck?" the Arrow asked.

"No. We traveled approximately a mile into the woods but my robe was getting snagged by thorns and I am particularly fond of it. The man is not here. He did not strike me as an outdoor type. He must be hiding in the city somewhere, probably the tunnels beneath." Nyssa guessed.

"Yeah, we should probably call it a night." Alex suggested.

Her idea and desire to leave was cut short when voices broke the night air, moving towards them. All four ducked behind the tall Oak, weapons at the ready.

"Would you shut up already?" Sara asked, frustrated.

"I do not do woods, Sara. You know this." Jax complained, Martin nearly falling over a root behind him. "Grey don't like them either. I belong on pavement and he belongs in a lab or museum. Maybe a lab museum. They got those Grey?"

"Shut up Jackson. Sara, he does have a point. The odds of us finding a path of decaying plant material at night time in the immense wilderness surrounding Central City are very low. Perhaps a daytime hiking trip with some of our more woodland inclined members could be better. What exactly is the plan if we do find this man?"

"I'm going to beat the hell out of him, while not being touched and if that doesn't work you and Jax are going to light him up. I know its a long shot but what else do we have to do?"

"My wife is cooking Spaghetti." Martin offered.

"Yep. His wife is cooking us Spaghetti. She makes a killer sauce too." Jax agreed quickly.

"Hey guys?"

"Oh hey Thea. Be quiet, we are trying to find the damn zombie in the dark. Sara wants to beat it up." Jax informed her before stopping and realizing Thea Queen had not came with them. The trio saw Nyssa, Alex, Oliver and Thea standing in the dark, smiles on their faces, though since most of their faces were covered or hidden it was difficult to tell.

"So out for a stroll?" Alex asked.

"Yep. You guys too?" Sara guessed.

"A bunch of idiot superheroes walking through the woods at night, looking for a zombie. I think I saw this in a movie once." Thea confirmed.

"Owww!"

All turned to see Ray Palmer on the ground, flat on his face. Zatanna was helping him up.

"Seriously?" Sara asked. "You're wearing stilettos in the forest ,Zatanna?"

"Oh hi. Didn't see you… all of you… there. Yes, I am wearing marvelous shoes, there is never a bad time or place to look your best. Besides Ray is the one who fell on his face."

"I'm good." he moaned, standing up. "Were we having a meeting?"

Oliver was going to answer when they all heard it. A dog barking in the distance. Rushing forward, Zatanna and Ray stumbling behind, they found the source of the noise, Charlie in a back pack, his head looking at the masked man in a red suit on top of a blonde in a blue vigilante costume both on the ground. Her bow Oliver had forbid her from carrying until she was better with the weapon was lying on the ground next to her quiver.

Alex cleared her throat, causing Barry to jump up and turn protectively in front of Kara, still on the ground. The blonde scrambled for her quiver but mishandled it, spilling all the arrows.

"Oh, hey…everybody. Look Kara. It's… everybody." Barry told his love. A half hooded blonde head popped up behind Barry's legs.

"I told you we had to be quiet when zombie hunting Charlie!" Kara scolded the dog, whose head dropped back into the backpack.

"Are you seriously looking for Decay and decided the ground would be a great place to make out?" Alex asked.

"Are you seriously letting her carry around exploding arrows?" Ray also asked, the entire group scared of the answer.

"Uh… she's pregnant. She gets…"

"I get urges." Kara explained. They could all see now that she had black face paint around her eyes.

"Are we seriously going to call this guy Decay?" Sara added. "I thought we were just humoring Cisco?"

"Yeah, Zombie would be much more accurate." Jax agreed.

"Zombies eat brains, they don't kill with a touch." Ray countered. Jax had to admit he had a point.

"You are all wasting your time. Okay, maybe not Barry and Kara. They seemed to have the right idea." Carter told the group, landing in the middle of them all, Kendra right behind him.

"Cisco gave us an infrared scanner. We just searched twenty square miles and there is nothing out there but deer and a couple wolves."

"That does seem like a better idea than walking in the woods looking for dead leaves during the fall." Speedy admitted.

"I was looking for a trail of dead grass." the Arrow countered, not wanting to admit that Carter and Kendra did have a better idea.

"So…" Barry cleared his throat… "since we are all here, I suppose I can tell you what we found out from the mirror thing…"

"That worked?" Stein asked, having only a slightly higher opinion of magic than Wells.

"Yeah… it was pretty…"

"Unnatural." Kara finished, despite not being there.

Alex's phone buzzed. Checking it, she dropped her head.

"It should probably wait. We are going to have to meet in the morning anyway. A trail of bodies was found at the Center in Keystone. All decayed, Pendergasts's office was broken into and some files taken. Joe is waiting for me and we are heading there."

"So am I. Anyone else want to come, search Keystone City while we are at the scene?" Barry asked. Everyone agreed at once, except Jax who wanted Mrs. Stein's pasta sauce.

"Great. Oliver can I use your crossbow pistol…"

"No!"

Kara pouted and picked up Charlie. "Fine, then don't ask me to use my X ray vision. So… no point in all of us going separately. My car seats seven. Charlie takes up one, Barry is running so five of you can ride with me. Who wants in?

The group walked off.

"Guys? Sara, Zatanna, Nyssa, anyone want to ride with me? Hello?"

Kara took a deep breath.

"Screw them Charlie. We are going to get there first. Let's ride."


	42. Chapter 42

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N okay quite a bit of action and some ethical issues brought up this chapter. Thank you to all who reviewed and continue to review. I am blown away by the support you have all given me. After this the next two chapters are going to focus on wedding and honeymoon then we are going to do a bit of time jumps leading to the birth and Kara is going to be back in action. For right now though, lets get a look at a few of the Ravagers.

Chapter 42

Kara pushed her vehicle to its limits, even Charlie was quiet, sensing the seriousness of this situation.

"Kara, we are in Keystone City. Where are you?" Oliver asked through the com.

"How did you get there so fast?"

"You are going thirty miles and hour Kara. I have you on GPS."

"Shut up Cisco. The road is winding, lot of dangerous curves. I have a puppy on board. Safety first and all that. I'll go faster."

Kara hit the gas on an open straight away, feeling the full power of the vehicle.

"Wow, you hit 45. Thats like a record for you. Keep it up and you are going to need a pit crew."

"Shut up Cisco! I'm five minutes away."

"Ten."

"Last warning. By the way, why are you hiding at the cave? Can you make up your mind on what part of the team you want to be on?"

"No need to be a jerk about it." the man grumbled.

"Kara I'm already here, you want me to run to you?" Barry asked. "I'm suited up. Alex and Joe are having a hard time getting into the scene and they aren't going to let me into their crime scene.

"No, I need to get to the city and change. I don't want to leave Charlie on a dark road. I'm going to go faster."

Kara did go faster, hitting 55 miles an hour for the first time in her life. She could technically run much, much faster but this was important and she didn't want to take a risk of losing her power and tripping.

Eight minutes later Kara was in city limits, freaking her out being this close to other moving cars, but she was focused, needing to get to her team.

Barry jumped into he passenger seat, nearly causing her to scream.

"Pull over."

"Don't boss me around Barry." she told him immediately, not liking his tone. Barry sighed.

"Please pull over? I can get you to the scene, you can leave Charlie in the car and wait for Alex and Joe to be done."

Kara slightly mollified by his apologetic tone pulled over and Barry in full Flash uniform took over driving. It wasn't quite what he was used to, especially when a van pulled alongside him in the next lane and the two children in the back were staring awestruck at the Flash, driving a Volvo. Barry gave them a slight grin and wave and moved faster. Pulling near the crime scene a block away, he gave Kara a quick kiss and was gone. The blonde sat there wondering what she was supposed to do. Deciding to get information, she exited the car, instructing Charlie to stay put and walked to the yellow tape where Alex and Joe stood, talking to uniformed officers.

"Alex! Come here!"

Alex walked towards her sister, not having anything else to do since they were banned from the scene.

"What have you found out?" Kara asked her.

"Five bodies, all security guards, from the uniforms at least. Patrol who were first on scene says they are all decayed like mummies. The detectives on scene don't want us involved even though there is an obvious connection to Central City. I wish I had my old badge. I would pull FBI so fast, Mulder and Scully would be impressed."

"Keep trying to find info. I need to see what the rest of the team is doing."

Kara walked back down the street to the Volvo and sat in the backseat, pulling her uniform out of a back pack.

"Damn it Charlie, this thing takes a while to put on without super speed and I am just not feeling it right now. Kid Flash picks the worst times to steal my sunlight."

Finally pulling on the tight boots over her knees, she switched her com to open line.

"Team check in. Whats going on?"

"We are looking for a zombie walking the streets with some files." Jax answered. Kara stepped out of the car and looked into the night sky. She saw Firestorm's glow from a distance, two miles away. It was 9 so the streets shouldn't have been that quiet.

"Oliver, Nyssa, Sara?"

"There is a crowd in the entertainment district. We are searching everywhere else. No way, he is going to be seen there in his condition and the rest of the city is fairly empty." Sara explained.

"Barry?"

"Running circles. Nothing yet. Patrol found the bodies and hour ago, so figure since the call came in from a janitor on duty he found them fairly quickly. He must be in the city somewhere. I'm searching every abandoned building I can find. Carter, Kendra and Jax are searching the outlying areas by air. Nothing yet."

"I'm in the entertainment district in civies. Great band but no way a zombie is walking through here without causing a panic. It isn't that loud and everyone seems pretty sober." Thea told her.

Kara leaned against the Volvo, not caring that cops might notice her if they bothered looking down the street, or not thinking about it. Instead her mind was on another problem. Something wasn't right.

He could have had a car. He must have had one, unless he walked all the way from Central City. It was twenty miles away so not impossible considering he had a whole day. Going into the office was brazen, the files he wanted made no sense. Alex hadn't looked at the files in his office and Ray had hacked his computer but this guy wanted hard copies. But this guy was a PhD, not a car thief. She doubted he would know how to hot wire one and no other bodies had been reported tonight, so far at least.

"Overwatch?"

"Yeah Superwoman?"

"Can you hack into the buildings security cams?"

"Already in it."

"Wait, I don't want the inside. We know what happened there. The parking lot doesn't have security cams on the front for some reason, just roving patrols but I think…" Kara used her restored super vision and looked down the street both ways, "there are are traffic cams at the red light two blocks West of here and one block East. See if any vehicles came through looking suspicious. Driving too slow or passing multiple times."

Kara waited a few minutes. "Nothing unusual Superwoman. All cars, and there weren't many, seemed to be speeding a bit. The streets are kind of deserted."

"Can you see him coming inside?"

"Yes, there is only one camera in the whole place facing the door. Thats weird."

"Probably to stop people like us from looking inside and seeing their projects. What is he wearing? What does he look like?"

"He is… wow, he is ugly. Ugly… his face is like a blackened avocado. He isn't in the suit. Looks like fairly clean jeans, a polo that I can't tell the color of, but it is under a leather jacket, probably tan."

"He stole clothes. What does he look like coming out?"

"Standbye… I can't tell, he never looks at the camera."

"Barry he began to look better when he was draining that girl's life force. He just drained five bodies. I am betting he looks human and can blend in. Felicity can you send his pic from the DMV to our phones?"

"Of course. Sending now."

"I don't have a phone on me." Carter grumbled. "I am in ancient battle armor. So is Kendra. I think I know what he looks like. We are going to check the city."

Kara took a deep breath and knew what she had to do. Finding this man was important.

"We have to assume he doesn't have a car. He probably stole one but if he did he could be anywhere. If he didn't, we have a chance so we will treat it like that. He isn't taking the files home so he was either picked up by someone or plans to drop them off. Kendra, as much as this hurts my pride, pick me up two blocks East of the Center."

"Huh? Pick you up?"

"Yep, I need in the air and can't take the chance of falling. My vision is the best chance we have of seeing him in a crowd. Alex, Joe, I don't suppose you have any chance of finding out if the guards were robbed?"

"We got nothing Kara. Joe said he wants a com so he can listen to whats going on."

"We can deal with that later. Alex suit up, Nyssa pick her up. We all need to be ready."

"I'm miles away on the other side of the city, looking for this man, so I can… arrest him."

"Yeah right. Arrest huh? Sara, are you close?"

"Yep." Kara could hear the joy in her voice but ignored it.

"No, I am not riding on a motorcycle with her. I can take my… I will take Joe's car."

"No time and he will need it. Get your suit and meet Sara where I am now, two blocks East. Lets move. We need to converge if we find him, quickly. Any luck Barry?"

"Nope, still running."

Kendra landed next to Kara and wrapped her arms from behind. Kara shot up into the air, Kendra being dragged with her.

"Who is flying, me or you?" the woman asked.

"I'll hold my own, just keep your arms around me in case I give out. Its happened twice in the last hour. Alex, tell Joe to watch Charlie."

"I'm here Valkyrie. Where are you?" the Canary asked, way too happy.

"Thinking of slitting my wrists instead of riding on the back of your bike. I'm changing, be there in a minute. I'm getting my own damn motorcycle."

"I'll have you one in the morning my love. For now, ride with Sara." Nyssa promised.

"Somebody is spoiled." Thea grumbled.

"Focus people. We are over the … whoa!" Kara yelped.

Barry froze, stopping on a dime. "Whats wrong?"

"Just lost flight and my legs dropped down. Kinda awkward but Kendra has me, no worries. We are over the entertainment district. I'm scanning but I can't see him. Kendra, lets go to the train station, I can see it from here. Carter, take the bus station. Look for a nervous guy in a brown leather coat with a skin condition getting worse by the second."

"What am I supposed to do?" Jax asked.

"Keep flying around the city. If you see anyone speeding or driving erratically swoop down and check the car. Try not to scare them to death though. Ray, where are you and Zatanna?"

"I have her in my arms. We are flying over the North side, so she can do her thing. She just isn't sure what her thing is yet."

"It will be brilliant, I can guarantee that." the sorceress added.

"Good, J'onn I don't suppose you are around? A mental net over the city could help. J'onn?"

"I'm not showing the com we gave him to be on or his position," Felicity explained, "but I think he is drinking with your Dad and Barry's dad."

"That figures. Some Justice Leaguer. He is getting his honorary membership in ours taken away. First he tries to lobotomize Lyla and now he is nowhere to be found…"

"Did you say he tried…"

"I handled it, Oliver. She is good. Kendra, lets go down and look in the train station. Act natural and we should be okay."

"I've got a helmet on resembling a hawk even without my wings and a sword on my hip and you are wearing a cape and mask. How in the hell are we supposed to act natural? We are going to attract attention."

"That may be good. He might see us and run."

The two women landed softly outside, already the subject of gawkers.

"Carter was right, you do have really big breasts." Kara mentioned after pulling away from her, hoping to ease the tension she was feeling.

"You heard that?"

"I hear everything… most of the time. I don't care, Nyssa says mine are good and she is an expert on women's bodies."

"Kara you do realize this is still an open line, right?" Oliver asked.

Kendra shook her head but neither responded, making their way through the parting crowd in search for Pendergast.

"Rao, I think we found him." Kara whispered within seconds of scanning the large waiting area. X ray vision allowing her to see individuals through the mass of bodies. "Over at the end of the back bench, cap over his head, skin very pale, wearing a jacket and jeans."

"Maybe he just needs a tan. You aren't getting close enough to ask him."

"Stay where you are, both of you. We are all coming. I'll be there… now." Barry finished, zipping beside Kara and Kendra.

"You sure?" he asked. By this point the entire area filled with fifty to sixty people noticed the strangely dressed individuals in the station. All recognized Superwoman and the Flash but none knew the winged woman, except she bore a resemblance to one of the two winged heroes in Detroit. The crowd began murmuring, some moving towards them for autographs, not expecting to see celebrities in the station, outside of Central City as well. The man at the end looked up from beneath his cap and stared right at the heroes. Slowly rising, he made his way to the back exit.

"Yep its him. Everybody to the station. Alex, we are going to need some of those knockout bullets you got."

"It would be easier to kill him, but okay Barry, whatever you say. I can even read him his rights maybe. I have them memorized now."

As the man moved towards the back entrance, the door was opened, the ATOM and Zatanna stepping inside. Sara, Nyssa and Alex ran beside Kara and Barry, while Carter entered behind Ray.

Decay, panicking, grabbed a young man who was near, gawking at the Justice Leaguers, not noticing the object of their attention. Wrapping a leather coat covered arm around the man's neck from behind, he placed his free hand near the kid's cheek.

"Go away or he is dead." the man told them, his voice raspy. From the look on his face the affects of the bodies he destroyed earlier were wearing off. His face was grayish and his eyes were slowly turning black.

"There is no need for this Daniel. We want to help you. If you tell us how this happened to you we can reverse it." Barry hoped.

"Go away. Last warning or I kill this kid and start touching everyone."

We can't do that. You have killed six people. We have to contain and help you before you kill anymore." The Flash told him once again, looking for an opening.

"Six? Gayle Marsh killed herself."

"The body in the zip lock bag says otherwise." Alex told him, gun drawn on the bit of face she could see.

"Barry, can you get that guy out before he is touched?" Kara whispered.

"Not with the grip he has, but I am fairly certain I can save him if Pendergast does touch him."

"Yeah, while he does what? Touches you? You are fairly certain?" she whispered. "No way to be at least 99% certain?"

The problem was taken care of when Pendergast pulled his hand back slightly from his hostage's cheek and a green arrow pierced through his hand causing him to jerk back with a scream and bend over.

"sehtolc dnib mih!" Zatanna yelled loudly, a bright light emitting from her hand and striking Pendergast. Immediately the material he had on closed tight around him, preventing any movement and causing him to trip, falling to the ground. Barry moved and in a half second the hostage was outside where the police had just arrived. Joe rushed in with Keystone City officers, holding a barking dog in one hand and his gun in the other. Nyssa and Thea stepped forward, bows at the ready.

"No need to kill him ladies!" Barry told them, taking in the cops around them. The cops appeared confused as to who to aim at.

"I would suggest you talk to these officers before I tire of them aiming weapons at me and discourage them from doing so again." Nyssa told him calmly, eyes never leaving an immobile Pendergast on the ground.

"Its over. We have him." The Flash reported. The officers looked at him and then the figure on the ground who was rapidly darkening.

"If he touches you, he can kill you." Barry further told them. "He is the man who killed the guards tonight."

The officers looked to Joe who nodded agreement and they slowly lowered their weapons, except a few who were aiming at the man on the ground. Ray, Zatanna and Carter stepped around the body and joined the rest of the team near the entrance.

"Joe get these guys out of here, while we try to contain him and for Rao's sake get Charlie out of here! This is no place for a puppy!" Kara ordered.

The League slowly walked forward hoping Zatanna's spell held, Oliver, Nyssa and Alex prepared to fire at a second's notice if it didn't. Ray stepped closest to the man, being completely covered to his chin in armor. He yanked the arrow out of the monster's hand, eliciting a scream. Pendergast's entire face was black, his skin drying, outlining his skull.

"So I guess we need a body bag maybe?" Barry suggested, wondering if even a meta human cell could hold him.

"Finally a good idea." Nyssa whispered, stepping up with bow ready.

"I didn't say we were going to kill him! I just meant we needed something to completely cover him so he can't touch anyone. Anybody got any better ideas besides a body bag?"

"Killing him." Nyssa said once again. Alex shrugged her shoulders thinking it was probably the best idea while the rest ignored the assassin. While they stood around contemplating, the wall to the right, between them and the police in the parking lot shattered. Too surprised to move, they could only gawk at the monster that had walked in. Seven feet tall but hunched over and covered by a scaly armor of what appeared to be skin, the creature swung his long tail, seeping all of them back, Carter putting himself in front of Kara just in time to take the brunt of Canary flying back and striking both of them as they made their way to the ground.

"Owwww." was Zatanna's first word, followed by the rest of the team standing up slowly. Barry for a moment feared this was Doomsday and nearly grab be Kara to run her away. A second thought told him this was not that monster. This creature appeared intelligent, peering at the team on the floor. Kara thought for a moment he might speak but instead he grabbed Pendergast and threw him out onto the street, then followed, moving incredibly fast for a creature of that size. Gunfire opened up outside. The group ran to the newly formed hole in the wall and saw a war in the streets, one the police were outgunned, judging by the creature.

"Who the hell are they?" Oliver asked no one in particular. Outside on the street, were the monster and four other individuals.

A blonde, short girl of perhaps 18, wearing what appeared to be a yellow and dark blue suit that resembled something Cisco would make, stood in the middle, the pavement raising as her hands commanded and formed a barrier between the police and her friends. Once the barrier was large enough to block off the entire street, the other three moved from behind her. A female with bright red hair stood up, her size shocking everyone. Wearing a type of green armor over her shoulders and chest, the material of the yellow and green bodysuit underneath highlighted that she was very, very strong, 6 feet tall, and an athletic build nearly resembling a female body builder. The monster stood in front of her, over Decay's unconscious body.

In front of them all, the monsters's rock like tail struck Decay's chest, piercing him through. The young blonde faced them as well as another teenage female, thin, wearing a blue body suit and appearing to be of Asian decent as was the larger man in a similar yellow suit, taller and bulkier.

The red headed woman slipped on gloves and reached inside Pendergast's leather coat, bringing a small stack of files out, perhaps three or four thin folders.

"The fool was supposed to break into his own office and leave the city by train to meet us. He could not do that, without causing mass murders." she told the Justice League in a conversational tone, not seeming worried at all.

"Who are you?" Barry asked.

"Caitlin Fairchild. We will be leaving. I apologize for this unfortunate event. We have taken care of him and there is no need for us to fight. We are not your enemies nor are you our concern."

Barry did not agree with this. "Yeah, we just worked hard to capture this guy alive and your pet monster killed him, plus blondie is seriously damaging city property. I'm afraid we might be your enemies and right now you are our concern."

"Sara, light em up." Kara whispered. The woman in black stepped forward and unleashed a canary cry, dropping the three teens and Fairchild but not the monster who ran towards the group.

"Everybody who can fire, fire already!" Kara yelled, pushing Barry aside and sending her heat vision towards the creature while Firestorm and Atom also fired. The combined energy was slowing down the creature who was approaching them at a slow walk instead of a charge but nothing could break through and the four were in a standoff.

"I'm going to have to phase through him." Barry told the group, voice vibrating. Before he was able to move a clap of thunder was heard, almost on top of them, knocking all to the ground. The young Asian man had stepped up, harnessing some sort of sonic ability that knocked more of the wall over along with the heroes. Barry stood up and rushed. The women in blue sent lightning in his direction. Though surprised, he recognized it instantly, jumping to the side and grabbing the lightning bolt, sending it back towards the young man who had just caused the sonic thunder blast. He flew back into a shop across the street, the female's eyes widening in horror, running towards the fallen man. Barry faced the monster once more, who was still being pounded by the combined energy of Kara, Jax and Ray, while Oliver, Speedy and Nyssa sent arrow after arrow towards the large woman in the middle. Alex fired into her armored chest, hoping to knock her down.

Before Barry could get far, the ground beneath him turned to sand, and he began sinking. Unable to grip anything to provide friction with his hands or feet, he found himself lifted out of the sand by Carter who had flown into the fray, dropping him on solid ground and striking the tiny blonde in the face, dazing her, followed by a kick to her chest to send her to the ground.

Fairchild had three arrows in her left shoulder and one in her abdomen. Two of Oliver's bola arrows had her arms pinned to her sides. Alex continued firing rounds into her chest, but the bullets deflected. Adjusting her aim for the woman's head, Fairchild broke the wires and quickly pulled out the three arrows, and the one in her abdomen, seeming none the worse for wear. Instead she actually appeared to grow a few inches and her muscles became thicker, more prominent. Running back to the other side of the street, she lifted a minivan.

"Incoming!" Kendra yelled, prepared to grab Kara and run. Kara was locked on, trying to melt the monster with heat along with Jax, while Ray hoped to break the thing into pieces.

"Nav,nrut ot stud!" Zatanna shouted, a massive sand storm landing on the heroes instead of a van. The monster began to move forward again slowly, only twenty feet away.

"Kara your power levels are dropping." Caitlin told her calmly through the com, feeling anything but calm.

"Kara, tell your kid to chill! I can't burn this thing on my own, bastard is crazy tough." Jax told her.

"Carter, Kendra, can you contain the … look out!" Superwoman shouted, as another bolt of lightning was sent careening towards them. Carter moved towards the blue clad girl, once he had decided blondie was out, only to be shocked by the bolt meant for Jax, Kara and Ray. While Oliver fired a tranq arrow at the woman who controlled electricity, Barry had reached into the monster's body from behind, coming to the conclusion that like Doomsday, the only way to stop him was to kill him. Despite the vibrational intensity of his body, he was surprised when he felt strong hands lifting him and throwing him into the air. He hit the ground hard as Fairchild checked on her teammate and unknown to the League, one of her best friends. Seeing Barry thrown to the ground sent Kara over the edge, firing her heat vision at an intensity she hadn't matched before, only to burn out seconds later and drop her to the ground.

Kendra and Sara moved towards the woman in blue, splitting up and figuring she would have to take one either above or below while the other could take her down. Alex, Nyssa and Speedy ran towards the tiny blonde who was regaining awareness, until the ground opened up before them. Speedy nearly fell into a sudden pool of molten lava until a wire wrapped around her waist and she was jerked back by her brother. The lightning girl had fried Oliver's tranq arrow as soon as it hit her, rendering it useless. These metas were not untrained. They knew how to handle their abilities easily.

"Enough!" Fairchild screamed. Barry and the one called Thunder were regaining their bearings and the rest of the team with the exception of Ray and Jax stopped to determine the best way to approach this. Kara stumbled outside.

"You aren't getting away. You killed this man and we want to know why. We haven't been playing for blood but if this continues you guys are going to get killed. We are trying to be nice, but our patience is wearing thin." Kara told her, not sure if this was true but wanting to buy time. seeing Barry's vibrations pick up, knowing he was healing himself.

"Oliver, put an arrow into Thunder Boy's chest. Alex, Nyssa, take out the blonde girl who likes to play with lava. Head shots, put her down." Kara instructed. "No more games." Alex and Nyssa both fired, bullets and multiple arrows flying through the air quickly only to be blocked by a column of rock shooting from the ground in front of the teen.

Ray's power source overheated and Jax could not hold the creature back any longer so both dove to the side, Zatanna following, thinking she would definitely need better shoes than stilettos, if this was to become the norm. Carter landed in front of Fairchild, striking her multiple times with fists, before she spun and tossed him to the ground. He raised his mace, which the woman grabbed before he could swing, twisted and sent him back to the ground, his arm snapped.

Barry shook his head and hit the young man beside him, then moved towards the lightning girl who was close to striking Sara. Kendra shoved her sword into the monsters eye, the only vunerable part of his body, when he closed, causing an inhuman shriek and hasty retreat.

"Leash, bring us back!" Fairchild yelled. All the enemy metas including the monster had shimmering tendrils seemingly out of nowhere hover above them.

"Alex, shoot her in the head already!" Kara shouted. Alex spun from the spot she had been aiming at the blonde towards Fairchild but it was too late. In a blast of shimmering light, all the combatants were gone, leaving the Justice League standing on the street, alone. Police who had worked their way into the stores surrounding the battle, finally emerged, not having wanted to get involved in a super powered meta gang fight.

"Alex, are they invisible or gone? Use infrared." Barry suggested. Valkyrie checked the area with infrared, not seeing any heat signatures that did not belong to those already on the scene.

"Gone." she grumbled.

"Can somebody please explain what the hell just happened?!" an officer in plain clothes shouted, walking onto the scene.

"Yeah, its like this…"

"Jax! I got this." Barry told the man, fearing what he might say. "Captain… Lange?" The Flash started looking at the cop's badge, pinned to his belt. "We don't know what the hell just happened."

"I could have done better than that." Jax mumbled.

"The man with the large hole in his chest is Daniel Pendergast, the man who killed Gayle Marsh and the security guards tonight."

"He looks like he has been dead a whole lot longer than tonight."

"He's a meta." Barry explained. The Captain nodded. In this day and age that was all that needed to be said. "He stole some files from his office tonight. I am not sure what the files contained since the really big female bodybuilder took them but…as much as I hate to say this, anything involved with that Center is probably a Fed issue, most likely involving Homeland Security. I wouldn't be surprised if they descended soon and took over the whole investigation."

'I'll be damned! Look at this street! Look at the Train Station. Thousands of witnesses saw this meta gang fight on the other side. They may have have been too scared to get close but you can bet they are filming on their phones. This is going viral. The feds won't be able to cover this up."

"Did any civilians get hurt, sir?" Kara asked.

"Civilians? What the hell are you?"

"Part of the team that just kept your officers from getting killed. Were any civilians hurt?" the woman repeated.

"No." the man admitted, defeated a bit, weary. "West has been explaining what has been going on. We tried to move around the asphalt wall through the stores to help but there were lava pits and sand traps and monsters, thunder, lightning, fire, lasers and a really sharp scream… are you guys okay?'

Kara and Barry turned to take in their team. Carter had an obviously broken arm but he didn't scream when Oliver set the bone and Kendra held him protectively. Alex, was tired, taking deep breaths as if she had just ran a marathon. Nyssa looked a bit annoyed but was unharmed. Speedy was holding her sides, where Oliver had shot her with a grappling arrow and pulled her back. Sara was bleeding from her forehead due to debris striking her. Ray and Jax looked good, even if both appeared exhausted and Barry was pretty certain Kara was completely powerless right now, having burnt out against the monster. He was still sore from being tossed off the monster, and coming to realize he was about to kill the thing, who he still didn't quite believe was a thing. Evil? Yeah, but his eyes were aware. That thing had been human once, like Pendergast. Zatanna was limping causing Kara and Barry both to worry until the cause was reveled to be a broken heel.

"Not a word." the sorceress whispered towards Kara, who had raised her eyebrow after checking out Zatanna's poor choice in foot wear.

"dnuorg nrut ot remrof etats."

Before the disbelieving eyes of the officers, the barrier of asphalt shifted down, the street perfect while the lava and sand pit disappeared, tuning back into asphalt.

"I think we are good, a few injuries, nothing life threatening, but we really need to get our team checked out." Barry told the man, grateful that he wasn't pressing the issue and seemed to be relieved they were here.

'You want a hospital?"

"We have one. We just need to leave and not be followed, so if you could be kind enough to give us some room and a little cover, we would appreciate it. Most of us are flying out but some have bikes."

"Yeah, we can do that. How in the hell am I going to do the paperwork on this?" he mumbled, looking around.

"I know a guy in Central City who does great reports… I mean I heard of a guy." Alex suggested, earning a glare from Barry. "We need to get Superwoman out of here. Why don't you come with me Superwoman?" Alex ordered in the form of a request.

"I don't think there is room on the back of Canary's bike for the two of us." Kara told her, trying to remain serious but the idea of Alex on the back of…

"We can take the car." she told her sternly, and Kara knew her eyes were not amused behind that visor.

Kara grabbed Charlie from Joe as she and Alex followed Nyssa behind the station while Barry checked in with everyone. Ray was fairly certain he still had flight power left but doubted he could shrink and his devices that concentrate compressed light blasts were fried. Carter was good to fly and Kendra grabbed Zatanna, flying close to both Carter and Ray, Firestorm in the rear. Sara, Oliver and Thea moved to their bikes, Thea considering changing out of her uniform before even hitting the road, and back into her civies. The heat from the lava had been intense and her leather was still uncomfortably warm. For the first time, she was grateful her brother had shot her.

Once everyone was gone, Barry walked up to Joe and gave him a rundown of the enemies they faced. A team of high powered metas, super strength, sound waves and electricity, the ability to control and change physical substances and a rock monster with a very sharp tail. Though Barry didn't bring it up to Joe, he also wondered who this Leash was and how the red head Fairchild could say his name and they all disappear. It seemed as if some energy tether had appeared and pulled them all away in an instant. Teleportation. Barry wasn't as fast as teleportation… yet. Even if he was, he would need to know where they could have gone. His only encounter with a teleporter had been difficult, and Shawna Baez could only jump to where she could see. Whoever had done this was very powerful and this concerned him the most. Could this Leash send this team anywhere? Could he send them into the middle of S.T.A.R. bypassing all security measures?

The Captain having calmed down by this point gave the Flash a heartfelt thanks and suggested he go look after his girlfriend. Even those not in the windows of shoppes lining the street could see the glow of three individuals trying to burn up one monster and merely slowing it down.

In the back of a Mercedes, Alex tried to check her sister over, while avoiding Charlie who wouldn't stop licking Kara's face.

"Down boy! Down!" Alex tried to order.

"If that dog defecates in my car, I am driving the Porsche and you can drive this one. Or burn it." Nyssa told her. "Kara, how are you?"

"Great." Kara told her sleepily. Alex pinched her arm.

"Owww! Why did you… oh wow. Burned out completely, didn't I? I wish I could have just grabbed that thing and made a crater in the ground with him. I'm going to get Evil Linda to shoot me up again so I can have the baby sooner. I really need to get back into the game." Kara mumbled, once again sounding sleepy.

"No, you really need to chill. You should have stayed in Central City. You could have told us what to do from there, since you decided to become commander."

"Nobody else was organizing you guys. Charlie sit."

Like magic, the puppy curled up in her lap. Kara began petting him and her eyes closed.

"Hey! Stay awake!"

"Why? I just fought Doomsday Jr. I'm kinda of tired." she groaned.

"Because I want you awake when Cait checks you out. We can put you under some solar lamps and you can sleep then."

Kara was going to ask her if she had any idea how hard it was to sleep with a set of bright lights shining over her, but a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed began blaring its horn behind Nyssa. The woman recognized the Volvo and pulled over. Barry opened the back seat and pulled Kara out.

"Drive our car to S.T.A.R. I can get her there in thirty seconds." Barry left, leaving a dazed and confused Charlie barking at the car window, trying to get to his blonde mother. Alex stepped out of the back.

"Alex? Where do you think you are going?"

"To drive their car to the lab."

"Not without that mutt. Take it." Alex rolled her eyes but grabbed a squirming Charlie who still wanted to race down the road after Kara. Bypassing the safety seat, Alex tossed him into the back and drove.

When Barry entered S.T.A.R. Kara had curled up into him, snoring. Caitlin already had the solar lamps set up. Jeremiah and Eliza were also ready for whatever might happen.

"Hospital gown Barry. I need a scan of the baby." Snow ordered. In a blur, Kara had been changed without even waking. Hank ran in, followed by Henry. The two had followed Jeremiah and Eliza as soon as Cisco had called them.

"Cisco how much video do we have of the group who did this?" Barry asked, his eyes never leaving Kara's sleeping form. She didn't appear to be injured, just very tired.

"We have pretty much the whole battle from Train Station cams and street cams, plus what is already being posted on Youtube and Instagram. Felicity is compiling it now, running facial recognition, you know the drill."

"Carter has a broken arm and just about everybody is injured in someway. Call Curtis and ask if he can come in to help Ray fix his suit. He needs to be operational as soon as possible, in case they decide to visit us here." Cisco nodded and hurried off, just in time to miss Jeremiah step inches in front of Barry, who looked over the man's shoulder at Kara.

"You want to tell me why the hell she was out there?"

"She was going to stay near the crime scene with Joe and Alex. She had an idea to use her vision to find the man and it worked. Once the fight began, it was too late to pull her out."

"You are the fastest man in the universe or something. How does too late even enter your vocabulary?"

Barry felt his temper rising.

"I need to check on her and our child."

Jeremiah placed a hand on Barry's shoulder. "This isn't over."

Barry grabbed his hand and flung it off his shoulder. "Yes it is. Your concerns are not my problem. My concern is her and the baby. What she was doing, why she was there, that is between me and her. We didn't expect that much resistance. It won't happen again. Now back off."

"So this is what you call protecting her?"

"Shut the hell up!" Barry screamed, causing everyone to jump, and waking Kara. "We fought a monster tonight that reminded me a lot of Doomsday, only it wasn't some science experiment. I'm pretty sure it was a metahuman. We fought a group none of us had ever seen before, organized with a lot of powers and disappeared without a trace in less than a second. They could reappear here I am betting. I have a lot on my mind, mainly her and I don't need any crap from you. If you can't help then get out!"

"Barry, calm down." Caitlin whispered, touching her friend's back, hoping to soothe him. Barry looked over at Kara whose eyes were wide.

"You are right Jeremiah. This isn't over for either of us. But right now isn't the time."

Barry saw Eliza placing an IV in Kara's arm, just under her elbow while Kara shut her eyes and looked the other direction. She hated needles.

"What's going on?" he asked Eliza quietly.

"Caitlin said she is slightly dehydrated so we are giving her some fluids. All done Kara, no more needles."

The blonde looked at Barry, realizing for the first time tonight just how tired she was.

"Sorry?"

"Not your fault. You probably saved everyone's life tonight. You, Jax and Ray kept that monster busy. You couldn't have gone anywhere else. I should have killed it but, she grabbed me… I wasn't thinking. This is my fault."

"Its nobody's fault. We won." she told him, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Did we? Because it didn't seem like a win, it seemed like we survived. If they hadn't disappeared when they did somebody or a lot of somebodies were going to die and I planned to make sure it wasn't any of us."

"You would have done what you had to do. We all would."

"It shouldn't have come down to that." Barry whispered.

"Got her." Caitlin told the two. "There is little Kid Flash, kicking along, not a care in the world. The heartbeat sounds good, everything looks good. We are going to keep you under solar lamps for the night and keep giving you fluids through the IV but I think you should be fine by morning. I have no idea when your powers will return, but considering how many times they gave out on you tonight, I would start getting very used to living without them, even part time."

Kara gave her a watery smile, holding Barry's hand and staring at the ultrasound like they always did.

"Its a good thing we are getting married in ten days. The rate she is growing I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to fit in my dress."

"Yeah, she is coming along perfectly. You are doing great. Are you still sleepy? Want me to grab your pillow from your room?"

Kara nodded her head, took a last look at the ultrasound image and fell asleep. Charlie began barking and hopping so Alex lifted the mutt up and put him on Kara, where he promptly lay his head on her chest and began dozing as well. Alex turned down the intensity of the lights, being certain that her sister was okay and not wanting to fry her mutt. Kara did not need to wake up with fried puppy on her chest.

The next morning, the Justice League, bandaged and rested, met at S.T.A.R. along with the support team. Ray was present but in a hurry to get back to his workshop where Curtis was working frantically to get his compressed light emitters working.

Kara appeared relaxed, sitting at the table in her pajamas, and feeding Charlie a breakfast taco, Barry had retrieved while she took care of the dozen crullers in front of her. Everyone was looking to her and Barry and since Kara did not seem inclined to speak, Barry started.

"So let's talk about last night. We found our…:"

"We got our asses kicked." Jax told him, followed by a slap to the back of his head by Dr. Stein.

"We didn't get our asses kicked. They had worked together before obviously and we were all over the place. I know I was. We had no idea what they could do and found out the hard way. I think we should start with what we found out yesterday. Zatanna's spell worked and the images of the murder came through. What Pendergast said about Marsh killing herself is not far from the truth, at least as far as giving him the method of death." Barry told the group.

"Based on the images we saw, when they both entered the bedroom Pendergast was yelling at Marsh. He grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her into her bedroom wall, then wrapped his hands around her throat. We don't know what was said and never will but it is obvious they were arguing about something. If I had to guess, probably Marsh's refusal to participate in his games any longer. While he was choking her, she relaxed and never took his eyes from his. Then the man stumbled back, grabbing the sides of his head, just like the man in the video."

"So she used her weapon, the one she killed her attacker with, on him." Harry guessed.

"Yep, only it worked differently this time. Instead of dropping dead, he dropped. The mirror didn't catch him on the floor but when he stood, he looked like…"

"A black Avocado?" Felicity tried.

"More of a grinning skull, that wasn't exactly grinning. Kinda like the guy who opened the gold box in Raiders of the Lost Ark." Alex tried.

"I know that movie! I mean it was like two decades before I was born but I have seen it. I got that reference!" Thea said happily then grimaced, remembering her sore ribs.

"Regardless of what he looked like, Pendergast grabbed her and threw her onto the bed. He turned and looked at the mirror and panicked. He touched the plant on the dresser and it died. He walked over to the window thinking he might use the fire escape and his fingers touched the flowers there, and they withered and died. He noticed, gave up on the window and ran out of the room. Marsh never rose again and we couldn't see much but it was obvious what happened as we found her the next day. So somehow instead of killing Pendergast she turned him into that thing." the Flash finished.

"And we found him. Cisco can you pull up video of the fight last night?" Kara requested.

The whole team, brains and muscle watched what happened. Jeremiah requested the tape freeze as the rock monster used his tail to swipe the heroes.

"He's like a Bearded Dragon." The man mumbled, fascinated. "That is armor plating but it is moving effortlessly from his back through the whipping motion. He didn't just swing the damn thing he controlled it, like a Bearded Dragon."

"A Bearded what?" Jax asked.

"A pet lizard." Ray explained. "they are sold by the thousands in pet stores, very docile creatures who are easily befriended by humans. The thing that makes them somewhat unique among the lizard species are they can use their tail as a muscle, support their entire body with it, sleep on it, pressed to the glass of the cage. Its tail is an actual appendage, just like a leg, only stronger."

"When we were blasting fusion energy, I could tell that he was organic, meaning we couldn't change the armor to something more brittle. Barry had you not been taken from behind would you have been able to phase through it?" Stein asked.

"Yes. I should have ended him sooner. Let's talk about the rest of them."

"Hold up. Zatanna, why couldn't you just turn him into a pet lizard?" Harry asked, smirking.

"Changing the form of organic matter is extremely difficult if not impossible for me. I did turn a minivan into a sand castle. What were you doing Wells? Stroking your microscope?"

"Back on point…" Barry interrupted before another argument broke out. "The tiny blonde, her control of the ground was perfect. She could move it, change its form, control the size, density, and move fast enough to make a barrier that could deflect bullets. The other two, look similar, could be twins, definitely siblings or in a relationship based on how she broke from the fight when I tossed her lightning bolt into the man."

"Yeah that concussive blast sounded like a big clap of…" Ray started.

"Thunder! Thunder and Lightning! Done deal." Cisco claimed.

Normally amused by his excitement, Kara was not this morning. "Stop worrying about naming these people and concentrate on figuring out how to control your powers. We needed everybody and who knows if they have more friends. Whoever or whatever this Leash is, tells me there are some we haven't met yet. They came to pick up files from Pendergast. If he had connections to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. they do as well. I doubt they sent an entire team to take care of him. This leader said they didn't want a fight. It was business, killing him and taking whatever was there. Cisco your blasts crushed bullets. You are probably the only one of us who can take this monster out in one shot without having to rely on a sword or arrow to hit him in the eye. Figure it out."

The entire room quieted. Kara looked around and dropped her head. "Sorry Cisco, I just don't have it in me to act stupid today, alright?"

Cisco grinned a bit at her, knowing she was exhausted and gave her a wink, knowing she was right.

"You did a great job leading last night, Kara." Oliver told her. "Don't apologize. I think we are all feeling a bit defeated this morning but next time we will be prepared.

"Speaking of, Zatanna could you heal my arm later if you are up to it?" Carter asked, his snapped bone held together by only a cast, since he refused pins.

"Yes, give me until this afternoon to feel fully capable. Unless you have a faster way of curing a broken bone Dr. Wells?"

Harry shot the finger at the sorceress, causing her to laugh a bit before she could stop herself.

"So what about Katy Fairchild? The red head with the huge…"

"Jackson!"

"I was gonna say huge muscles, Grey."

"Oh, my apologies."

"But since you mention it she does have huge…"

"Moving on. Caitlin Fairchild. Caitlin you share a name, what do you think?" Barry asked, handing over the discussion to Dr. Snow.

"Just from what I have seen, she can control her density and muscle mass. Who knows how large or small she can make herself but despite being shot with arrows she pulled them out and seemed to heal and grow. My guess is she expanded her muscles to repair the damaged tissue. Judging by the minivan she tossed, she has superhuman strength even her muscle size can't explain. When you tried to phase a hand into the rock monster she grabbed you. Vibrating that fast, she should have been thrown back the minute she got near you."

Barry guessed as much, never being touched by anyone besides Thawne or Zoom in that state. It surprised the hell out of him.

"We should have just killed them all." Nyssa told the group.

"Yeah, because that would have done a lot to engender the public's trust in us." Barry countered.

"Kara was the one at the end of the battle to order Alex to shoot the woman in the head. Perhaps our leaders should determine at what point the rules of engagement change? Were you planning on tickling the monster when you reached inside him, Barry? You said he is a metahuman, not some abomination made in a lab. This needs to be decided quickly and understood by all. I am doing the best I can to be somewhat of a team player but my weapons are designed to kill, not incapacitate."

"She got a point man." Cisco said, to break the silence that followed. "What exactly were we going to do if we did stop them last night? We didn't have enough BOOTs and something tells me it wouldn't have worked on that monster. I'm not even sure if it would work on an electrically charged meta. You don't have trouble vibrating out of it. So we keep beating them until we get them pushed into a meta cell and hope it holds?"

"We can't become a hit squad. I've been there and done that and want no part anymore. If I have to kill to protect, I have done it before and will do it again but we have to try and find a better way." Sara suggested, echoing most of their thoughts. Kara and Alex were torn the most, because Alex agreed with Nyssa but saw Barry and Joe's point of view and Nyssa reminded Kara that she had, in the heat of the moment, powerless, screamed at her sister to shoot the woman in the head before she got away. She had also hoped the Barry could have killed the monster when he was on top of it.

"The first thing we need to work on before we worry about what to do with the enemy after a fight is winning a fight." Barry told the team. "Every Wednesday night, at the police bomb disposal range, we meet, split into teams and battle each other. We were all over the place last night, in each other's way, not making the most of our talents. Kara did a good job organizing us and finding Pendergast but once the battle started, she was locked in battle and couldn't even see what was going on until her power burned out. I was running around, trying to decide what target to go after next and not being successful at any of them. We had our best physical fighters running towards a lightning storm and a lava flow. We have to get better, working together. Anyone disagree?"

No one said a word.

"Okay then. Lyla is coming by later to get the info Cisco has on Prometheus's helmet and tell us what they found at the Center. A.R.G.U.S. took it over right after our little gang war and I want to know what she found. We are going to tell her what we know because at this moment, I have no idea who these people are, where they came from, where they went or what the hell N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is. Thanksgiving is in two days and a wedding nine days from then. We are all eating at Ray's big town home he never uses, so if you can make it, please come. Martin I hope you and your wife will be there."

"We wouldn't miss it."

"Felicity?"

"Yeah Barry?"

"Your Mom and Captain Lance?"

"I will ask, thanks."

The meeting broke up, everyone leaving except Oliver who pulled Cisco aside and asked to go over the report he planned to give Lyla. J'onn noticed Jeremiah waiting for Barry and thought to intervene but decided against it. This wasn't his universe or his team. This team belonged to the ones who fought last night. He wished he had been there but perhaps it was best he hadn't been. The Justice League would work better on their own, just as his did.

Barry kissed Kara who left with Kendra to change at home, under the agreement that Kendra drove and kept Charlie in his seat so he wouldn't lick her.

Before he could leave, Jeremiah was in front of the Flash. Eliza and Alex looked at each other and walked out, not wanting to interfere in what was sure to be an argument that couldn't be avoided. Once the two were alone, Barry started.

"So what do you want Jeremiah? Say whatever you have to and get out of my way. I am really not in the mood."

"Yeah I'm not either. Why don't I add a few more things to that list I…"

"You can take that list and the zip drive it is on and stick it up your…"

"Excuse me? Do you know what I have given up for those girls lives?"

"Yeah and Kara wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for me! I love her, but I got news for you Dad. We are going to fight. I am going to yell at her and she is going to yell at me, just like she did two days ago. Its the way relationships work. She isn't fragile. I didn't want her to be there last night and if I had known what was going to happen she wouldn't have been, but she was and we dealt with it. She was a hero out there."

"She could have been killed."

"We can all be killed. Alex, Nyssa, Oliver, Ray, even Firestorm. I saw on half of the original Firestorm die. If you can't accept that, come to work, lock yourself in a lab and hide your head in the sand. I would die for her and that child but this is life. We put some symbol on our chest that is supposed to mean something and all it really means is we are willing to die to protect others, the same as badges on cops and firefighters. This is our life."

"Maybe you should consider letting Oliver Queen take over? You didn't seem like you had a clue last night…"

Barry snapped, moving towards the wall and punching it, knocking down plaster and cracking concrete. Moving to a tray full of surgical equipment, he tossed it into the opposite wall.

"Go to hell Jeremiah! Get out! I have a ton of responsibility weighing me down and I don't need you on top of it! Get out!"

Jeremiah smiled, stepping back while Barry tried to slow down his breathing.

"What the hell are you smiling about?" he asked.

"You feel better?"

"What?"

"Do you feel better? I kept a decade worth of anger in me and it has festered, eaten me up from the inside, changed me from who I used to be to who I am now. I miss who I used to be but I've lost it. Kara can vaporize something if she gets mad. Nyssa and Alex, Oliver, Thea, Sara, they can beat each other until they are too exhausted to move. I understand Kendra and Carter spar quite a bit. Ray works out, almost as hard as Oliver Queen surprisingly. I had no idea until I caught him in the training room at 5 AM one morning. Jax is quite a boxer from what Martin tells me. What do you do Barry?"

"I… I run."

"No you run to get better. You train to hit harder because you want to protect Kara but what do you do when you are angry? Because I have been trying to piss you off for over a month now and you are keeping it inside so tightly its going to turn into a time bomb. What do you do?"

"I… I don't know."

"Thats fine. Figure it out. Scream, throw things, hit the wall. Do whatever you have to do but… when I first met you, or at least when I came here and got to know you, you were and are the nicest guy I have ever met. Joe says you keep it locked up inside but you can't Barry. You can't or it will turn you into me. It eats at your soul. You need to keep yours. So figure out how to let it go. If you need to, yell at me. I can yell back. We can throw things together but you have to let it go. So tell me, do you feel better now?"

"Yeah a little I guess." Barry took a seat. "I screwed up last night. Do you know what I did the other day, coming back from South America?"

"I may have heard Cisco and Wells talking about unreal speed and controlling this Speedforce finally."

"Yeah a lot of good it did me. I had a million thoughts running through my head last night, a million things I could have done to stop all of them before they could blink and I didn't do any. I should have hit that creature so hard, he would have broken in two. Instead I was tossed off because I didn't watch my back and decided to phase inside him because I couldn't decide if I wanted to kill him or not. Kara, Jax and Ray can barely keep this thing from charging and I am running around, getting caught in quick sand, trying to keep track of everyone and failing, this is supposed to be my team with Kara out of action and she was leading, then we get to a battle and I can't do anything and concentrate on fighting. I couldn't build up the speed I needed in the enclosed space, I couldn't concentrate on vibrating fast enough to destroy that thing or the red head for that matter. I should have done more. I should have been ready for whatever."

"You should have been perfect huh?"

"Yeah."

"You really think that is possible? I know you can control a lot of thoughts at once but with the mother of your child locked in battle with a monster that reminded you of Doomsday, your friends, not soldiers but friends, fighting, each trying to do their own thing and none really succeeding, you think you can turn into an impartial machine, making life or death decisions while relying on others to fight? You can't be both Barry. If you keep pressuring yourself you are going to blow up. Maybe its at a teammate, maybe its at Kara one day or for quite a few days. Do you know how many times Eliza asks me if I'm okay in a day? Over twenty at least and every time I say I'm fine and every time I want to ask her why in the hell she thinks I would ever be okay? I have to fight that, because no matter how much I love her, my anger is always looking to break free and the ones around me the most are the ones I can't afford to show it to."

"I won't take it out on Kara."

"No, you will take it out on yourself and thats worse because she will know. She is perceptive and smart and she watches you like you watch her. She is just more subtle about it."

Barry took a deep breath and the tension left his body. He felt very, very tired.

"Yeah I guess. Any suggestions?"

"Yell. Yell at me, at Henry, at Joe and do it away from everyone else. Get it out. The three of us can take it. Henry and I might yell at you back. Okay I might, Henry probably won't. But you gotta let it out. You also have to decide what your role in battles is going to be."

"Role?"

"You can lead, Kara can lead, you two can set the tone for this team, but when it comes down to it, to a fight like last night, you are the strongest weapon. You can't control a fight and be cool and logical about it if you are actively trying to overpower your enemies. Think about it. You are one of the smartest guys I have ever met and that is saying something around this crowd. You will figure it out. If you need to yell some more later, find me."

Jeremiah patted him on the shoulder and left, leaving an exhausted Barry slouched in the chair trying to control his thoughts.

Barry picked up his phone and called Nyssa.

"What is wrong?"

"Nothing Nyssa. I need to talk to you. Where are you?"

"At Kara and Caitlin's. Kara has developed a cold rather quickly and since she doesn't have the option of using sunlight to cure this right now she will have to let it take its course. The two doctors, her mother and best friend, are in a state of panic, planning on dumping a pharmacy into her, I am trying to convince them to use herbal cures that have worked for centuries and Kara is acting like she had never seen snot before while the mutt keeps barking. If you have something better for me to do, I am available."

"I'll be there shortly."

A minute later, Barry walked in without knocking, moving straight to Kara's room. She was back in her pajamas, Eliza had a wet rag over her forehead and Caitlin was doing some type of research on her laptop and Kara kept a Kleenex pressed to her very red nose.

"Barry, I don't want Charlie getting sick. Can you take him to Oliver's? He doesn't have a job so he should be good for babysitting. He needs a career and dog sitting could be a good start."

"Dogs can't catch colds from humans, baby. I'll be right back to take care of you. I need to have a word with Nyssa first."

Barry caught her eye and walked out, Nyssa following.

"What can I do for you Barry?" she asked, both sitting in the living room.

"I can keep a million thoughts in my head and focus on a couple thousand at once if I really try, but I can't do it in a battle. I need to be able to think fluidly."

"I can teach you meditation techniques that will help. You are right, having thousands of thoughts at once will do you no good if you can't choose one. It happened last night, correct?"

"Yeah, but that's not all. Kara and I, we can lead, we can plan, organize, set the tone, do the public relations that will have to be done, to keep everyone of the local police departments happy. We can decide if and when to deal with A.R.G.U.S. but when a fight breaks out like last night, we need to be weapons. I can't do what I do best and worry about everyone else. I need a field general."

"So ask your friend Oliver. I am sure he would jump at the opportunity. As much as he claims to like working alone or with his sister, he does enjoy organizing a war."

"You are the only one on our team who has experience leading an army, a League. You led your League against Slade Wilson's men, you led a revolt against Malcolm Merlyn and I am betting you have led your League in quite a few battles that have never seen the light of day, correct? A few grudge matches between your father and his old friend Damian Darhk and HIVE?"

"Yes…"

"I need you to be the field leader. When a fight breaks out, I need you to take over. You can fight but you can also watch and direct. You know our strengths, you know our weaknesses and you know when the time comes that we have no other option than killing. You can determine the enemies strengths and weaknesses faster than any of us. You have a mind for battle that none of us who have worked alone in the past have. Will you do it?"

Nyssa thought for a moment, her face unreadable as usual.

"What makes you think I won't just order you all to kill our enemies right away?" she finally asked.

Barry had thought about this.

"Because if you were that type of person, Alex wouldn't love you, Kara wouldn't see you as a sister, Eliza and Jeremiah wouldn't see you as a daughter and I wouldn't see you as family. You don't take death lightly, Nyssa. Thats why I can trust you. If you order us to kill, we will do it because we will know there will be no other option. So what about it? Are you going to be our General?"

"I never wanted this. I wanted a peaceful life when I disbanded the League. I met Alex and knew that wasn't in the cards though. We are warriors, written in the stars before we were born, pawns of fate. Yes, you give me your team and I will make them an army."


	43. Chapter 43

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N okay we have a little information gathering, some intel on our baddies for the next part of the story that will contain a time jump and some holiday stuff. Pregnant Kara will be looked in on but we can't go month by month. For those wondering I am taking some liberties with Gen 13 backstory adding a few Arrow elements to it, kinda like I am doing with Prometheus. The Ravagers and NOWHERE, they have some seriously scary individuals but Caitlin Fairchild has always been a favorite of mine. The wedding is next chapter. Thank you for all the support, reviews and favorites and follows. They make my day when I see them.

Chapter 43

 ** _The Colony_**

Caitlin Fairchild stood in front of the hooded figure with a stoic face. She had learned to hide her revulsion for this man long ago. She had only been here for three years but it felt like she had been here her whole life. Caitlin had resumed her normal figure, the one she had before her metahuman gene had been activated five years before. Five foot six inches, athletic but thin body, not weighing more than 120 pounds. She could be much, much larger and much stronger but this intimidated the so called shaper of the future. Why he would be intimidated by her, she could never understood. He was always in the company of Warblade and Rose Wilson, Lillith Clay not far behind. Despite Harvest's grotesques appearance, Warblade or Rose could kill him easily. Rose was deadly, as deadly as her bastard father who was rotting away in some A.R.G.U.S. prison, and the only non metahuman allowed in the inner circle, strange considering Harvest himself was not a metahuman.

Harvest was a strange man, his appearance frightening, his voice polite but raspy, annoying as nails on a chalk board. He showed no eyes nor nose that Caitlin had seen, hiding behind a mask of red, only his mouth showing. Though he sported wings on his back, she had seen him glide occasionally but not often. The wings were of a light weight alloy he had created. He may not have been metahuman, but he was a genius, if somewhat of a mad scientist when it came to experimentation.

"So Daniel Pendergast, not only loses the best lead we have had for a psychic since Lillith, a woman who could kill with her mind no less, but in the process becomes death itself personified. The idiot could have been a god. The Culling would have been a simple exercise. He is tasked with getting the information on four metahumans for the Culling and cannot do this without attracting the attention of not one so called superhero but multiple, in Keystone City no less. You did well retrieving the files, Caitlin. Your Ravagers should be proud."

"Thank you sir."

"Why may I ask, did you have Ridge kill him?"

Caitlin's heart beat picked up and she controlled her thoughts. She knew without a doubt that Lillith was listening, she could feel the little brat crawling around in her head. Thankfully reading thoughts was not her specialty, so she was not as good at is as she led Harvest to believe.

"He was unstable sir. He left a trail of bodies, and was being searched for. If I left him alive, he could have potentially given away valuable information. Had we brought him here, without control, he may have attacked all of us and had to be put down regardless. I thought it best, considering the force we were not expecting, to obtain the files and be done with him. Also had we taken him, the authorities would search more intently."

"Sound reasoning. Do you see Warblade ,what it is to be a leader who thinks, instead of one who blindly kills?"

"Yes sir." the meta who was known as Warblade since he first met Harvest, answered. He did not mind the criticism. Caitlin could do all the thinking. He wanted to kill, he was made to kill and he was very good at it.

"I am concerned that all these so called heroes descended on him together. I would not have been surprised to see the Flash and his lover arrive, or perhaps Firestorm even. Maybe one of the new crop of vigilantes that seems to spring up every few months, inspired no doubt by the Green Arrow. They do not appear to be very organized but they were in one place, and we know from Detroit that they are working together as one unit."

"Yes sir. I am afraid if Ridge had not been as strong as he is, taking the attention of Superwoman, Firestorm and Atom, we very well could have lost that battle. Once the winged woman injured Ridge I felt it best to retreat rather than lose a fight."

"A wise decision. There was no need for more prolonged violence. We have built our army by working in the shadows. How is your dear friend Ridge?"

"His regeneration abilities are healing his eye but it is a slow process. The sword nearly embedded itself in his brain. He would not have survived."

"Ironic isn't it? The two individuals who could emit the most energy unable to stop him, but a winged woman with a sword brought the monster to his knees."

Caitlin gritted her teeth. She hated when he called Ridge a monster. Ridge was what Harvest made him, but he was still a man.

"Shall I gather a strike team to defeat them sir?" she asked, seeing Warblade licking his lips already. The more Caitlin thought about it the more she saw these foes as potential allies togain the freedom she wanted for herself and her friends. Although more subdued, she knew Rose would love the chance to battle Oliver and Thea Queen, though she had no relationship with her own bastard father, one she doubted knew about her. She simply wanted to succeed where he had failed.

"Absolutely not. We have a glorious mission, Caitlin. Our mission is to shape the future, to control the next generation of metahumans, form them to our liking. Starting a war with these individuals is unnecessary right now. They know nothing about us, Pendergast is dead and no one else in the facility knew enough to talk to the authorities, even if they weren't terrified of us. The Culling is what is important. I want sixteen for our next event. One survivor in sixteen to join the Ravagers and shape the future. When our army is complete, no force will stand in our way, not even Flash or this Superwoman."

"She is strong sir. The Flash… he was not performing at his best ability from our studies of him. I believe he was concerned about his companion, though I don't know why, as she showed a tremendous amount of power."

"Because though she has no weakness, she has been weak. She defeated Prometheus in the Atom's armor. She showed strength but allowed him to grab her by her throat. I need to know what these weaknesses are and one man knows more about her than anyone is Prometheus. He studied her. It is what he does, studying his enemies. I have no desire to harm her and call down the masses on us. That would be pointless, but if I could discover how she has these amazing abilities, think of the possibilities for strengthening our own metahumans."

Caitlin forced down a shudder. Harvest's experiments are what turned Ridge into the form he had to live with now.

"We have the manpower now, we are more than ready. I could kill them all myself. Why shouldn't we take them out? They could stand in our way later." Warblade told the man, unable to keep his mouth or murderous impulses at bay.

"Lillith?"

At Harvest's command, a small grin graced Omen's young face and Warblade fell to the ground, in pain. Although not able to kill with her mind, Omen could certainly cause an illusion of pain that was very real to its victim.

"Never underestimate your enemies. Know them. The future I am from, there are no tales of this Superwoman. She is an anomaly in the timeline. The Flash brought her here somehow and the entire timeline I have fought to reshape is in danger now but not irreparable. We are preparing for the future, not fighting a turf war like some pathetic street gang. Caitlin, you and Lillith will recover Prometheus and bring him here. It shouldn't be hard. He will be transferred to an A.R.G.U.S. facility in the Antarctic soon. Once he is there, bring him to me. My Lillith will control him."

"You wish for that madman to join us, sir?" Rose asked, speaking for the first time. She was not a fan of anyone who would attack a city so bluntly. The illegitimate daughter of Deathstroke had hoped for an opportunity to visit the prison her father was at, if nothing else to see his scarred face before she introduced herself and shoved a sword through his remaining eye.

"No, Prometheus is an idiot. He wants to beat heroes, kill those who fight for justice, take all the glory for himself. His goals are short sighted and childish. He is a genius however, nearly on par with my intellect. He has information, he has toys hidden around the world and he has information about Superwoman and the Flash. Once I have what I want, you may dispose of him. I understand he believes himself to be quite the fighter. Perhaps we should offer him a place in the next Culling."

"Yes sir." Caitlin agreed, not having much of a taste for the man herself. She had never met him but his methods were simple and crude for such a smart man. Destruction for the sake of destruction to feed his ego.

"Now, let us talk about this team of heroes. We go under the assumption that they will be working together. We are sure that Ra's Al Ghul is dead? The heroic Al Sahim killed him in Star City correct?"

"Yes sir." Rose answered. "His body was recovered and buried in a transient's grave since his daughter never claimed him."

"And Malcolm Merlyn?"

"I took care of it myself three weeks ago as you commanded. I kept his remaining hand if you are interested in a trophy. He actually cried before I killed him. It was quite fun."

"He shouldn't have been so curious about those he wished to ally himself who were above him. Anything to get power, that one. Then Nyssa Al Ghul is all that remains and she has aligned herself with these heroes. She is not to be touched. Attacking her is the same as attacking this team. We do not want the attention."

"I could make it seem as if it were an old grudge." Wilson suggested.

"Rose do not delude yourself. You did well killing Merlyn, however he was not a noble warrior but instead a snake. He ascended to the title of Demon by bartering with Al Sahim, who later defeated him and passed on the title to Nyssa. Merlyn was never the fighter Ra's was, nor Al Sahim nor Nyssa. He was schemer. Do not be fooled, you cannot win in a fight against her. Your father has failed many times against Oliver Queen. Both inspire loyalty the same as our Caitlin does. One call and Nyssa would have her disbanded league reassembled and ready for battle within 48 hours. Oliver Queen killed not only Ra's, but Damian Darhk, defeated your father, and has defeated Merlyn on multiple occasions. He could make a call to A.R.G.U.S. and have their power at his disposal along with Tatsu and most likely John Constantine. I have always liked your common sense Rose so do not stop using it now. We do not need a war against soldiers, assassins, and magicians working as one. Not until I feel our army is invincible. Let us talk about the next Culling. I have looked over these files Pendergast deemed promising. Any thoughts Caitlin? One of these men or women could be your next soldier."

"They are all acceptable, and I believe we should bring them in. However only one, in my opinion has a chance of surviving the Culling."

"Let me guess. I think I can read your mind as well as Lillith. Garfield Logan?"

"Yes sir."

"He is quite the find. Hidden away by his parents all these years because of his green skin. But the abilities are staggering. Before you and Lillith go to retrieve Prometheus, visit him. Lillith bring him back and Leash can begin his work. We have nine months till the next Culling and twelve more potential soldiers. No time to waste. The future waits for no one."

 ** _S.T.A.R. Labs_**

Oliver Queen, Barry Allen and Cisco Ramon sat with Lyla Diggle in a small conference room waiting for Cisco's presentation.

"Why isn't Kara here?" Oliver asked.

"She has 101 degree fever and is coughing constantly. On top of a running nose and morning sickness, she is not having a good day."

"Have her take off the bracelet."

"She isn't wearing it. She blew out her powers against that thing last night." Barry whispered, not liking to talk much about Kara around Lyla, or anyone outside of their close circle of friends.

"Thats not good. The illness could harm the baby. I know they wanted to build up her immune system but at what cost?" Oliver asked, forgetting he wasn't a doctor.

"Lyla and Eliza are handling it. I should be there so if we can get on with this?" Barry whispered back. "Cisco what do you have?"

Cisco grabbed the helmet that sat in the middle of the table.

"This baby is like nothing I have ever seen before. Real Neo stuff here."

"Neo?"

"C'mon Oliver. Matrix? You can't blame the island for this one. It came out way before you were stranded. Its a Sci Fi classic. Changed the way movies were made forever."

"I stayed intoxicated quite a bit in my younger you explain as if we aren't Sci Fi nerds?"

"Prometheus had ports that led into his brain. He somehow hardwired his own brain to interact with this computer and that is what the helmet is. A supercomputer. It could download directly into his nervous system. I've managed to unlock all the data finally. He knew how to fight you and Nyssa because he had video of fights the two of you had been in. He had video of your fight on the bridge with Ross…"

"Ra's." Oliver corrected.

"Seriously, he shoved a sword into your chest, kicked you off a mountain, blackmailed you into joining him by nearly killing Thea, forced you to marry his daughter, who by the way happens to like girls and tried to kill you during the ceremony, and then tried to kill all of Star City and you again, and you care if I get his name right. Really?"

Oliver dropped his head and took a deep breath.

"You have a point, please continue, Cisco. You were talking about Ross?"

"Right, so he had video of all the badasses in the world and downloaded them directly into his nervous system. Within seconds his body knew exactly how to fight like any of the fighters he wanted to be and could switch in seconds. The damn helmet even told him what style would be best to use while he fought. It's ridiculous. He had detailed histories of every one of us, even me. Except for Kara of course. Oh and he found out she was an alien because of the blood sample found on the bullet Dig pulled out of her and left on the ground in Star City… what did I say?" he finished, notching Barry and Oliver's heads drop. Then he looked at Lyla, whose mouth was slightly hanging open and remembered. The cardinal rule when around outsiders, do not talk about where Kara is from.

"Uh… okay. So Kara is… like green and just kinda looks…" Lyla guessed, imagining the sunny blonde as a Martian.

"No she isn't green. She is what she is. Lyla you were not supposed to hear that, but you did because Cisco is an idiot. But it would be best to forget it." Oliver told her.

"Why? What difference would it make if she is metahuman or…"

"Because the world is used to metahumans." Oliver explained. "You throw aliens into the mix and prejudice and fear follows. It was bad enough that Prometheus knew. This had best not be included in A.R.G.U.S. information. Do you understand? She is metahuman."

"Of course." Lyla agreed quickly. While she had never felt completely comfortable around Oliver she did appreciate him and his friendship with John. The calm tone he had just used was not reflected in his eyes. She had never seen that look on him. When he was pretending to be Ra's heir he was more solemn, almost zombie like. At that moment she saw the monster behind the smile and it made her very nervous.

"Felicity will be hacking A.R.G.U.S. to make sure there is no mention of her. It won't be a problem though, I trust you and your husband is quite fond of her so I am sure you are as well. Relax Barry." Oliver assured his friend who was still glaring at Cisco.

"There is no need for Felicity… but I understand." Lyla finished. At this moment she wished Cisco had kept his mouth shut.

"Continue Cisco." Barry told him.

"Basically his uh… I'm sorry man…"

"Cisco! Please continue. Barry needs to get back to Kara and we have many other issues to discuss." Oliver ordered.

"The uh… his whole network was installed in the helmet. All the files, all his hideouts, the factories he had the weapons made, the formulas he used for poisons, like Crane's gas, the bombs he designed with thermal triggers. He could access any mainframe, even A.R.G.U.S. He tried to get into ours but we had it sewn up. We were the only system he wasn't able to hack so even if our physical security sucks our cyber security is amazing. Probably why he authorized a strike on S.T.A.R. when the Detroit thing went down. From what I can tell, he designed the bioelectric interface himself. I've gone through and deleted all information on us. You can look at the A.R.G.U.S. information he stole yourself Lyla. I have it on a portable drive for you."

"Thank you Cisco. My techs will be here this afternoon and give you this code." Lyla passed a note to him, "and take possession of the helmet. Prometheus is being moved in two days. He shows no signs of improving. He will be taken to the Southern holding facility."

"Thank you." Barry told her.

"Of course. In the interest of information sharing, you Oliver, should know Malcolm Merlyn is dead."

Oliver froze and Barry laughed.

"Again? How many times can the guy die?"

"This is the last time Barry. He was found in Taiwan, in pieces. He had been stabbed repeatedly through, his eyes taken and his remaining hand."

"Any… any idea who would have wanted him dead?" Oliver finally asked, shaking himself out of a daze.

"Who wouldn't? He made many, many enemies. Nyssa?"

"Nyssa has been with us for the last month continuously. I don't think she cares or would bother with Malcolm. She has had other things on her mind. He was a non issue to her. She has never hid her feelings about anything. If she wanted him dead, she would have found him and done it herself."

"The fact is we may never know. We have his body in storage. Do you think Thea…"

"Burn it. Burn it and throw the ashes in the trash." the Arrow told her immediately. "I will tell Thea and she will probably be grateful. He has been legally dead for years now so there are no legal hang ups. She already has everything he owned."

"Okay. Now I have found out information on this N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Okay, not exactly but the Keystone facility anyway. The director, Robert Kane, swears his clinic is funded by the US Army. We thought Eiling at first but on further investigation, there is no money trail from the Army or any government agency. We had no idea. The money disappears into a black pit. There are no records of this organization in A.R.G.U.S. files. The facility was trying to identify gifted metas with mental abilities but also looked for others. Pendergast headed up what was called the Psi division and was the contact person to the military, so he kept up with other suspected metas."

"The man is lying. There is no way he was director and knew so little about where the money came from." Barry pointed out.

"I know, but he was not guilty of a crime and if I were to interrogate him with no evidence, I would really be no better than Amanda Waller, now would I?"

Lyla met Barry's eyes and then Oliver's. Both knew what she had not said.

"So basically you are telling us that you know nothing about who was funding this, the organization and the man in charge knew nothing. What about how these metas were found?" Cisco asked.

"Word of mouth, blogs like the one Iris West used to run, rumors. They would try to verify these and if successful contact was made, attempt to talk them into participating in studies, though most of those studies took place elsewhere, and of course Kane had no idea where."

"Of course. So is that it?" Oliver asked, politely but in a hurry to speak to Lyla alone.

"No. I wasn't able to find anything else in our files so I did a search of the files Amanda Waller kept in a safe in her office. These were discovered after her death and were hard copies only. She ran several black ops on her own, secret from even A.R.G.U.S. Operations she did not feel would be authorized by the President so she conducted herself due to her belief that she was the only one strong enough to protect our country. The red headed woman, the leader who said she didn't want a fight? She gave you her name. I found that unusual and we couldn't find any Caitlin Fairchilds in the world who matched her description or were missing. But I did find her name in Amanda Wallers files."

"Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?" Barry groaned, thinking of the growing woman who had tossed him when she shouldn't have been able to touch him. Even from the grave Amanda Waller caused problems.

"You should. Amanda Waller eight years ago, began a program with a group of scientists, specializing in biochemistry, DNA, and unique physiologies. The purpose was to find people with a possible metahuman gene and activate it. She hoped to perhaps clone the abilities and make super powered operatives, or if nothing else, develop her own super agents, loyal to her. She succeeded."

"That makes no sense." Barry pointed out. "The particle accelerator hadn't been turned on then."

"Jake Simmons. He was nowhere near Central City on December 11, 2013. Metas have existed longer than Thawne ushered them in. He may be responsible for the most at once to develop but there have been others throughout history and these scientist who approached Waller knew it. One of the early recruits was a brilliant young woman named Caitlin Fairchild. She double majored at Princeton in computer science and electrical engineering. During her sophomore year she was recruited by one of her mentors to intern in a government agency called Project Genesis. She was told she would be working in their data collecting software division that assisted the NSA. The work and project were fraudulent. She was fed drugs designed to activate the dormant metahuman gene inside her. How the scientist knew, Waller isn't clear on. Only Fairchild would know, but by the end of the year, Waller had herself a list of agents, she called Generation 13. All young, all metahuman, and all reporting directly her."

"And that would be the team we saw last night?" Barry guessed.

"No. Waller's team was killed in an explosion. They were sent to raid a HIVE weapons manufacturing facility. It was a trap and the entire factory went up in flames. Only Fairchild survived. She returned and Waller gave her a new assignment. She was to infiltrate a group being recruited by a new player, one who had not been identified by even her sources. All she knew was the man collected young metas by cooperation or kidnapping and most were never seen again. Fairchild went to the site of the last kidnapping and made a few waves, showcased her powers in subtle ways, and must have caught the attention of someone. Her last to report to Waller was that she had made contact with the group. Waller died though and since the operations was off the books, the mission died as well. As far as I know the team, this N.O.W.H.E.R.E., this center in Keystone may be the result of whatever Fairchild had gotten involved in."

"She went in undercover and got left behind, with no back up, no handler and probably no way of escaping on her own. She could be a mole but would have to stay in line to survive." Oliver guessed.

"Exactly. But until we can find out more, we can't exactly pull her out or determine if she even wants to be pulled out. Now the question is, do you guys want to find out, do you want us to search or should we work together?"

Oliver and Cisco both looked to Barry. He knew this would come up eventually. He and Kara had both discussed this after Lyla made contact with her.

"It sounds like one of Amanda Waller's screw ups. That means its yours. If we hadn't tried to stop them, they wouldn't have fought us. Find out what you can and if you need us, you know where to find us. We can figure out what our next step is. We aren't in the intel business. If you need help getting her out, let me know. Other than that, it is A.R.G.U.S. business." Barry told her, surprising the woman. Lyla felt for sure Barry's new team would jump at the chance. He was holding back. A joint operation with A.R.G.U.S. was what Lyla had been hoping for and judging by the approval in Oliver's eyes, what Barry had decided his League needed to avoid.

"If you change your mind or more information comes to the surface, I will let you know and we can talk again. Thank you for your help, Cisco."

"Thank you for yours, Lyla. Are you and John coming forThanksgiving?" the Flash asked her.

"No, John wants to spend it with his nephew, but we will definitely be at the wedding." Lyla hugged the man who walked off, Cisco on his tail. She didn't try to walk out, simpy turned and looked at Oliver who was standing now.

"I know, Oliver."

Oliver laughed lightly but appeared tired.

"What exactly do you know, Lyla?"

"I know that you would kill over her and I know that I heard nothing here today about aliens or Kara Zorel. Its a non issue."

"Thats good. I don't trust easily but you know that. I do trust you but too much is at stake Lyla. If it was common knowledge, the fallout, especially from elements like Eiling, who would use whatever means necessary to get her child… Lyla the League will go to war and considering who we have, I like our chances against the entire US Government. We haven't exactly ironed out our teamwork yet but we are dedicated and united. I don't have to tell you how important this secret is."

"I know. I don't want to see her hurt."

"She won't be. I don't want to see us have to hurt others to make sure. Right now, outside the team, only Prometheus and now you, know. I am trusting you. Prometheus… I am assuming the Southern base is still in the same location?"

"Yes it is."

"In eight days Barry and Kara are going on a honeymoon. I am taking a trip as well. I would suggest the facility not be staffed more than necessary. Your people will be safe but some will have headaches."

"You truly think this is necessary Oliver?"

"You think I am doing this for fun? Taking a trip to Antarctica and entering a secure facility, having to incapacitate guards and not kill them, kill Promtheus and escape? Thats not my idea of a good time. He has killed hundreds Lyla and he was taken down by a blonde girl who sparkled in front of the world after she kicked him in the nuts. You think he is going to let that go?"

"He is insane. He drools all day and night."

"And instead of relying on that lasting, I plan to be merciful and end his life. Just make sure there aren't many staff there. I am doing this no matter what."

Lyla took in his face, a handsome face capable of such charming smiles. She knew and had seen the killer under the hood. He should have been rich, a socialite, a CEO, a pillar of Star City society as his father had been. The roads fate takes us all amazed her.

"Felicity and Thea. I never thought I would see another woman you would kill for without hesitation."

Oliver smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Not a word about her. If Felicity finds her name in A.R.G.U.S. systems, I am starting a war Lyla."

Oliver walked out leaving Lyla slightly shaken. She began to wonder if having a relationship with this League was good idea. The Director could understand why they would be afraid of her organization but had never given much thought to why her organization should be very afraid of them. It didn't matter at this point. The two would orbit around each other and it was up to her once again, to keep the secrets, prevent a war and try to see if she could rescue one of the many people still caught in Amanda Waller's web.

While Oliver and Lyla came to an understanding, Barry brushed aside Cisco's apologies about his big mouth and ran back to where his fiancee was lying in her sick bed. Eliza was in the kitchen making soup while Caitlin hovered over his love who appeared miserable.

"Barry, this isn't good." she told him through a scratchy voice. "My fever, I can't get it down. I was supposed to be able to have a cold, take the bracelet off and then put it back on once my immune system had a chance but…" she stopped due to a sneeze. "Caitlin can't… this can't be good for the baby."

Barry sat down next to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her and glanced at a grim faced Caitlin. She looked worried, very worried.

"Alex went to grab some solar lamps from the lab. I am willing to try them here but if they don't help her, we are going to have to take her to S.T.A.R. and give her some serious heat," Caitlin explained.

Barry knew there was nothing he could do. Instead he sat on the bed, rubbing her hair while she curled up to him. Caitlin stuck a thermometer in Kara's mouth and a few minutes later her eyes grew large. "We are taking her to S.T.A.R. I'm going to call Alex and tell her not to bother bringing them here."

Caitlin lifted her phone to call and saw she had a text. With a bit of confusion, she asked Barry to go to the store for orange juice and Tylenol. Confused by the request, not wanting to leave Kara, Caitlin stressed again that he needed leave. A nod from Kara convinced him to he grabbed his coat and left the apartment.

"It's going to be okay. We are going to get you to S.T.A.R. and the solar lamps should help with the fever. Sometimes your body heals before your powers come back." she explained.

"And if the heat is too much for the baby?"

"Babies aren't as affected by fever as the mothers. Just try to relax…"

Caitlin's words were cut short when the blast went off. Kara heard the noise, saw the light, not knowing if it was a bomb or a flare of some sort but she knew it was dangerous. Grabbing Cailtin, she tossed the woman onto the bed and lay on top of her.

Feeling no more heat or smelling smoke, Kara turned slightly and looked towards the door. Oliver Queen stood smiling.

"Sorry, but I heard you were getting really sick. We can't have that. It would ruin Thanksgiving."

Kara rolled off Caitlin who did not move, still coming to grips with being on her feet on second and in the air then covered by a very strong Kryptonian in the same second. Looking at the floor, the blonde saw a small round device, no bigger than a marble.

"It just makes a noise and a flash of light. No smoke or fire. Handy when you need a distraction so you can make a quick getaway. Feeling better?"

Kara stood up and took a breath. She was no longer shivering, her nose was dry and her throat was no longer sore. Barry walked in with a gallon of orange juice and a large bottle of Tylenol, looking confused.

"Did I miss something?"

"I just sent a text to Caitlin asking her to get rid of you for a few minutes. Kara feels better. Your welcome. I'm going to leave before I have to babysit the dog again. Eliza has him. I made sure the little mutt wasn't in the line of fire. Have a nice night."

Oliver Queen walked out, leaving behind a confused Barry, a sore Caitlin, a grateful Eliza, a wide eyed Charlie who heard the noise even in the kitchen and Kara who, while she felt better, wasn't sure if her heart had stopped beating or it was beating to quickly to tell.

"I guess I'm cured." she finally settled on. "Rao, I am so hungry. Barry…"

"Four pizzas, pineapple and …" the man wasn't sure. The strange mixtures of food changed everyday.

"Pepperoni, Jalapeños, mushrooms and extra pineapple… throw some parmesan and … sausage, yeah definitely sausage. Doesn't that sound good Cait?"

"I'm going to go vomit and then decide if I want to kill Oliver or hug him. Have fun with your pizza. I think Eliza and I will have the soup she made."

A relieved Barry lay down on the bed next to her, smiling a bit and relaxing.

"You had me worried."

"I had me worried." Kara admitted.

"Probably shouldn't blow out your powers again huh?"

"Yeah, because I do it on purpose. How did the meeting go?"

"Outside of Cisco letting out that you are an alien and I am pretty sure Oliver threatened Lyla's life if she didn't forget that fact, it went well." Barry filled her in on all they had learned.

"Thats horrible."

"Yeah… but they don't sound like an immediate threat to us. A.R.G.U.S. can handle this."

"That woman, she could be trapped. Can you imagine, going to a great school, having a great life and then you are tricked into becoming a super powered agent for someone like Amanda Waller. I'm sure Waller used her friends or family against her. Then for her team, probably her friends to die and she survived, I know what that is like. Now she is stuck with a group she probably intended to take down, only to be abandoned because Waller was killed and no one knew she was there? If Lyla finds out who these people are or where they are, we have to go in Barry, whether she wants us to or not. We need to keep digging on our own."

"Why?"

"Because if it was me, I would want someone to give a damn."

Barry silently agreed, kissing her forehead. "That is one of the many things I love about you. Now let me go find us some really disgusting pizzas and we can spend the night in bed, watching TV. The furniture is being delivered tomorrow to the house. We can start staying there."

"No. I'll take all my clothes and belongings there the day before the wedding but I am not officially moving in until I am your wife. We haven't exactly waited for anything else so, we should at least wait for that. You are going to keep sleeping in this bed until the night before the wedding. Then you are on your own. I know Alex and Caitlin have planned me an awesome party, what about you? Will I be throwing Cisco into space before the wedding?"

"I may do it myself if he can't keep his mouth shut."

"It's okay. She won't say anything."

Barry was a bit surprised. "You are the one usually freaking out over this. You trust her that much?"

"I trust that she is scared of Oliver and Nyssa that much." Kara told him seriously, no doubt in her voice. Barry agreed and ran off, looking forward to pizza, TV and a rejuvenated Kara in bed.

The next few days were uneventful, leading up to Thanksgiving. The only action the team had seen were in one on one battle against each other, that Nyssa decided needed to happen so she could analyze each individuals strengths and weaknesses and fighting styles. Instead of the non metas battling each other however, she paired one human against one metahuman. Alex had been hit in the head by Carter's mace. Luckily her helmet took the brunt of the blow that was not as hard as it could be and she as able to launch a Kali stick into his groin as he swooped down for a second pass. The battle between the two reached the ground, his strength against her speed and better hand to hand capabilities. Carter was a bruiser, relying on brute strength and weapons so she held the advantage. He held the advantage in that her strikes did little good, until she powered up her glove to full power and struck him in the jaw, sending both to their backs. They both rose and Nyssa called a halt to the battle, ordering Barry and Oliver to go at each other. For the first time ever, Barry won, easily. He caused a speed mirage, as it appeared to all that there were ten of him standing around the Arrow. As soon as Oliver took a shot, Barry hit him from behind, then wrapped him in wire before he hit the ground.

Now a sore and irritated Alex woke up in Nyssa's arms, having clearly told the woman to sleep on her own side of the bed the night before.

"Uh… excuse me?"

"Go back to sleep." Nyssa mumbled.

"I'm mad at you. You are supposed to be on your side of the bed." Alex reminded her. Nyssa nibbled on her ear, sending the fierce short haired warrior into a fit of giggles.

"Still mad?"

"I was about to take him."

"You were both going to kill each other and it was holding up the training. If I hadn't stopped it the two of you would still be out there."

"I shocked the hell out of him, in his jaw. He was dazed and I could have finished him off."

"And he hit you in the head with a very large mace. You did fine, he did fine, it was training, why do you care, why can't you just go back to sleep or if you want to stay awake, why can't you be on top or under me?"

"Because."

"Because? You are a brilliant scientist and the best you can come up with is because? This is about Barry isn't it?"

"No, I think you are a great choice but… I have led teams on ops before. I know how to make decisions in the heat of the moment. I just don't see why he came directly to you. He could have considered me."

"If it means that much to you, then you can fight me for it."

"It's not that it means… wait, what? Fight you?"

"Of course. We are in a League. When a member wants to rise in rank that member challenges the one whose rank they wish to have. If you can beat me, you may have my rank."

"If I beat you? You know I can't… I… can I use a gun? Not with bullets but with darts."

"No. We both choose the same weapon, we take our shirts off. I defeat you then have my way with you. It is tradition."

"Taking our shirts off and you having your way with me is a tradition?" she asked doubtfully.

"If we do it once it's fun. If we do it twice it's a tradition. I am more than willing to give you as many opportunities as you like but I won't be gentle."

"You won't be gentle? Really?"

"Ropes will be involved. The loser is usually held captive for days by the victor. By victor I mean me. So shall we use swords, or I know! How about a mace? I know you do enjoy dodging those. Or not as the case may be lately."

"Keep giving me crap and you will be sleeping on the couch." Alex told her. "Keep your rank. I have a badge. I am not annoyed that he asked you, I am annoyed that he didn't even consider me."

"He didn't consider his boyfriend either. You don't hear Oliver whining about it."

"True, I suppose. He could have asked Kara though. She would have suggested me."

"No ,she wouldn't. She loves you and would want the most dangerous, experienced, badass on the team to be in charge on the battlefield. Now are we fighting shirtless for my rank or are you going to yield with honor before the battle has to take place?"

"I suppose I am going to put aside my pride and…"

Alex's admission of defeat was interrupted by her phone.

"I grew up waking everyday before dawn. I don't want to do it anymore. Why is your sister calling at 6 AM?"

"She's excited. They didn't really have holidays on Krypton besides birthdays and even those were more reserved. She loves holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas."

To Nyssa's great annoyance, as always when Kara called, Alex answered.

"Good morning big sister! Why aren't you here? I have been cooking for two hours. I mean Mom has been cooking for two hours and I've been helping. Sort of. Anyway get over here. I was a little worried with the number of people we have coming but the size of Ray's place is amazing. Its bigger than my house and has this awesome view and this big patio. I can't believe he doesn't stay here more. This is going to be so great, much better than last Thanksgiving. You and Mom are getting along so you won't have to get drunk, Dad is going to be with us, no one is trying to kill us that we know of, at least for the next 24 hours. Its amazing! And there is so much food. Zatanna wants to help but I have to really keep an eye on her. I do not want to ingest a possessed turkey and I told her so. So are you dressed yet or what? When are you getting here?"

"Calm down blondie. Give me a couple hours. We will be there by 8." Alex told her with a laugh, loving Kara's energy. She couldn't wait to see Barry's reaction to a Kara on Christmas morning. Her first Christmas, she was convinced the Danvers were giving her items in preparation of sending her away. It was the first time she ever told them that she didn't want to live with Kal El because he was a jerk. Alex had taught her the word jerk and Kara grew fond of it quickly. Knowing now about how his behavior was perceived by someone who grew up on Krypton and whose life revolved around blood bonds, Alex supposed she could understand why.

"Get up beautiful. I'll even wear that dress you bought me?"

"The blue one?" Nyssa asked, eyebrow raised.

"The blue one." she conceded.

"You told her we would be there in two hours. Plenty of time to get ready. We can share a shower to save time. I want your phone though. If any dead bodies are discovered they can fester until tomorrow. Understand?"

"Completely. So I suppose I was about to concede to our battle that hasn't happened yet? Are ropes really involved?"

"They will be tonight." she winked before tossing the blanket over the both of them.

At Ray's, Kara had been a bundle of energy, not even Barry could keep up with. Eliza and Joe were roasting turkeys, in two huge ovens. Ray had apparently had another installed in preparation for the event, though Kara had made it clear that Christmas would be at her and Barry's home. Zatanna mysteriously walked in with a turkey, that had not been in the kitchen prior.

"What is that?" Kara asked her.

"A turkey, Kara."

"What was it five minutes ago?"

"Still a turkey."

"Was it a live turkey?"

"No, it was a roasted turkey."

The two women stared at each other for a moment.

"Whose turkey did you take?'

"The woman two floors below. She is a pompous brat who had her's delivered early so her guests would think she prepared it. She has three more."

"Zatanna."

"Kara."

"Send the lady's turkey back to her oven."

"I can't. I used up a lot of power getting it here."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"If you can turn a drone into a pig and a minivan into a sand castle then repair a street I seriously doubt you can't return that turkey."

"She has three more. She can just call the caterer and get another. I know how hungry you get. Are you sure four will be enough? A lot of people will be here Kara. A lot of food that you could be consuming, will be going to other people. Having a turkey to yourself wouldn't be that bad would it? I just want to do my part."

"By stealing a turkey?"

"By helping you out. This is for the baby. I know the baby gets hungry."

Kara stared at her a moment more. It was for the baby.

"I suppose…" Before she could finish the sentence a whoosh was heard, the turkey gone from Zatanna's arms and Barry Allen was back.

"Zatanna, we are superheroes. We can't steal people's turkeys on Thanksgiving."

"Not if you keep giving it back, we can't. Fine, I was just trying to help your soon to be wife. I suppose you can run around town tonight looking for eating establishments to be open because she is still hungry. Maybe you can give her one of Caitlin's energy bars you love so much Barry."

Zatanna walked off, ending Kara's temptation to have a turkey to herself. Barry was giving her the look.

"Seriously? You saved this world twice, I think the least the woman can do is let us borrow a turkey she didn't even cook herself. Besides I was just about to tell her to give it back."

"Uh huh."

"I was."

"Why don't we walk out and enjoy the view from the balcony?"

I have to help cook. Especially since you stole the stolen turkey."

"Eliza said she will call you when she needs your heat vision. Let's enjoy the first holiday together. Pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah. Next year our baby will be with us. How weird is this? Everything that has happened? Sometimes I think it's a dream and I will wake up back in the old apartment, alone. Do you ever have that dream?"

"No." Barry told her. "I know this is not a dream. In dreams we wouldn't have to go through so much. There wouldn't be shootouts and bombings and immortal magicians or monsters on the streets. There wouldn't be underground alien prisons or injuries. No this is very real and thats what makes it worth it to me. If it was a dream it would be perfect and who wants that? I don't. I like that we have to fight for what we have."

"You can be really deep sometimes." Kara admitted, "but you really would rather have Vandal Savage and Prometheus than just a nice happy life with us and our girl?"

The two leaned against the rails of the balcony, looking over the city, Kara wishing desperately that she could fly but happy regardless.

"I don't know. I guess its like everything else in life. You have to experience the bad to make you really appreciate the good. Yeah, I kind of wish sometimes we weren't Flash and Superwoman, just Barry and Kara. But I think about what we have, the family around us, a partner who will always be there no matter what, a pretty cool dog who shouldn't lick so much and needs to be house trained, and a baby who is going to be so amazing I can't even begin to grasp it. She is going to be as beautiful as you. Yeah, its worth the pain."

"You are kind of romantic when you want to be, you know that?"

"I do my best. You inspire me."

"So you don't just love me for my tight costumes and amazing body?"

"Nope… but those don't hurt." he admitted.

The afternoon rolled around and guests filled the residence. Ray had arrived back from his play pen excited that he now had two operational suits, neither pink. Alex was wearing a dress that wasn't black, and Kara checked with her X ray vision and was surprised to see she didn't even have a gun strapped to her thigh. Maybe she was lightening up.

While the Justice League, family and friends gathered, watched football, enjoyed the view of the city, only Kara heard the knock on the door. She checked quickly and saw Chief Corrigan on the other side.

"Chief? Whats wrong? Please tell me nothing is wrong. I'm having a good day. Barry is sick, he can't make it. Whatever it is."

"Relax Kara, everything is fine. I was wondering if Quentin Lance was here?"

"Yes, why don't you come in?"

"Could you actually ask if he would mind coming out here for a minute? I would like to talk to him alone."

"You aren't going to arrest him are you? I don't know much about him but I know he has had a really, really bad year."

"Nope, I just need a minute."

"Okay, I'll get him. Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

"Nah, I can't get caught up in a lot of conversations and don't want to seem rude. The wife gave me an hour."

Kara grabbed a confused Quentin Lance, who followed her out the door. Kara came back in but of course casually listened.

Outside Lance wondered like Kara, if he was being arrested.

"Hi Quentin. I'm Jim Corrigan, Chief of police Central City. We met once a few years ago."

"Yeah, I remember. What can I do for you?"

"I read about you, talked to some people. What are you doing for a living nowadays if you don't mind me asking?"

"Uh… living off savings mostly. Donna and I are still kinda looking to start up somewhere. Star City has a lot of bad memories. She doesn't want to go to Las Vegas. I guess we kind of both need a fresh start but I could probably get a pretty good job working Casino security so maybe Reno. We are going to decide after Christmas."

"Yeah? Look I know quite a bit about you. Got suspended a few times for working with a vigilante who is not Oliver Queen because that would be crazy. Stopped an earthquake machine and got demoted for it. Got forced into working for Darhk and then stood up to him. I'll be honest I wish you had done it sooner but I don't have daughters so I can't judge. I know you could still be a cop if you had thrown your daughter under a bus and you wouldn't do it. I can't offer you a detectives shield yet because a lot of my people are still a little sore over Detective Valkyrie stepping in but considering she has a hot girlfriend, most of the guys look the other way and the women love her sister and half of them admit her girlfriend is hot too. You met her?"

"Yeah, we have a history." Quentin wouldn't go into the history, some good, some bad and some terrifying."

"Thing is I got a patrol lieutenant retiring and none of my people have taken a lieutenants test this year. I need someone now and Barry Allen tells me you are one of the best cops he has ever met. I won't begrudge you Reno, but if you want a job with me its yours. I just need to know by Monday. Take a few days and give me a call. Happy Thanksgiving Quentin."

Jim handed the speechless man his card and walked off.

Lance walked back in, and in front of everyone called Barry by his correct name and hugged him. Barry couldn't help but feel good for the man. He needed a break and sometimes being the Flash meant you could help people with more than supervillians and house fires. Sara was ready to give him her bike when she heard the news.

Finally all gathered round the large table in Ray's dining room.

"I'm gonna say blessing if that is alright with everybody?" Jax asked. Everyone nodded so he began.

"Dear God, Dear Rao, Dear Buddha, Dear… I guess the scientists are probably big on Tom Cruise… I miss anyone?"

"I'm partial to Goddess." Zatanna told him.

"Dear Goddess… anyone else?"

"I think you have included all, Jackson." Martin told him, patting his young partner on the back.

"This past year has been rough but we want to thank you for what you have given us. We have survived nuclear bombs, giant robots from the future, war machines, Vandal Savage, our friends survived trips to other Earth to save families, universes, lives. Sara saved her younger self so she would be born, Terminator style. Its a long story, I'll tell ya'll who don't know later. Carter died on us and we got a chance to pick up another in the future. That was pretty cool. We have taken our hits but we are still standing. Now we got each other and we are definitely thankful for that. Everyone in this room has a higher calling Lord, and though it is a difficult path to walk we are thankful that we have it. Not many have had the chance to make a difference in this world like we have and we have all taken the opportunity you have given us. Here we stand, stronger together this year than last, still fighting, still loving and still getting better. Bless this food and bless us all Lord. Amen."

"Excellent job Jackson." Martin told his partner.

That night, after all was said and done and Barry had cleaned the entire residence in a minute and six seconds, Kara and Barry relaxed in what Caitlin had accepted long ago was their bed. Kara put on her bracelet so she wouldn't hear outside of her room since she was pretty sure Winn was here and would pretend he wasn't. Alex had asked Barry about any hardware stores that might be open tonight, because she needed to buy rope. Kara did not want to know what that was about.

"So are we going Black Friday shopping? All the sales start at 5 AM, only 6 hours from now." he asked.

"Are you joking? You would rather get out of bed with me and go shopping than wake up with me draped over you at noon, to save a few dollars? I didn't go Black Friday shopping last year and I made half of what I make now. Or you know, what you make now."

"Was that a snide remark about who makes the most money?" he asked, pulling off her clothes, slowly.

"Maybe."

"To answer, no I would rather stay in bed with you any morning but…"

"But?"

"You know how the crowds are?"

"Yeah, horrible. People fighting over stupid items."

"Exactly. Now think how much fun it would be if someone got an item in their cart and the second they take their eye off it, I've got it back on the shelf?"

Kara's eyes widened. "That is so horrible. We have to do it!"

"Yes! I knew you would be down with it. You are the best partner ever."

"Better than Oliver?"

"Thats not really a question is it? You have been hanging out with Nyssa way too much. Yes, definitely better than Oliver."

"The only problem is if I go to sleep I will never wake up in time. You are going to have to keep me awake for the next six hours."

"I think I can do that."

"Oh! You know what else? I could blow people's carts away from them when they aren't looking!"

"Yep or grab an item the same time as some guy and watch him try to pry it out of your hands! I'll video it. So we hit Wal Mart first?"

"Yep. Best Black Friday ever. I love you so much. Only you would do this with me."

"Do it? It was my idea."

"So we hide Charlie in my backpack right? Barry? Charlie is going right? Barry?"

"Kara, can't we… you realize when we move into our home it will be okay to leave him alone while we are out, right? I mean it kinda freaks me out when he is in the room when we…"

"He's not watching! He barks if he isn't in the room and he isn't supposed to be here. He doesn't mind. He usually hides under the bed."

"Yeah right. Fine we can sneak him in I guess but once we move in to our home he is going to learn to stay by himself, promise?"

"Promise." Kara lied.

Maybe while we are out we can buy your sister some rope for Christmas."

Kara laughed then stopped, not getting the joke.

"Rope? Why would she want rope? Thats just dumb, Barry. I guess I'll handle the gift buying. Now keep me busy for the next six hours."


	44. Chapter 44

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N First I have to say thank you all. This story is the first story to reach one thousand reviews in these fandoms, Flash Supergirl or the two together and it is because of you all. This means a lot to me because it is a long story and still you have all stuck with it, you made it happen. When I started this story I really didn't know what to expect. I would have considered 100 a major success but you have all stuck it out, the Sara lovers, the Alex lovers, neither of you gave up on this. I had a plan for both women, who I love and knew it would be rough but the two groups went through the rough times with me and stuck it out. I think we can bring more attention to our favorite superhero pairing, because these shows are wonderful and I love them all, from the over the top darkness of Arrow, to the drama, love, pain and humor of the Flash to the breath of fresh air filled with love and hope that is Supergirl. You made this happen and I appreciate all of you. You made a hack writer from Central Texas feel really good so thank you. At the end of the story I plan to thank all of you by name. For those of you last chapter that I haven't gotten back to yet, its because my wireless is not down, but I am changing companies and my new service is taking its sweet time getting here. This week I should be up. Until then I am using my hot spot to post.

This chapter is long, the longest of the story. I have been working on it for the past six hours, non stop to get it out today. I could have split it in two but I really wanted to give you the entire wedding weekend. So 400 K plus words we finally have the wedding of our favorite couple. Okay for a lot of you its the second favorite couple behind Alex and Nyssa and thats cool too. 44 chapters, 400 K plus words. The pregnancy may have happened soon, as unplanned pregnancies do, but you can't say the wedding was too soon. Next chapter we have the honeymoon and a showdown between our villains and the Justice Leaguers not on a honeymoon in the coldest place on Earth. But this one is just fun and a little emotional, at least to me. Towards the end, what you see in italics is Kryptonese. I looked it up and nowadays it is called Kryptonian but in the past it was called Kryptonese. I like Kryptonese better but I guess it really doesn't matter. Okay, I hope you like the chapter. Like I said it is long so sit back, take a load off, bring some lunch with you and enjoy. I apologize in advance for mistakes. In a small chapter I can't catch everything and I sure can't in a chapter this long.

Chapter 44

Kara Zor El sat on her couch in S.T.A.R. labs, locked away in her special room, surrounded by her art, her only company her faithful puppy, asleep in her lap. In front of her was her mother, at least the hologram of her mother. Kara had finally figured out how to freeze it, no sound, just the vision of her, smiling in her robe. The woman used this often to paint the portraits of her mother she often destroyed afterward. Today she had no plans to paint or destroy anything. Today she just wanted to talk without her mother saying she was not programmed to answer that like the old AI. This was not that AI, just the woman as she recorded her last message to her daughter.

"Hi, sorry I turned the sound off and you can't move, not that you did much. I just wanted to talk to you, wherever you are, and I guess this makes me feel like I'm not talking to myself."

Despite wanting to talk, Kara spent a few moments in silence, rubbing her puppy's soft fur while he lightly snored on her lap. It sound more like a wheeze but she supposed that was as close as puppies came to snoring.

"I'll let you know a secret. I never really got to tell you any growing up. I don't know if you are in Rao's light. I don't know where you are. I know there is more after this life but I have no idea what, no matter what was drilled into my head as a child during my lessons. Sometimes I still look at Rao. I found it. I didn't even ask Jeremiah, I found it on my own. Sometimes I see this God, the God that shined on my face as a child, whose warmth let me know everything was okay, that my world was full of love and happiness. Sometimes I still long for that but when I look now I just see a star, a small speck of light, barely noticeable to the sky watchers here."

Kara leaned back a bit, not enough to disturb Charlie, and took her eyes off her mother for a moment to focus on the ceiling. Gathering her thoughts she refocused on her mother.

"I haven't looked for Krypton. It would take a very high powered scope, maybe even the Hubble or the Spitzer.I bet being who I am, getting time wouldn't be difficult. I'm kind of a big deal here. Yeah, I know it sounds conceited but its true when it comes to things like that. I don't want to though. I know I would see it. It would be there. Krypton was so far away that the light from its destruction would take thousands if not ten of thousands years to reach Earth. I could be looking at a still living planet or at a dead one but either way I would see the past."

Charlie kicked his legs out and began moving them while lying on his side on her lap. She smiled, recognizing the little guy having dreams. His tail wagged so she supposed it must be a good dream.

"Did you know, that most astrophysicists on this planet are certain that it is impossible for a planet to blow up? Sure a planet can die, lose atmosphere, be bombarded and scoured by meteors or radiation killing all surface life, but impossible for a planet to actually explode from the core. Guess we were wrong, huh? Leave it to Krypton to figure it out. Who knows, maybe Myriad worked on Krypton and you are all mindless drones, and Aunt Astra did manage to save the planet. Maybe the Kryptonians in this universe didn't use up the planets resources like an all you can eat buffet, tap power directly from the core like idiots. I'm really glad all the scientists around me don't ask details about it. I would hate to explain it to them. I'm sure they all wonder, how could something like that happen? It would be embarrassing to tell them how my advanced civilization ushered in its own destruction through reckless greed."

Kara briefly wondered if there was a phantom zone in this universe. Were the wormholes her pod navigated still present? Of course Fort Roz had to follow her to Earth. Its mass may have allowed it to beat her here once it reached the galaxy but it was in no way programmed to navigate the special routes her pod had to go to manage a trip like that in such a short time. That was why Indigo needed her.

"But here is the thing. I don't look because I don't care anymore. I am tired of it being the focal point of my life. Everybody treats me like a glass figurine because I lost my world and I let them because a part of me enjoys it and a part of me will always be hurt by it. I will always have nightmares, I will always miss my cousins, my friends I was allowed to socialize with occasionally. I understand why you did what you did, I suppose. I don't agree with it and to be honest if I had to choose between sending my daughter off alone into deep space without me or allowing her to die with me, I am not sure what I would do. On the one hand it would be over quickly, on the other I could send her off, hoping she isn't stuck in deep space, surrounded by nothing but darkness, waking every few years, not knowing where she was, not eating, not drinking, eventually her body would give out and she would die alone or worse, live in stasis for eternity. Take the chance everything would work out or seal her fate by keeping her? I think I would cut off my own arms if it meant fitting in that ship and not leaving her alone. I would find a way to fit."

Kara gently laid a still snoring Charlie on the couch and stood.

"So it really doesn't matter anymore. Growing up here I would sit on the roof for hours, staring at the stars, touching your necklace and wishing you were with me. I would have a fantasy of another pod shooting from the sky and landing near. I would run to you, fly even and there you would be, arms open, ready to take me back home. But then Astra sort of ruined my image of you. I had to make myself grow up a little. Maybe because my childhood got interrupted I tried to hold onto what I had left longer. I had to realize that nothing is black and white. You weren't the angel I made you out to be. You weren't the devil. You were just a person, like everyone else. I don't know why you decided to let me go but I don't care anymore. Because I forgive you. I'm not going to let this have a hold on me anymore. I'm moving on."

Kara wiped a tear from her eye and smiled, meeting Alura's eyes once again.

"I'm pregnant. I'm also getting married. Sort of the reverse order of things but oops. I hope you don't mind that he didn't go through the application process to be a member of our great House. Since I'm the leader of the House now, I have kind of done away with the whole thing. I let in those with great hearts. Its that simple. I'm sure Dad and Jor El would be furious but they aren't here. I am. You said my destiny was not bound to Kal El's. You are right, its bound to no one. It is mine to make as I see fit and I am letting the past go. I will always love you, always love where I am from but I won't let it define me any longer.

You would like Barry. You would love him. He is probably not what you would have expected. He has … his face should be on magazine covers. He isn't built like Kal El. He is lean and tall but like… I don't know how to describe it. Sometimes he has such a fierceness to him and other times I want to protect him because he looks fragile. When he lets the hurt show in his eyes, he looks fragile but he doesn't let it happen often. He is always trying to stay strong for me. I want to protect him as much as he wants to protect me and the funny thing is, both of us have chosen a life where neither of us can be safe. I think application process withstanding, father would like him. Barry isn't the most physically imposing man on our team. Oliver, Carter, Jax, Ray, they have a lot of muscle. A lot. But when it comes down to it, when everyone is confused or unsure or needs a miracle, its Barry that we look too. The mask doesn't cover his eyes and those eyes, they have this determination, you can see the sparks literally filling them and at that point you aren't sure what is going to happen but you know it is going to be amazing and heroic and everything is going to be okay because he always finds a way. Thats just the way he is. In a room full of swimsuit models every eye goes to him when he talks. He has this smile that lights up a room. When he holds me,its like feeling Rao's light on my body once again. His confidence amazes me but its the confidence he gives everyone else that is truly amazing. You know when Barry is there, you can't lose."

Kara moved closer to the hologram reaching out, tempted to touch her mother's face, but pulled back at the last second, knowing her hand would pass through.

"I don't know how I am going to tell my daughter about Krypton. What age do you tell a child something like that? She is going to grow up knowing she is different, but when will she be able to fully understand why? When can she grasp it, understand it and keep it a secret? Eight? Nine? Twelve? I have no clue. I have no clue about a lot of things when it comes to having a baby. Not delivery, I have read up enough about that to know what horrors await me. I'm talking about raising one. I can't just set her up with tutors when she is two and send her to lesson after lesson as soon as she can walk, the way I was, the way we all were, only seeing my parents at dinner and then two hours of socializing before bed. Having all that knowledge shoved into her head at such a young age, sure I bet she could handle it. She will be a genius but I think I would rather her worry more about watching butterflies in the backyard, or blowing bubbles and watch how beautiful they are until they pop. I would rather her go to bed dreaming about running through the forest with Charlie, or going down a slide at the park. She won't be doing advanced mathematics at the age of four even if it is the language of the universe.

I don't want her to ever have nightmares. I'm going to love her the way Eliza loved me. I'm not saying you didn't love me, I know you did. I know you loved me, I will never doubt that. But Eliza loved me as I was, not as some future judge, a future wife to establish some alliance, a girl with expectations and a pre set path to follow or a protector for the last living male of our house. She would sit on the roof with me and watch birds for hours, when I know she had her own work to do. She would play pranks on me, play hide and seek, provided I didn't cheat with my senses or vision. Sometimes at night, when I didn't want to bother Alex, I would sneak into her room and get into her bed after a nightmare. I'm not even sure if she woke, but every time, the moment I was under her covers, her arms automatically wrapped around me. I want to be like that for my own daughter. I hope she is an artist or a dancer or a surgeon, whatever she wants to be.

Something else I hope, something that has frightened me but I still hope for, is I want her to be a hero. It will be her decision but knowing her father it won't be a decision at all, just part of who she is. When someone's in trouble or some villain thinks he can harm others, I want to see her stand up, lighting flash in her eyes, have that same look of determination Barry gets and destroy whoever or whatever is threatening others. I'm going to be so proud of her regardless but yeah, she is going to have the symbol of our house with a lightning bolt through it on her chest and she will be the greatest force for everything that is good that this universe has ever seen. I'll be trying to keep up with her like her father and Aunt Caitlin will be yelling through a com about her vital signs and power levels and Uncle Cisco is going to be yelling with joy when she breaks some other record and she is going to be amazing.

When I first found out I was pregnant one of the first thoughts I had was, what would you and father say? I don't know why but it bothered me. I guess I was conditioned that it should bother me. It was just the way our planet was. For all our discipline, we were so stupid we destroyed everything. But now I don't care. Eliza was happy, she is happy. She is so excited and Jeremiah is too. I'm happy and I am going to stop feeling guilty about being happy. This little one may never be normal but she will be happy, I swear. I will always love you, but I have to move on. I can't let the memory of what never would have been hold me back anymore. I will still wear your necklace but I am not going to hold onto it like it is a life preserver keeping me from drowning. I have family and a husband for that. I still have parents that love me and I will have a husband who loves me, and a sister whole loves me beyond reason and friends who are family. So I won't be having nightmares any longer where you tell me I don't deserve to live because you would never do that and I know that. I do deserve to live and my daughter is going to love me. I won't give her a choice, I am going to love her so much she has to love me. Barry? Everybody loves him, how can she resist? We are going to be great parents. I may actually stop the dumb blonde act, at least as often. It still works to make people more at ease but… my true colors shined the other night. In the heat of battle, when I was powerless to help my friends I ordered my team, my family, to shoot to kill. I told Oliver to put an arrow in a man's chest and Nyssa and Alex to shoot a girl in the head. Want to know the scary part? They did it without hesitation. That frightens me and I have to be better than that. Still when it comes down to others or my family, I will always choose my family. I won't lose my world again, and my world is not a planet, it is the people I love.

I have to go now. Charlie needs to go to Ray's lab and do his business, and we have guests coming this afternoon. In two days I am getting married and Kal and some other friends are coming through today. I worry, because despite having done it a few times, inter dimensional travel frightens me, but if it is worth the risk to them so who I am to say no? I love you, Mom. I forgive you. I wish you were here. I'm painting a portrait of you and father that will hang in our home, next to the ones of Jeremiah and Eliza, Alex and Nyssa, Oliver and Felicity, Nora and Henry, Joe and Barry together. Our daughter is going to know her family, all of them, even those who have passed on. I don't know what is waiting on the other side, but I hope I see you again one day and I hope if possible, you can be with me when I join my life with his forever. Bye Mom. I love you."

Kara took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and turned the machine off. She had said what she needed to say, if not to her mother, to herself. The past was behind her, Kara Danvers, Supergirl, gone. She was who she was meant to be now. She had been through many crucibles and evolved. She was stronger, the strongest she had ever been and was ready. Her life would be joined with two other people who would be her whole world, one that she would not lose.

Across town Barry Allen knelt down at his mother's graves and set a bouquet of white roses in the vase by her headstone.

"I would normally give you these at the wedding. In a perfect world you would be there, next to Dad, smiling. I loved your smile. Seeing you in the Speedforce makes me so happy and hurts so much at the same time. I wish you were with us. You and Kara, you two would be attached at the hip. She would make you laugh so much. She is funny and sweet, but she is very deep too, a lot like you.

So I guess you know I'm going to be a dad. Crazy huh? I'm like an adult. Married, house, big backyard, mutt my wife adores who isn't house trained, I even have a Volvo, unless Kara keeps driving it. I may not have a Volvo for long but it is safe so she shouldn't be hurt. I hope not.

I'm really, really scared. I'm not scared of marrying her. I fell for her the first time I saw her. She is so beautiful and bright, warm, loving, heroic. I love her so much, more than I ever thought I would love anyone. I'm scared of the future. It seems like every time something good comes along, something bad comes to try and take it away. I always wonder if I am going to be good enough. Will I be strong enough? Strength has never really been my thing but I'm working around it. At least physically. Mentally I am probably stronger and weaker than I have ever been if that makes sense.

I can't help but wonder though, what if the worst happens? What would I do to prevent it? I had a chance to save you and I didn't. I know why now. You gave up your life so I could have my wife and daughter. But Kara and our girl? There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep them safe, even if I have to alter time and reality. I don't want to have to do that, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure nothing happens. I worry all the time. I have gathered friends, heroes, together so we can all be stronger and I am worrying more now than I ever did. Why is that?"

Barry stood up and looked at the sky.

"Why does it always have to be so hard?" he shook his head. "But its worth it, if I get her. She is so head strong. She wore Ray's armor to take out a mad man. I yelled, I … shouldn't have, but I did. I wasn't angry looking back, just so scared. I'm learning I am going to have to live with that fear because she doesn't back down. I love every part of her, the good and the part that scares the hell out me."

Looking back at his mother's tombstone, he smiled, not at the grave but at the memory of her smile, cleaning his face after he hadn't been fast enough to get away from bullies.

"I love you, Mom. Thank you. Thank you for everything."

"She is so proud of you." his father's voice told him. Barry turned, not having heard the man walk up. Henry also had white roses in his hand.

"Looks like we had the same idea." he told his son, smiling at the roses already there. His father eyes were red and Barry wondered how long he had been standing there.

"Did you know I would be here?"

"No, I saw you when I pulled up and thought I would give you some time alone with her. I come out here every other day if I can, sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes I need to be here and sometimes I can't because it hurts so much. I think everyday about her, after all this time it feels like I had her in my arms yesterday. I blame myself for not protecting her."

"Dad, you couldn't have stopped Thawne."

"I know. You made the right choice when you didn't save her when you had the chance. Some things are meant to be no matter how much they hurt. You were meant to be the Flash and as much as I know you love it, I also know it hurts. I shouldn't have left. I should have stayed and supported you. I thought I was giving you space so you wouldn't have to worry about me but that wasn't it. I have always felt I failed you. Thawne or not, I should have protected her."

"What happened wasn't your fault."

"Then why do I feel like such a failure? My God, you are amazing, son. Believing in me all those years, never giving up, the work you did, the lives you have saved. The evil you have defeated. You are your mother's son."

"You were a doctor and will be again. You have saved quite a few lives yourself." Barry told him, grinning, trying to brush aside the praise.

"Maybe, but I always knew you were special. It wasn't just the normal, you are my son and special thing either. Something about you, something set you apart and others recognized it. It was why you got picked on so much. The others didn't like it. They weren't you. Its why so many of these metas wanted to take you down, why Zoom wanted to change you, make you darker. They hate you because they can't be you. Thats why that Prometheus fellow came after you and Kara. All the people he could have gone after in this world, the President, heads of the FBI, Interpol, he came after the two of you because you are the best of the best. His mistake was thinking he had a chance."

"We had a lot of help."

"I know. Jeremiah and I talk, have coffee a lot of mornings, and he filled me in on that nightmare of a day. Alex doesn't surprise me, she would do anything, die for her sister, but the rest who stayed? Have you really thought about it?"

"They are our friends."

"Nyssa. Yeah, she loves Alex but she wasn't Alex's bodyguard that day. She was fighting for Kara and your child. Wells and Cisco stood in front of a door protecting you and Kara's family. Cisco doesn't surprise me but Harrison Wells? The man owes you a lot but to stand in front of a door with one gun, knowing multiple gunmen were coming at him? He could have been safe in that room as well.

Oliver Queen. Joe tells me he will never understand the bond you two have but I do. He sees the same thing everyone who knows you sees. He sees a hero and a brother he will stand by no matter what. Sara Lance? She barely knew you but there she was, with the rest, fighting for your family. She owed none of you anything, but I bet the thought of not getting involved never entered her mind. You inspire people son. You both do. I can't wait to meet my grandchild. You should go, shouldn't you? Don't you have some guests coming from out of town?"

Barry chuckled a bit. "Yeah, thats one way to put it. You want a ride? You haven't been in my sweet Volvo yet. Better take the chance before Kara drives it a few more times and it is gone forever. We can come back for the truck later."

"I'm going to stay a little while, talk to your mother. Tell her how proud I am of you. Tell her about Kara. I always wondered if there was anyone on Earth who would be good enough for you. Apparently there wasn't. It took another planet in another universe for your perfect match to find you. Go, I'll be by the lab later to meet your new friends."

Barry and his father hugged, and with a last small wave at his mother's headstone he walked off, needing to get to S.T.A.R. The portal was opening in an hour and he had no idea who was coming through. Kara's family he hoped but if there was one thing he knew in this life, it was to take nothing for granted. So of course the entire Justice League would be there, plain clothes but always, always ready.

Kara came out of her room as Barry arrived, a small bit of blue paint on her nose that he wiped off before kissing her. She still had a hard time believing this was real. She would be taking her clothes from Caitlin's to her new house. The furniture had been delivered, the appliances would be tomorrow and soon, very soon, Kara would be married, living in a home with a man she loved, eternally bound and begin focusing on her child that would be in this world in seven months and her marriage. Before that though, she was going to Disney World…in a plane. Like everything else, you take the good with the bad.

Barry walked into the room that formerly held the Speed Cannon that had been taken and Barry didn't need it anymore but it was in storage should it ever be needed again. The entire League was here, all in plain clothes as if they were in a meeting. All seemed relaxed but he knew better. Nyssa was going to be behind the portal, not a position Alex was crazy about, but one she had insisted on. Should a hostile force come through for some reason, Cisco could close the portal and Nyssa could attack from behind, giving an advantage to those in front. Carter and Kendra stood apart on either side of the portal. Sara stayed in the back ready to blast whoever came through if needed, with a cry. Alex had a rather nice tan leather coat on, her hands in the coat pockets, both gripping small caliber thirty eights with hollow point bullets. While not ideal for long shots, at close range they would be deadly. If Max Lord stepped through for some reason he was a dead man. Ray had shrunk and was hovering near the ceiling. If anything happened he would be down in less than a second, fully sized, powered and ready to fight. Jax and Martin stood closest each other.

Zatanna was shopping for an outfit to wear to the wedding and was to be called if a fight broke out.

Joe was out in the hallway with Thea, unseen, ready to enter if anything should happen. He glanced at her arrow and noted it did not appear to have any tricks up its sleeve other than a very sharp point. She saw him looking and shrugged her shoulders with a smile. He grinned back.

"Screw it, if we have to kill anyone we can just toss their bodies back in the hole." he told her, causing her to nearly laugh and blow their cover.

"It's time." Cisco told them, donning his visor and reaching out, power flowing from his small hands and opening up a hole in the universe, setting all their nerve endings on edge.

The worry the crew had was unfounded though none relaxed. It was a relief to see a large man in a blue suit, red boots and a familiar red cape flowing behind him with the symbol of the House of El on his chest walk through first. Kal El looked around and grinned approvingly, noting how those in the room were positioned. Barry and Kara were in the middle, but he had no doubt that Oliver Queen standing next to Kara, was prepared to throw her behind him while Barry attacked head on if anyone besides him and his friends had walked through. Or maybe Oliver Queen wasn't protecting Kara. He looked with his X ray vision, laughed and shook his head.

"J'onn have I ever told you just how uncomfortable you look in Kara's form? I would have loved to have been there the day you delivered whole milk in the latte for Cat."

Kara smiled and morphed into the figure of J'onn.

"I assume you have had no trouble on your end? All is clear on this end." he told his friend. Everyone semi relaxed but their eyes never wandered from the portal.

"Everything is good. C'mon in everybody, the water is great." he shouted back into the portal. Kara pushed her way into the room.

"Can I come in now?! You guys are worse than secret service. I can't protect you all if you keep me in the hallway. Kal!"

Kara ran to her cousin whose smile was much brighter than the last time she had seen him. He looked like himself again, instead of the dark person she had encountered on her last trip to Earth 3. He wrapped his cousin in his arms and lifted her off the ground.

"Not too tight! We don't know when she might have an outage." Oliver warned the man, whose eyes opened in realization and immediately lessened his very tight grip on her. She had always been the one person he could hug with all his strength but certainly wouldn't take the chance now. Breaking her ribs would not be a good start to the wedding weekend.

Behind him, a fierce but beautiful woman walked out, wearing the strangest outfit. Her dark red top was armor, strapless, her shoulders bare. Below was a dark blue armored skirt of a sort, not even reaching mid thigh. Kara didn't want to think about what was under the skirt but she hoped something. Her wrists were covered in gauntlets and a lasso hung from her hip. In one hand she held a shield and in the other a large broad sword. Her flowing dark hair, her lean form, muscular but feminine, was striking. She stood nearly six foot tall and her back was straight while her body appeared fluid at the same time. Despite her beauty and outfit, she did not come off as a sex object to Kara, who admittedly could never wear something so revealing. Instead she came off as a warrior, one you would not want to meet on the battle field. Her eyes took in the entire room, making contact with everyone, even Cisco who was gaping through his visor and Kara hoped he would be able to control himself until the rest were through.

"Eyes on the portal." she told Cisco, only glancing in his direction once. "So no battle, Kal?"

"I think we are good Diana." her cousin told the woman with a smile and Kara thought Lois must love this one. Next the black shrouded figure of Bruce Wayne stepped out, not clad in an Armani suit but instead the armor of Batman. Kara still had a hard time placing the handsome and smiling face of Bruce Wayne as that of the scowling mouth and eyes behind the dark mask.

Despite his frightening appearance he grinned a bit and winked at Kara who couldn't help smiling back. Next two very large men stepped through the portal, one a white man with a dark beard and dark hair that hung in a pony tail. He was bigger than any man Kara had seen in a while, and while dressed in blue jeans and a tight shirt, the long bag that hung from his shoulders interested her. Kara took a look and saw of all things a trident inside, one with very sharp ends. The black man next to him was very muscular, almost as large as the man beside him but did not appear different from any other strong athlete. Kara took a look at him as well and was shocked to see half his body was robotic. She prayed to Rao that Cisco didn't faint if the man every took off the human resembling prosthetics covering the metal on him. The man was a walking dream of Cisco's, the improvements he would try to make, causing her to grimace. Both of the large men held two large plastic crates. Kara saw no computer equipment but clothes mostly, bags, and what she thought was Dick Grayson's outfit. Some sort of large cannon weapon also lay in the bottom of one.

Behind them, walked a man, both Kara and Barry were fond of, Dick Grayson, not in his usual black garb, but dressed casually, his frame muscular and lean, seeming small next to the two men in front of her. Her heart warmed to see him assisting Barbara Gordon out of the portal. She was moving slowly, but moving, leaning on a walker. Kara wondered if the chip had not worked as well as hoped but then remembered Barbara had been in a chair much longer than Felicity and her muscles had likely atrophied. Regaining full strength would take time. Behind those two, Lois, Carter and Cat walked in, Cat walking quickly while Lois stayed by Carter's side. Despite the presence of a security force beside her, she passes them by, took in her surroundings and looked directly at Oliver Queen.

"Oliver, be a dear and walk through the portal. Apparently the boy scout felt he should be first in case villains had taken over your… this place is impressive… and the Amazon with no modesty issues and the billionaire crime fighter dressed for Halloween felt they should be ready for war. Our muscle is carrying the rest of the bags in large boxes that my luggage will not be crammed into. Dick is helping Barbara and there is absolutely no way I am carrying my own bags. There should be three, for me anyway. Carter has one and Lois has two. Thank you, now chop chop, before Cyclops can't hold the portal any longer due to drooling over Diana."

Oliver couldn't help but smile, glancing at Jax and Carter who walked into the portal and emerged a minute later, heaving five large luggage bags between them.

"Now Kara, I am so sorry dear. When we had the discussion about cupcakes I should have mentioned that cupcakes have wrappings for a reason. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Cat. It is good to see you." she told her old mentor, pulling her in for a hug.

"Anybody else or can I close this now?" Cisco asked.

"One moment Cisco." Kal told him, walking back into the portal and entering the lab once again holding a huge crystal structure with a flat top, at least five foot wide. Kara gasped.

"Is that…"

"The Jewel of Truth and Honor. It's at least one of them that emerged from a crystal in my Fortress. No Kryptonian is married without it." He sat the large structure on the ground and nodded to Cisco who let out a breath and closed the portal. He wasn't a doorman. Portals took effort but he wouldn't complain. Seeing the look of joy on Kara's face made him glad he could do it.

While Kal introduced his teammates to the ones in the lab he knew and the others introduced themselves to each other, Nyssa walked near Alex and whispered in her ear.

"The female warrior, what do you think of her?"

"I may not have any experience in relationships before you but even I know there is absolutely no way I can answer that without getting into trouble. Why? What do you see? Am I going to have to worry about you flirting?"

"Don't be ridiculous, she doesn't compare to your beauty. Take her in though. Compare her to the others. What do you see?"

Alex did take her in, looking past the form fitting armor and weapons, her long legs and lean muscle tone. Instead she took in her eyes, the eyes that even though everyone had relaxed a bit, still studied every inch of the room. Her grip on her shield never relaxed and as soon as she shook a hand, her hand fell back nearest her sword without grabbing it. The most striking feature was the charming smile she wore while she sized up every single person in the room, including Alex and Nyssa.

"She is the most dangerous." Alex whispered.

"Exactly. Why?"

"Her eyes. All of them have fought but she has been in wars. Her countenance, the manner she examines everyone but disguises it behind a friendly smile, she has power and it is greater than that sword on her hip. Carrying the lasso makes no sense so it must be a weapon. The long bracelets make no sense either. Standard gauntlets should cover her knuckles, at least the top of her hands These do neither but they have a purpose. Everything on her has purpose. She wears the tight armor that barely covers her for two reasons probably, one to distract an opponent with her beauty and another because while protective over vital areas it in no way impedes her movement."

"Very good. She is the most dangerous here. I would guess her strength rivals your sister's."

"So we should keep an eye on her?" Alex guessed not questioning Nyssa's assertion of the woman's strength.

"We should be thankful she is on our side. We should put on our charming faces and mingle, just as she is doing right now. The black man intrigues me but the one with the beard and ponytail, he is a warrior also. Bruce Wayne did well choosing his team."

While the two teams sat the bags down and mingled, Eliza, Jeremiah and Caitlin walked in. Eliza and Cat hugged warmly, the two having become close during their joint venture.

"Lucy wishes she could be here, but with so many of the team gone, she felt it was best she stayed behind in Watchtower. She said she hoped to see you soon though and sent her best." Lois told Kara, who understood. She also wondered how many of the team stayed behind. How large was the team? Kara was grateful that Dinah Laurel Lance stayed behind. She had nothing against the woman, suspected she could be friends if she had met her in that universe but with Sara here, and Quentin coming to the wedding, the blonde wasn't sure what their reactions would be. Seeing someone who was so like Laurel in appearance and heroism but not their Laurel would be difficult, if not extremely painful. Perhaps the Black Canary of that Universe thought so as well.

"So I understand there is a mad man after you Kara?" Cat asked.

"No we took care of him."

"Is that why there are multiple spots on walls that have obviously been patched over and still a number of bullet holes?"

"Yes."

"At least he is gone. We cannot have this weekend ruined." Cat pointed out, ready to bully and nag Bruce and Kal El until they underwent a mission to find and rid this man from the universe. Carter tugged on Kara's sleeve and she leaned down to hug him.

"Can you please show me around? This place is amazing." he asked her quietly.

"Of course. Let me…"

"I'll show him around. Want to see some amazing things kid? I can show you amazing." Wells told him with a smile, entering the crowded room. Kara nodded at Cat who silently agreed.

"Carter, this is Dr. Harrison Wells. He is one of the most brilliant men I have ever met and has the coolest toys. I know Winn will be here soon and he loves to see what Dr. Wells is working on. Do you want a tour with him while I greet everyone?"

Carter looked doubtful for a moment but the smile on Well's face convinced him. "Call me Harry kid. Lets go see what kind of tricks we can find."

While a happy Carter walked off, Kal greeted Barry, offering his hand. Barry had prepared for this, concentrating on vibrating only his hand, increasing the density of his bones and sending sparks in the tendons of his wrist. Kal gripped hard, then the surprise showed on his face when Barry gripped just as hard. Barry grinned at the surprise on Superman's face.

"So I hear you have gotten my baby cousin pregnant." he started after the handshake was over.

"If you mean the Elder of your House and I are having a child you would be correct. It is good to see you Kal El. You look much happier than the last time we met."

"I suppose you could say that. I'll admit while I felt a bit bad about the incorrect information I had given Kara I am happy the line of our house is continuing and she couldn't have picked a better man."

"Yeah, I'm pretty glad you gave her the wrong information as well. It was a surprise, one we were not prepared for and it has its challenges but we are both very happy."

"Excuse me Barry, is Ray Palmer and Felicity Smoak here? Bruce Wayne asked him.

"Felicity is at the office finishing up some last minute work so she can enjoy the weekend. She will be with the women tonight. Ray is right behind you."

Bruce turned quickly seeing nothing until Ray grew to full-size, causing him to jump back then smile. He pulled his mask back and greeted the smiling man.

"I have much to thank you for." he told the Atom, offering his hand that Ray took.

"You really don't, but you are welcome. Have you figured out how to replicate the power source yet?"

"Unfortunately no. We placed the chip you sent us in her as soon as possible."

"Then I will show you before you leave. Wayne Enterprises deserves the chance to change lives in your world as …"

Ray's speech was cut off when Barbara shuffle over in her walker, placed it aside and fell into Ray's armored arms wrapping him in a hug.

Charlie walked in and seeing the new people, let out a howl that one wouldn't expect from a creature so small. He continued barking, walking slowly towards Kara but never taking his eyes off the potential dangers these strange interlopers could bring. Holding him in her arms, he quieted down. Cat moved too close and he attempted to jump out of Kara's arms to lick the woman's face but was pulled back by Superwoman before her old boss could kill Charlie with a glare.

Kal El, opened one of his luggages that held him and Lois's clothes. He picked up a small object in a black velvet pouch and presented it to a surprised Caitlin Snow. She reached in and pulled out a beautiful crystal, carved in the symbol of the House of El on a chain of white gold.

"One of the crystals in my fortress. I used my heat vision to carve it. Our line continues because of you, You are an honorary member of our family now."

"I… I don't know what to say. It's beautiful."

"You don't have to say anything. Just know that you are one of us, as if you weren't before, this is a symbol of the deep appreciation of my side of the house."

"Thank you." Caitlin told him in a shaky voice, never having seen something as beautiful. The manner the light lit up the crystal was mesmerizing.

"Am I to understand there is no one to fight? What of this mad man?" the large man who had not yet introduced himself asked.

"He is gone. He made the mistake of attacking us here in our home, thinking our entire team was away, and was defeated." Kara said, without going into further detail. "I am very grateful you have come to aid in the wedding and would love for you to stay, but if you want to go back I will understand."

The man stared at the short blonde, recognizing her for a warrior, even in her casual clothes, holding a puppy.

"I like you. I will stay. My thanks for your hospitality. My name is Arthur Curry."

"Kara Zor El, for a couple more days at least." she told him, taking his offered hand.

"You are letting go of the family name?" Kal asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I guess I am. It's being carried on in Jeremiah, Eliza and Alex. Since Nyssa is need of one, a real one anyway, she may carry it one day as well. But I am taking Barry's name. I want to."

"Its great name." Kal El told her, truthfully. "I think Ray is going to have the caravan of SUVs I see outside take my friends to a hotel. I would really like to see the house you two have bought. You have bought a house, right?"

'Yeah, we bought a home. Its beautiful." Kara told her, eyes starting to mist, glad to see the sunshine back on her cousin's face.

"Excellent. I wish to see it as well. Bruce and…" Cat began.

"I'm Diana Prince. We haven't had the pleasure yet. I have heard many tales of your heroics Kara Zor El, as well as your sister's. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you."

"Thanks Diana…"

"Wonder Woman." Cat corrected immediately.

"What?"

"Wonder Woman, Kara. I named her. I named all of them. Its part of PR that Miss Prince does not seem to grasp yet."

"My name is Diana Prince. Just Diana if you want to be truthful." the woman told Cat Grant with a forced smile.

"She gets to be called woman and I had to come to another universe to get that title? Really Cat?"

"Kara dear, remember how you dressed? Diana dresses like a much less conservative Xena and carries a sword. No one is going to accept Wonder Girl."

Kara looked the brunette up and down then shrugged her shoulders. She supposed Cat had a point.

"Fair enough. Diana would you like to come with me and Barry, while I show my cousin my new home?"

"I would love to spend as much time with you as possible. I wish I had met you when you started out. The skills I could have shown you. A month on my island and you would have ripped Non's head off in your first battle with him. But you have done well, learning on your own and with your sister. I understand your sister Alex is quite the warrior. She would be the one with the woman who has not stopped watching me since we arrived, correct?"

"Nyssa isn't watching you. Not like… her and my sister are in love and…"

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to imply anything of that sort. I simply mean that she has been watching me because she knows I am dangerous. Protective, that one is. I like her and I haven't even spoken to her yet. You can learn much from her Kara. I believe we all need to change into something more conservative and then we will be ready to accompany you."

"Oh, sorry for assuming… there are locker rooms here. Cat! Let me drive you there. My car seats seven, so you, Kal, Bruce, and Diana, will have plenty of room and Carter of course. Charlie's safety seat takes up on spot but there are plenty others. My car is awesome Cat!"

"Very well. Lead the way Kara. We can grab Carter on the way out."

Cat stopped after a few steps and turned. "Aren't the three of you coming?"

"We are going to ride with Eliza." Kal told her. "We will be right behind you."

Ten minutes later Cat Grant was reliving old times, yelling at her former assistant.

"Pull over this instant!"

Kara huffed but as always did as the woman ordered. Cat got out and walked to the driver's side, making sure her glare conveyed to Kara that she would be driving. Kara dropped her head and got out, moving to the passenger seat and began giving Cat directions.

Barry and Carter tried not to laugh in the back seat but Carter was unsuccessful.

"Where did you learn to drive, or not as the case may be?" Cat asked, still trying to come to grips with how someone who could fly so fast could not handle operating a vehicle in a straight line going thirty miles an hour.

"And you Mr. Allen! You knew this and let my son ride with her?"

"It's not like we were going to be in a high speed wreck." Barry pointed out.

On arrival at the new residence, Kara ran, having forgotten to roll the window down along with a bout of morning sickness she prayed did not appear during the ceremony and made it to the bathroom in time, barely. Walking back into the living room, she saw the group taking it in, as Barry led them on a tour, remembering to bring Charlie inside. She was pleased by this. Barry's training was going well according to Alex and she had to agree.

"Kara honey, can I talk to you for a moment?" Eliza asked. Kara followed her into one of the guests rooms.

"Sweetie I know you are quite a bit more known by authorities here, but the general public does not need to know your identity. You understand this, right?"

"Of course."

"Then can you explain this?" Eliza handed her phone to the blonde, noticing it was on Youtube. The video was titled small blonde girl owns man on Black Friday.

"Whoa, this should be good." Kara told her mother. Pressing play she was surprised to see herself at Wal Mart. She remembered this well. Her timing was perfect. The man, 6'4 and perhaps 250 pounds of something other than muscle with a shaved head and goatee, reached for a smoothie maker, grabbing at the exact moment Kara did. She brought it down into her arms, his hands still gripping the box. It had been the last one and she had been watching it carefully.

"Let go lady. I got to it first." the garbled voice said. Kara stood in her place, staring at the man. He pulled, pulled again and surprised the box had not moved, wrapped his arms tighter around the blender. Pulling once more, Kara let it go, throwing her hands up watching the man fall on his back side. The crowd around him laughed, one man picked up the box and handed it back to Kara who smiled, and walked off, a definite exaggerated swing in her hips.

"Oh… yeah that was a fun day. Pretty cool huh? Did you see his face when he couldn't move it out of my hands? What a jerk."

"Kara… the man weighed three hundred pounds at least. You don't think anyone might question how a woman who weighs no more than 125 could stand her ground and not budge?"

"I don't know. It looked pretty funny to me."

"Do you think Barry would find it funny, possibly exposing yourself to the world? Look how many hits this has gotten."

"Oh my."

"Exactly."

"Barry! Barry come here!" Barry zoomed in next to her, worried at first then looking at the phone in her hand.

"The video you took! Its gone viral! Over a hundred thousand hits! Look how many likes!"

"That is so awesome! Did you see it Eliza? You should have seen the look on that man's… we probably shouldn't have done that, huh?" Barry asked, seeing the look of disapproval on her face.

"You two might want to be more subtle next time." Eliza told them, rolling her eyes and giving up. Kara may as well start signing endorsement deals.

A scream was heard in the house, one of pain and fear. Kara and Barry moved quickly, Eliza behind, to the living room, prepared for anything. What they saw shocked them. Kara had forgotten Harvey Dent was to bring her wedding gown over today. The wedding gown in its cover lay draped over the couch. Harvey lay face down on the ground, Bruce Wayne's knee in his back and his arm pulled up and twisted. A simple turn and Bruce could break his arm.

"What are you doing?!" Superwoman asked, panicking.

"This… do you know who this is?" Bruce asked, trying to remain calm, despite the man he thought he had left behind… in another universe… doppleganger, Bruce realized too late.

"Yes, thats Harvey, the man I bought my dress from." Kara explained. Bruce gently stood up while Harvey rolled over and took the man in.

"I apologize Harvey. You look like someone I know, someone who is very dangerous. I had no right and no excuse. May I help you up?"

Harvey turned from fear and pain to anger then he met Bruce Wayne's eyes and took his hand, being pulled up.

"Think nothing of it, uh… I didn't catch your name?"

"Bruce Wayne."

Harvey took a card from inside his coat pocket and handed it to the Batman. "If you ever want to do it again give me a call. You can certainly make it up to me Bruce Wayne. Kara the dress has all the alterations needed, not that many were. Would you like to try it on quickly and make sure it is perfect before I go? Perhaps you would be interested in seeing my business afterward Mr. Wayne?"

"That sounds like a lovely idea. Bruce does love the wedding industry. We can entertain ourselves if you would like to visit with your new friend." Diana told him, walking in, Kal behind her, both wearing huge smiles. Wayne scowled and politely declined. Ten minutes later, Eliza called Kal into the bedroom. He took in his younger cousin and immediately wanted to cry. She was a vision in white.

"I don't have the words." he admitted.

Eliza took her in proudly. "That was Jeremiah's reaction as well."

"So this will do?" she asked, despite everything the two had gone through in their complicated relationship, he would always be family and she found herself desperately wanting his approval. The tear that rolled down Kal El's cheek told his feelings better than words. The two hugged, Kal El gently, wanting to squeeze her harder but not daring.

Later that night, Barry and Kara prepared to split up. Neither wanted to but Cisco and Alex insisted. Rather than having parties the night before the wedding both insisted if something had to be done, it would be done two nights before so both could be refreshed the wedding day.

"I don't want to leave you. Don't sleep at our house tonight, or tomorrow night. I want the first night to be the both of us, okay?"

"I'm staying with Joe tonight." he assured her.

"So any idea what you are going to be doing or where they are taking you?"

"Nope, but I threatened Cisco, that if any strippers were around I was leaving immediately. There is only one woman I want to see naked. So if I call you and ask if you want to spend the night at our house with me, then you will know it didn't go well."

"Oliver wouldn't let Cisco do that… would he?"

"He better not. I love you."

"I love you. We will see each other tomorrow right?"

"Yep. We can meet for lunch, then you are going to Eliza's right?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get ready at S.T.A.R. in my room but I will stay tomorrow night at Mom and Dad's. You are going to stay at the apartment?"

"As much as it sucks sleeping there without you, Joe's is kind of crowded at the moment with Dad and Wally there and I don't feel like sleeping on the couch two nights in a row. Jessie arrived and will be watching Carter and Charlie at the hotel, so all is set. I don't want to let you go. Maybe we should make everyone do the same thing tonight? We can be together."

"No, they have worked hard to plan these. We can make it one night. One more day then our wedding, then Disney Land!"

Barry wasn't sure which one she seemed more excited for, so rather than ask, he kissed her deeply until Jeremiah cleared his throat.

"We have a party to get to Barry? If you two think you can peel off each other for the night, that is." he told the Flash sternly, then smiled, unable to keep up the humor off his face. The two reminded him of Eliza and him when they were first together. Although the passion never stopped, they had learned to be more discrete in public, especially after Alex was born.

Once in the car with her sister, getting to ride in the Porsche finally, Kara was instructed to put on her old lead lined glasses and a blind fold.

"I'll puke if I can't see ,Alex."

"You will puke regardless. Keep the window down, stick your head out if you have to barf and relax."

Doing as instructed, Kara made it to the location, helped out of the car by her sister. She heard the women around her, even Felicity talking animatedly about some sort of software with Barbara and slowly walking beside her friend from another universe who she had so much in common with. Thea, Sara, Nyssa, Cat and even Diana came. Eliza and Caitlin of course were already there, making sure everything was perfect inside wherever they were and Kara was certain Iris was somewhere around. Kara could smell Kendra's perfume and hear the unmistakable sound of Zatanna's stilettos clicking on the pavement of the parking lot. Entering a building, the cool air made her instantly feel better but from the sound of loud music she internally groaned. Kara had hoped to avoid clubs tonight. Her mind was not on dancing. Once inside the music quieted though as if the volume was turned down.

The blind fold and glasses were pulled from her eyes and Kara took it all in. The entire place was empty, save for her friends and family. A large buffet was spread out, having been set up by Eliza and Caitlin. And the lanes… so many lanes.

"You rented the bowling alley?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. I figure since Barry sucks and probably won't want to spend a lot of time getting beat by you, this may be your last chance to spend hours playing. What do you think?" her sister asked. In answer, Kara wrapped her arms around Alex, causing the brunette to gasp a little from the tightness but smiled anyway.

"Line up everyone! Pick a lane!" Kara shouted, even avoiding the buffet to grab the heaviest ball she could get her hands on that had holes designed for small hands. When Kara was fifteen her and Alex visited a bowling alley for kicks. Kara bowled a perfect game, the entire alley watching her last three frames. She had been addicted since then but once she moved to National City, never had the time. It had been too long.

"I think I will have a seat and watch. There is absolutely no way I am doing this and ruining my manicure… oh is that alcohol I see? Finally. I've been wanting a drink since I rode in Kara's car." Cat grumbled.

"Zatanna, no cheating." Superwoman told her fellow superhero who looked as innocent as possible for a gorgeous vixen in a mini skirt.

"Nyssa, you Cait and Alex can be in my lane for the first set."

"I do not… bowl." Nyssa told the blonde.

"Oh… okay, if you can't do it I understand. I don't want you to be embarrassed. Have a seat while the rest of us compete." Kara told her, knowing how to push Nyssa's buttons as well and Nyssa could push hers. The feared former assassin glared but walked to a rack of bowling balls and selected an appropriate sized weapon. Kara rolled fist, her timing and aim perfect as always, hitting the pins for a strike.

Nyssa followed, rolling the ball, equally well, having copied Kara's movements from one look. Her ball struck nine pins, leaving one standing.

"Good try Nyssa. A spare is…"

Kara's praise ended when a very sharp throwing star struck the remaining pin, burying itself in the wood and sending it back as if a shotgun had been fired at it. The entire room quieted.

"Oh look, a perfect strike. You are right Kara, this is an enjoyable game."

While Nyssa was showing Kara a new method for bowling, Barry was driven to a warehouse. It was quiet, no cars in sight.

"Please tell me some evil meta is in there and we can all fight him. That would be a blast."

"Sorry Bar. Had to rent this place out. A standard club wouldn't work and we didn't want to disturb anyone." Cisco explained.

"I'm marrying a woman with a perfect body, my dream girl, every man's dream girl. We sleep together every night. If there are any strippers in there I am leaving, understand?" the Flash warned his friend.

"I'm not sure if I should be disturbed or proud." Kal El whispered to Jeremiah and Joe.

"I'm going with proud and forgetting what he said about Kara'a body." her father decided. Kal seemed to agree.

"Barry, for most men a bachelor party is a chance to do some things before marriage that you won't be able to do after marriage. But you are correct. You had no life before Kara and since you have been with her you do have this perfect, super powered blonde goddess who you get to sleep with every night, doing things you never got to do before you met her. You hit the jackpot buddy. She is amazing, I mean her legs and core…"

"Cisco!"

"Yeah Oliver?"

"Could you get to the point before the large Kryptonian here launches you into space and you start hanging out with Vandal Savage?"

"Oh right. My bad. Just pointing out how lucky my bud is. But you are correct, Barry, strippers can offer you nothing better than the babe you have. There is one thing you will not be able to do any longer, especially having a baby. Come inside my friend. Your dreams await."

Barry cautiously followed Cisco inside and froze. Inside the mostly empty warehouse were a couple of coolers of beer for those who could enjoy them and ten black booths. He knew what they were immediately.

"Those are…"

"The latest in immersive,virtual reality gaming systems. The most realistic game play you will experience on this Earth. My newest designs, not even on the market yet." Ray explained. "I thought tonight may be a good time to beta test them."

"Whoa… so…" Barry started, taking in the possibilities. He had not played games in a very long time. He and Cisco use to spend all night long playing until he met Kara and the two found better pursuits.

"Who is up for a Halo tournament?" Ray asked. "I am. Those who cant hack it with games, like you Oliver, can enjoy the beer or that gasoline you call Vodka."

"Oh I am playing. I may not know much about video games Ray, but if this is as realistic as you say, I think I can pick it up fairly quickly. See you on the battlefield."

"Yeah, I'm in." Jeremiah told the group, surprising all. Joe, Harry and Henry grabbed a beer, sat down and prepared to watch the action on the large screen that had just lit up on the far wall.

"Cisco I don't know what to say." the Flash admitted.

"Say nothing. This is your last chance to play video games all night. Or at least till two or three. Enjoy it man."

Barry and his friend hugged then he moved quicker than anyone could see to the booth in the middle, selecting his weapons and getting used to the darkness and the feel of being surrounded by a virtual battlefield. Winn and Cisco were quickly behind him.

"You in on this?" Victor Stone asked Curry.

"I'm waiting for those gentlemen to have a couple beers and I am polishing off the remaining two cases. You?"

"I am pretty sure I can plug into one of the ports and activate God mode. Yeah, I'm gonna jump in. If this Palmer guy can build a chip to allow Oracle to walk again I can't wait to see what he can do with video games. He is like Bruce but actually fun. You see that damn suit that can shrink? Scared the hell out of me. Think we can trade him for Bruce?"

"Excuse me guys, we haven't met. John Diggle."

The large man offered his hand to the larger Arthur Curry who returned the gesture. "Arthur Curry. Cat Grant calls me Aquaman because she has no sense of self preservation."

"Victor Stone. Cat Grant calls me Cyborg cause she thinks that shit is funny. She is lucky I am a gentleman. If Perry White had pulled that stunt I would have tossed him off that giant globe on top of his building."

"Cyborg? Why Cyborg?"

Victor looked at Diggle and smiled, wondering what the man would think if he shed his human disguise. Instead he allowed his one artificial eye to light up, surprising the hell out of Dig.

"Like I said, she has a weird sense of humor. I'm going to game."

Both parties ended at two AM. Nyssa having watched the others to the point that she did not need throwing stars, weapons or arrows to roll strikes. Kara was certain that Zatanna did cheat once or twice, especially when she had a split, the ball striking one pin, stopping on a dime and moving to the immediate right to knock over the other. Sara, after rolling her fifth gutter ball in a row, placed her sonic device on, screaming, the pins falling but the glass over the pins shattering as well. Nyssa promised she would cover the damaged since she already had to pay for one lane breaking when an arrow jammed the conveyer belt bringing the balls back. Despite these advantages, Kara won, even rolling one perfect game.

The next day, the two lovers met up for lunch with everyone at Ray's town house, getting to know one another and sharing stories about villains and recent battles. Finally Kara asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.

"So how did the trial go? Did it… is it still going on or… what?"

The entire table quieted so Cat Grant decided once again it was up to her to break the silence.

"The trial never happened. The prosecutor changed your charge to attempted homicide. The woman agreed to a sentence of thirty years, on all charges, hoping she could make parole in twenty and perhaps not die in prison. The world had questions about the change in charges so I broadcast your message. Two days later she was found dead in her home. She had been given the opportunity to get her affairs in order before reporting to federal prison and was guarded by US Marshals. Apparently she killed herself according to authorities. The house had been searched before she entered and it is unknown where she hid a gun. The world is not exactly mourning her. Her funeral was a quiet affair, hardly attended except by the press."

"But… why would she agree to a deal and then kill herself?" Kara asked, shaken, wondering if her message had sent the woman over the edge.

"It wasn't your fault, Kara. I can read your face already. Not everything is your responsibility. We suspect she didn't commit suicide regardless. Bruce has been scouring the evidence that Barbara has retrieved from FBI database and he believes as do we all, that she was murdered, by a very skilled killer. As part of her plea deal she was required to give up information on the remains of Project Cadmus and the Order who ran it, including its members. We believe she was murdered before she could talk, despite the protection she had around her."

"Wow."

"We will find out who was behind this Kara. They are not forgotten." Kal told her.

Kara nodded her head. "Just be careful. If they came for her, they could come for…" Kara didn't finish but her eyes took in those at the table without superpowers, Carter, Cat, Lois.

"We will take care of it. I promise you. None of us will be harmed." Bruce told her, the confidence in his voice making her feel a bit better.

"When you do find them, if you need us, we will be there. Just have J'onn give Cisco a headache again." Barry told him. Cisco didn't find the idea appealing. "We owe them payback too." The Flash reminded the JL of Earth 3.

That night the two star crossed lovers kissed good night at ten and reluctantly went their separate ways. The sun that morning seems to take forever to rise, both up early, both unable to sleep any longer, instead thinking of the paths their lives had taken to intertwine with each other. Kara could not help but think of the first time she saw him, the first time he pulled back his mask, the way her heart sped up, flying off, not thinking or lingering on it and seeing the red streak underneath her.

Barry lay in bed, looking at he ceiling, thinking of the first time he saw her as well but he also thought about his second trip to her universe. The fear he felt, seeing her lying there on her floor, the dread he felt when her heart stopped, the way his heartbeat never slowed down, even as she was recovering. It had been hard enough to leave her the first time. Seeing her nearly die showed him that he would never leave her again, no matter what universe he had to live in. He thought of the way her hand held his even in her sleep. This seemed like the culmination of a plan put in motion by fate that was a difficult road but destined all the same. They were meant to be together.

As sun rose, Kara met her mother, sister and Caitlin in her room at S.T.A.R.. The Jewel of Truth and Honor had been placed on the exact spot in the cleared out med bay where Barry had brought Kara on her arrival to this Earth. The spot where Caitlin saved her life while Barry and Cisco shared their blood with her.

The bridesmaids dressed in the women's locker room, the blue dresses Kara had finally settled on, and Alex in her red, the dresses hung off the shoulders, long and simple, elegant, and not overdone. Barry and his groomsmen prepared in the room that held the Speed Cannon, All in black tuxes and blue bow ties, the shade of Kara's suit.

Barry was actually sweating a bit, Oliver noticed, walking up to his friend to straighten his bow tie.

"You doing all right?" he asked.

"Just nervous. I need to read the notes Alex gave me one more time. You think Ray has it down? He must right? The guy is a genius. No way he screws it up. What if he calls her a cow or something by accident?"

"I don't think there were cows on Krypton. I'm pretty sure she would have mentioned it before."

"Good point."

"Does she know you are doing this?"

"I thought it would be a surprise and it will be, especially if I screw this up."

"You won't. I believe in you. Always have, always will. Just make sure Cisco hasn't lost the ring and all will be fine." the Arrow told him, patting him on the shoulder.

For what seemed like forever but was actually not that long, Barry walked to the Jewel of Truth and Honor, in front of Ray who stood on an elevated platform. Eliza was already crying. Nyssa was seated next to her. Kara had asked her to be a bridesmaid but Nyssa politely declined, telling her if she ever stood near a ceremony involving marriage again it would be with Alex as her bride. She had not had luck in her prior marriage. Oliver found this funny. Nyssa didn't.

He watched as Alex and Cisco walk in together and stood across from each other, Cisco by his his side. Caitlin and Winn followed. Oliver and Felicity came next, followed by Thea and Jax, Carter and Kendra, Iris and Wally, and Sara along with Harry. Both had been surprised when Kara and Barry asked them and both accepted the honor immediately.

Then the moment everyone had been waiting for, especially Barry. He had not even seen her dress, much less her in it. She had forgone a veil, her hair hanging free and wavy, just as it did while she fought crime or went to work, beautiful, glowing. Her gown was breath taking, not overly done but elegant, just like her. She had a smile on her face and her eyes glistened. Had Caitlin been monitoring her vitals she would have seen Kara's pulse and her respiratory rate climbing. Still she felt good, no nausea, even the baby seeming to sense the magnitude of the ceremony, not causing any problems. The march was short but seemed to take forever to both Kara and Barry.

Barry stepped off the Jewel of Truth and Honor to take her from Jeremiah and help her reach the top. Jeremiah let go of her arm, allowing Barry to wrap his arm around hers.

"I will never give her away, but I will share her with the greatest man I have ever had the privilege to know, Barry Allen." Jeremiah told him, wiped his eyes, kissed Kara on the cheek and sat by Eliza, holding her closely.

Kara smiled shyly at Barry, feeling like she was seeing him for the first time. She had never seen him in a tux and promised herself she would make sure she did again. Black tie affairs were in their future.

Both stepped up onto the beautiful Jewel, Kal holding Lois's hand and thinking it was definitely worth the flight carrying the large crystal from Antarctica to Gotham.

"You have always been beautiful but you are radiant today." Barry whispered to her.

"You aren't so bad yourself. You clean up real good. I'm glad we didn't wear our costumes." she whispered back, hoping a bit of humor would calm her nerves. She had no doubts about marriage, but this was a dream come true, one she never thought she would have and wanted to be perfect, no nausea, no breaking down in tears, she wanted to be calm and collected and was beginning to doubt if she could. Ray welcomed the gathering which included outside of the two Justice Leagues and their families, Captain Singh. Chief Corrigan, and his wife were present as well as Quentin and Donna, and Martin's wife beside him. Quentin had told the Chief he would definitely take his offer, before the ceremony. Off duty, and on duty officers surrounded S.T.A.R. labs, determined that nothing would ruin this day for the couple. Victor Stone stood on top of S.T.A.R. using his advanced vision to watch the sky, the cannon that could be attached where his artificial hand now resided could be attached in seconds.

In the med bay, Ray began.

"Before we start, I would like to mention that Kara was named after the constellation that represented the Goddess of Beauty. I believe she is outshining the Goddess today. Some of you may not know this, but Kara and some of her family, who cannot be here with us today, believed that marriage was forever, even beyond this life and divorce was never permitted. This is not the bonding of two lives but two souls we are all about to witness for eternity. Barry, are you ready?"

Barry nodded, turned completely to Kara, took both her hands and began, his mind having prefect recall after weeks of working in secret with Alex. In perfect Kryptonese he spoke his vows.

" _From this day forward, I bind my soul to yours. I will honor, love, sacrifice and live for you. I promise myself to you forever beyond space and time_."

Kara's surprise at hearing such fluid Kryptonese was evident on her face. She blinked her eyes, fighting tears and promised herself as well.

" _From this day forward, I bind my soul to yours. I will honor, love, sacrifice and live for you. I promise myself to you forever beyond space and time_."

Barry handed her a bracelet, the colors of red and blue mixed in flowing lines wrapping around each other forming one unique pattern, only they would have. Kara's hand was shaking as he put the soft bracelet over her wrist and tied the string on the bottom, completing a Kryptonian tradition. Pulling up his sleeve, Kara was not sure what to do until Alex reached around and handed her a similar bracelet, so Kara could complete the ceremony. She wrapped the bracelet around his wrist with shaking hands, fumbling a bit with the strings on bottom.

Ray began speaking once again only this time, also in perfect Kryptonese.

 _"_ _In the name of truth and honor I declare the marriage vows binding upon you, From this day forward, throughout all time and space, even unto eternity, You are made husband and wife this day, and for all days hence. May the countenance of Rao ever shine on you."_

In English for the guests he began again.

"Bartholomew Henry Allen do you take this woman, Kara Zor El to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward for eternity, beyond space and time?"

"I do."

"Kara Zor El, do you take this man, Bartholomew Henry Allen to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward for eternity, beyond space and time?"

"I do." she answered, her voice strong, despite the emotion.

"The rings please."

Cisco handed Barry Kara's engagement ring, a wedding band joined with it, took her offered, shaking hand and placed it on her ring finger. Kara turned to a crying Alex who handed her the gold band, a simple traditional design just like both their fathers and placed it on his ring finger. She was glad to see she was not the only one whose hand was shaking.

Pulling her forward, the two kissed, softly, then more firmly and after a few seconds pulled back then faced the guests.

Ray smiled and raised his hands towards them.

"I present to you, Barry and Kara Allen."

The entire room that had been sitting rose from their seats, clapping. Tears were shed openly, even by the great Superman and his wife. Cat Grant was beside herself, fighting not to show her emotions but unable tonight them off, remembering the dark days she had thought Kara dead, the hole that loss left in her life and seeing her happy now, made it all seem so far away but close at the same time. Jeremiah thought of the sacrifice he made and would make again for both of his daughters, Eliza reliving the secret talks Kara's senior year when she had been alone and wondered if she would ever find someone who could love her and know everything about her at the same time.

Alex remembered the pain the two had gone through together, the thought of her sister dead, finding her alive, the guilt both had towards each other, but the love so strong. Kara's happiness had brought her a happiness she never thought she would have, as she glanced at the only woman she had ever loved. What a strange life this is.

"That was the most beautiful ceremony I have ever seen even if I couldn't understand half of it." Thea whispered to Felicity, who was overcome with happiness for the woman who after only knowing her for a day, nearly died to save her life.

"This is real." Kara whispered to herself but Barry heard her.

"Yes, it's real."

"It's not a dream?"

"No, it's not a dream. You and I are real. Our child is real, our life is real, our home is real."

"Thank you so much. I love you so much. I guess I needed you to save me after all."

"I love you too and for the record we saved each other."

The two exchanged declarations of love and another kiss, then stepped down from the Jewel to be with their family, all of them in the room, all family, fates tied together, stronger together.


	45. Chapter 45

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N Hello! I know it has been almost six days. I am changing shifts from nights to days. On the bright side I will be working less and be able to write more. On the down side spending 12 months working nights and then having to turn around in a week and changing sleep patterns has left me pretty disoriented. Thanks for all the encouragement as always. You guys are the best. This chapter deals a bit with the honeymoon but not much. The next chapter is going to be a Kara and Barry chapter mostly, 90 % anyway, so that is going to cover the Honeymoon, then the chapter after that we have a few time jumps leading up to the birth, and a few chapters to close out the Earth 1 story arc. Then a few chapters dealing with Earth 3 and our story ends. I'm going to be sad but I am also excited about my next project But here we go, a little honeymoon, a little JL action, Prometheus makes a short guest appearance and back to the honeymoon.

Chapter 45

The reception was in full swing, as the newlyweds made their rounds, greeting everyone, accepting congratulations while Kara was still letting what just happened soak in. Henry had hugged her twice already as had Joe, Eliza was still crying, ten minutes after the ceremony ended. Food was being served by caterers who had apparently been allowed in after the wedding and searched for weapons or recording devices of any kind by John Diggle. Not even cell phones were allowed into the lab except those belonging to guests. Cat Grant as always pushed her way to Kara, chiding those who did not get out of the way immediately. Reaching Kara, she wrapped her in a hug and then even graced the Blur with one as well, who walked away afterward to give the two time alone.

"So off to the honeymoon tonight or tomorrow?" she asked.

"Tomorrow. We fly out at 8 from the airport on Ray's jet." Kara answered, not enthused. " Tonight is the first night we are spending at our new home."

"Going to give the sex bracelet a work out, are you?"

Rather than blushing Kara changed the subject. "How are things with… Adam?"

Cat actually brightened. "Things are very good. We talk almost every other day. Of course he was shocked when he found out about who you were. A lot made sense to him after that revelation, I suppose. He never gave up hope of you being alive. I explained the multiverse as well as I could and he swore you were too special to die. He gave me and Carter hope."

"That's so nice." Kara admitted, thinking fondly of the guy who could have been her first boyfriend. She knew it never would have worked but she could have actually had a real second date that she didn't get kidnapped from or have to fly off.

"He wanted to be here but had to work and wasn't sure how his girlfriend would feel about him jumping dimensions to see an ex."

"He has a girlfriend? Thats great!" Kara told her, not pointing out that she and Adam weren't actually a couple, other than two interrupted dates, "Of course he would though, why wouldn't he? Do you like her?"

"She's a tramp, sadly, but I suppose he is happy for the moment. He extended his congratulations though. He saw you and your husband fighting for me in the park. Adam believed you two made a splendid couple, and his belief would be sealed if he were to see your husband and you running around in matching his and her costumes."

"Thats sweet. We will have to say hi the next time…"

"Don't." Cat cut her off.

"Don't?"

"Don't ever come back to our universe, Kara. It just isn't safe for you there, whether the President is dead or not. That Kryptonite… just stay here. We will come see you as often as you want. Tell the short slacker to call us when ready and we will be here but don't come back. I will come here to see you."

"Miss Grant…"

"This Order has not been caught yet, despite our best efforts and our best is the best. It isn't safe for you."

"It isn't safe for my cousin…"

"I don't care if he dies… I mean, I don't want him to die obviously, but you… you have to stay safe Kara. I realize you don't exactly lead a safe lifestyle but even if people on this Earth wanted you dead, when you aren't being an incubator for Zippy's children you can't be harmed. Stay here. I will come see you, maybe even for Christmas. I would love to get out of town and be somewhere my ex can't reach me by phone."

"Cat… you need to be careful. Carter … he could be…"

"I have the best security team watching him constantly, all vetted by the mind reading Martian. Your cousin is around constantly. He will be safe. Just stay away Kara. The last time you came, you ended up fighting monsters. I don't want to see you … I don't ever want someone walking into my office and telling me you are gone. Not again, do you understand?"

"Yes Cat. Thank you for caring."

"I always will, Kara. Now, go mingle, be a good hostess, we will be gone by the time you return of course from your honeymoon, but we will see each other soon, I promise. If not the holidays perhaps Carter's summer vacation."

"Thank you." Kara told her, sniffing a bit, and watched her mentor find Winn and actually hug him.

While the happy couple met up again in the middle of the throng, continuing to accept congratulations, the Amazon Princess, dressed in a midnight blue evening dress with a short train, beads on top and in the middle of a very low plunging neckline, approached the pair of women that interested her the most, outside of Kara. There were a cast of interesting characters, but what struck her was the number of non metahumans on this team. While they had Bruce, Roy, Dick, Helena occasionally, when the mood struck her, this team was filled with those who relied on physical combat and technology. The man and woman, who while definitely friends, were also Kara's bodyguards had something special about them, something magical in essence perhaps. They had both been reincarnated several times by Diana's guess. Still the sister who fought by Kara's side and rescued her from a lonely death in space and the one who resembled the once feared and now missing Talia, were the two she found most fascinating. Kara listened to them so she would have to get the two to listen to her.

"I don't believe we have been properly introduced. I am Diana." she offered her hand to Nyssa first, the elder of the couple but not by much. Of course with access to the Lazarus Pit, she could be anywhere from 30 to 3000 years old. Her eyes did not strike her as one from her Earth's Lazarus Pit. Not like the thin, short haired sister of Oliver Queen and the blonde who was the doppleganger of Dinah Lance's dead sister. Both had been raised from the dead literally, and somehow shaken off the evil that usually accompanied it.

"I am Nyssa. This is my Alex."

"Your… whatever. Hi, I'm her Alex. Alex Zorel. Two names even." Alex greeted the woman, very annoyed about being claimed like property. A conversation with her girlfriend loomed in the near future.

"It is nice to meet you Nyssa's Alex. You as well Nyssa."

"And you Diana. So I understand you are an Amazon from some hidden island? I don't believe we have one on this Earth. I would have known about it. There were very few secrets the League was not aware of."

"And yet, the League on my Earth knew nothing about us. We take secrecy seriously. At least my people do. Our island is hidden by ancient magic. No one, not even he League of Assassins could have entered nor can enter now. The Government has looked since I have been revealed. I may take a look here for myself. I wouldn't mind the flight. It would give me a chance to stretch my legs a bit."

"There is an airport on your secret island?" Alex asked, disbelieving.

"No, I meant I would fly there. I'm not as fast as Kal El or your sister but I can hold my own."

"Oh…" Alex really had nothing to say to that. Nyssa pulled her a bit closer.

"You had best hurry if you want to make the trip." Nyssa suggested. "Aren't you and your team going back tomorrow morning?"

"They are. Kal El and I are staying. Since your League will be short your two most powerful members, we thought we would lend a hand, so Kara and Barry's honeymoon won't be cut short for any reason. After they are back, I would like to speak to Kara before I return."

"She isn't going back." Alex told the woman immediately. She had watched this Diana take in everyone in the room but she looked at Kara as someone she would like to recruit.

"I know. This League needs her. She has tremendous power and so much potential, yet she is not trained. She wins by force of will. Life could be much easier for her."

"We are well equipped to train her." Nyssa told the woman.

"I have no doubt that you can and have. But can you help her to fight better in the sky? Because if she is anything like her cousin, she relies on brute strength and less grace when she fights in the air. I saw video of her fight with Astra. She was distracted when she threw the woman into a building and had to break from the fight to stop a part of the building from crushing those below. If Astra hadn't been purposely throwing the fight, Kara would have lost. She was fighting and protecting, not something easy to do. Bruce showed me the battle against Non in front of Fort Roz. She and Non took to the sky and she almost lost the advantage. Had she not been so powerful and her heart so big, he could have, should have defeated her. He had the advantage. She needs better training in areas you cannot help her with. Once she has her daughter, I think it would be beneficial for her to visit…"

Diana stopped talking when Alex let out a sharp laugh and covered her mouth quickly.

"I'm sorry." Alex squeaked, still trying not to laugh. "Kara won't go to the bathroom without her dog and you think she is going to leave her baby and husband to participate in an Amazon bootcamp?"

"Of course not. Her daughter is more than welcome. She knows its a girl, does she? Good, I would hate to ruin the surprise. The power I am sensing in that little one already… a goddess is preparing to enter this question is will she be a goddess of peace or a goddess of war. What do you think Nyssa?"

"I think to live a long, happy life, a person must be a bit of both. Too much of one or the other is a weakness. Kara has the perfect balance of both. She doesn't need you nor will her daughter."

"Yet you cannot disagree that too much training is never a bad thing? Seeing different styles, methods, it can only benefit. How many master swordsmen did you train under Nyssa? How many sensei?"

"Kara is very good at what she does, both as a hero and a sister, friend, wife… dog owner. She really has the dog owner thing down." Alex admitted. "Point being, that she has defeated some of the worst this world and your world has to offer. She doesn't need to be trained like a soldier, constantly preparing for the next war. I do appreciate your offer but she isn't going back there, especially to an island of people we don't know, who are probably as strong as she is, for some bootcamp and don't even think about her daughter."

Diana smiled, recognizing the protectiveness Kal El had spoken of. She was not surprised. Nyssa considered Kara her student, as did the handsome man who never took his eyes off of the Amazon. He wasn't looking at her with lust either. Not many men could say that, but Bruce Wayne was one. You would think Wayne and Queen were the actual dopplegangers. Queen knew she was a threat but not to who and was trying to figure it out quickly.

"What if I were to come here and work with her? Only on combat in the air. The ground remains yours." Wonder Woman offered.

"You would jump universes to help her learn to fight better in the sky?" Alex asked doubtfully.

"Why not? Trust me, a different universe is nowhere near the strangest place I have been. I would just like to talk to her when she returns and I would hate to start on negative footing. I realize she looks to you both for advice. J'onn tells me that you are the field general of your League, Nyssa. An excellent choice. I lead on the battlefield as well for mine."

"Kal El follows orders? I am impressed." Alex admitted, doubting it. "So may I ask why you are always wearing the gauntlets?"

Diana laughed lightly and looked at her forearms then back at Alex. "Trust me, you do not want to see me with them off. They tend to curb my more violent tendencies. They are also very good for protection against weapons, physical or magical. While I am immortal, I am not indestructible by any means. I am just… very hard to kill. As the both of you are. I look forward to getting to know both of you over the next two weeks. I know that Kal is very excited to spend time here and get to know the members of this League. It will be fun."

Diana turned with a smile and walked off, graceful as always in every one of her movements.

"So what do you think?" Alex asked Nyssa.

"That she can hear us wherever she is in this room no matter how quietly we talk. We can discuss it at home. I should let Oliver know that she has already caught him assessing her and there is no threat."

"There isn't?"

"No, she is honest. She wants to help Kara and she is correct in that once Kara has the child, she could be a good source of knowledge in training the child. It also would not hurt Kara to learn better techniques for combat in the air."

"I don't like it. Why does she care? What is in it for her?" Alex asked, suspicious as ever.

"Nothing or everything, depending on her point of view. Your sister draws people to her, who want to help. She lost her mask in Central City Park and the police were concerned with covering her face so the media wouldn't discover her identity. Oliver Queen places her on a pedestal, nearly as high as the one Thea and Felicity reside on. Barry does as she asks, without hesitation, no matter what. I know you have seen them fight, at least argue, but it never lasts. He would have laid down his life for her the second he met her. When Kara takes the lead in the field as she did in Keystone City, the entire League takes its cue from her, even the two of us whether we consciously do so or not. It appears Diana is also not immune to your sister's power. She also wants a comrade, one safely in another universe who can be called in at a moment to fight."

"Kara wouldn't know she needed help." Alex pointed out.

"Something tells me Diana would figure out a way to get her the message. That is why she is staying. She isn't concerned about the League being without Barry or Kara. We can handle ourselves and she knows it. We don't even need Kal El, though his hubris has convinced them that we do. She is here to learn everything she can, about this universe, the multiverse, the players here, the warriors and those she can and cannot count on."

"I don't like it." Alex whispered.

"I suspect you wouldn't. Forget about it for now. I have doubts that Kara would be interested anyway but it is her decision. Today is your sister's wedding day. Lets enjoy our time with her and hope she doesn't vomit in the middle of dinner. By the way, who is keeping the mutt while they are away?"

Alex looked at the floor and began walking towards Kara.

"Alex? Alex who is keeping that creature?" Alex continued walking, not wanting to comment or ruin her day. Her's or Nyssa's.

"Alex! Answer me!"

Kara and Barry finally sat, and began eating once the caterers had set up the tables. Kara was determined not to get anything on her dress, so she made sure there was no sauce on the roasted chicken she was dining on and her green sides. Barry, had no such compunctions and began eating with relish. Seeing she had finished and was still sitting he asked if she was feeling well.

"Of course. It's just that this is our wedding and I don't want to be seen consuming large amounts of food."

"Why not?"

"Because, I look… nice…"

"Beautiful." Barry corrected.

"and I don't want to look like my cousin. He has nearly downed a whole chicken. Do I look like that when I eat?"

"No, you definitely do not look like that when you eat. But if you are still hungry, eat more. Its our wedding and everyone knows we have high metabolisms. You aren't helping anyone if you pass out from hunger."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"I don't want to get up and go back to the buffet so soon. Then everyone will look at me…"

Kara's concern was cut short when her plate was suddenly refilled with more food. Her eyes took it in, wondering if Barry had really moved that fast, but he seemed as surprised as she was. Kara looked up and saw a smiling Zatanna across the room, winking at her.

"Its fine. No possessed chicken I promise. Simply teleported." she whispered, Kara hearing her with no problem. The blonde let out a breath and smiled towards her, mouthing a thank you.

"When she isn't channeling evil spirits she can be so cool." she whispered to her husband

After an emotional farewell to J'onn who promised to return for Christmas, and the shock of finding out that Kal El, Lois and Diana of all people planned to stay and would be housesitting even though Kara was fairly certain that she hadn't asked them to, the couple prepared to leave, finding a limo outside waiting for them. Before stepping in Kara pulled Caitlin close to her.

"Knowing you has been one of the best things in my life. Without you I would not only be dead but I would have lost my mind. I love you Caitlin."

Caitlin hugged her tightly, trying to keep her emotions in check and failing, glad she had decided on waterproof mascara. After another emotional goodbye between Joe, Henry, Alex, Eliza and Jeremiah, they were gone, while the rest remained, visiting at S.T.A.R.

Once the happy couple arrived the two walked hand in hand, into what was now their home for good. No splitting apartments, no sleeping in her room at S.T.A.R. Just the two of them and their home. Kara missed Charlie already but he would be fine with Alex. Alex wouldn't let Nyssa … no, he would definitely be fine.

"We are home." Barry told her, or perhaps himself. Seeing the furnished house, knowing they wouldn't be leaving to spend the night elsewhere made him look at the living space much differently. It was theirs now, and soon their child would be in her own nursery.

"Today was amazing. You learned Kryptonese. Do you have any idea what you and Ray did meant to me? Only you would think of something like that Barry."

"I wanted to give you some of your home. I asked Alex to teach me enough to get through. She told be about the bracelet tradition and I was determined to give it to you. I'm just glad I didn't screw it up."

"I would have been happy either way, but it was amazing. So I guess we should get ready for bed. I'm going to get out of this dress."

"Yeah I've been thinking about getting you out of that dress all afternoon. After you." he told her, waving his hand towards the Master bedroom they had yet to use.

"Yeah about that. You think you could stay out here for a few minutes? I want to get ready. Maybe you can change out of that tux." Kara suggested. Barry agreed, and when she gave him permission he quickly entered and stopped cold. There she was, fully costumed, just like the first time he saw her.

"Where did you get that?' he asked quietly, having forgotten how gorgeous she looked when he saw her in it for the first time, after seeing her in her suits here so long.

"I had Winn make me another. You like?" she asked mischievously, already knowing the answer by the look on his face.

"Yeah, I definitely like." he told her. It had been the hottest super outfit he had ever seen, unless of course, he considered the very tight uniform she had before the cape covered up one of his favorite body parts.

"You can take off what's under the skirt. The rest stays on, at first anyway. I may let you take off the boots eventually."

Barry moved and was back in less than a second, decked out in his familiar red suit.

"Rao, that gets me so hot." Kara admitted. Kara slipped on her bracelet and Barry had her partly undressed and lying on the bed.

"I want to sleep on the plane tomorrow so lets make this last all night long."the blonde ordered.

"Whatever you want."

" I hope thats a theme our marriage." she told him, grinning. "I like getting what I want, exactly when I want it, even if you have to leave work. Understand?"

"I understand, and it won't be a problem."

"Even when I am huge?"

"Doesn't matter. You will still be sexy as hell." Barry agreed. Seeing her in this costume, he would pretty much do anything.

While Barry and Kara relived the old days of Earth 3, the party was beginning to wind down at the reception. Kal El had talked to Bruce and made sure the rest knew when to expect the three of them back. J'onn had a more important and difficult task. Approaching Oliver Queen, the look on the man's face told him he expected the Martian to speak to him at some point.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?" J'onn asked, not pretending to not know what Oliver had planned.

"I'm leaving for Ushuaia in the morning by air. I have arranged a helicopter to fly from there to the continent. If I will land on the East side. It's not very far from there, just a ten mile hike. The highlight of the trip will be landing that bird in the middle of the Arctic Ocean to refuel. If I can survive that, I like my chances."

"You realize of course, that it is -76 degrees right now. Is it really worth it? The man couldn't go anywhere without freezing to death."

"That man could figure it out. I could. It wouldn't be hard. The prison has to be reached for supplies regardless so it isn't impossible to get to, and it needs supplies, meaning someone is taking regular trips."

"He is trapped in his own mind." J'onn pointed out. "If I thought he was a danger I would have killed him myself."

"Would you J'onn? Something tells me you wouldn't. You have seen inside his mind. Can you honestly guarantee that he could never escape and come after Kara?"

J'onn took a moment. "No, I can't guarantee that."

"Then this discussion is a non issue. I'm doing it. It isn't the most difficult thing I have ever done."

"Hiking through sub zero temperatures, ten miles over solid ice, raiding a maximum security prison all to kill one man, is not the most difficult thing?"

"No." Oliver told him, remembering climbing that damn cliff all to fight Ra's knowing he had zero chance of winning. It was tough going up and he nearly fell to his seat death on multiple occasions, only to fall to what should have been his death. "I am going to do what has to be done to protect her and the child. I don't enjoy killing and I am not deluding myself in thinking this isn't murder but I will do it anyway because it has to be done. I would expect a man prepared to lobotomize the director of a black ops organization to protect Kara and Alex would understand this. If he ever escapes he could cause havoc and I promise you he will go after Eliza and Jeremiah first, maybe Joe or Henry. I'm sorry but this has to be done. I take no pleasure in it, but I will protect the ones I love."

"Take Kal El with you. He can…"

"No. He can't be involved, no one can. This is personal and I don't want this death on any of their heads. This is what I do J'onn. I protect those I care about from having to make the tough choices. If all goes to plan, no one but Felicity will ever know. I would like to keep it that way."

The Martian nodded, expecting as much and surprisingly not disagreeing. He was right, Prometheus could kill their families before they even knew he escaped. Perhaps J'onn…

"No. I may not be able to read minds but I can read faces. You aren't coming. I appreciate your dedication to protecting the family but thats my job now."

"When exactly did it become your job?"

"When she nearly died saving Felicity, was probably the start. Barry was told my secret identity and saved my life with rat poison of all things. I'm sure there is more to it, but I am not one for constant self reflection. It never works out well for are under my protection. That is all that matters."

"Good luck to you then Oliver. Until we meet again. Just make sure we have a chance to meet again."

Oliver and J'onn shook hands and the man left, leaving Oliver the chance to slip out early. He had a difficult journey to prepare for but one he felt confident he could make and succeed.

The next morning, Kara and Barry were in Ray's private plane. Neither had slept the night before, and despite the exhaustion, both had dopey grins on their faces.

Until they were in flight at least. Kara's bracelet had dampened the effects of the jet fuel and noise. It had not dampened the turbulence, something she never dealt with while flying on her own. She held out for fifteen minutes before rushing to the bathroom, Barry right behind her for hair duty.

"I guess the bracelet wasn't as effective as we thought it would be." he said, stating the obvious. "Or is it morning sickness?"

"Nope, not morning sickness. I don't like the feeling of dropping. I packed our suits and you can run me back. We can have all our luggage and bags delivered or flown on the jet. I'm not doing this again."

"You packed our suits?"

"Had too. Caitlin insisted, in case something went wrong or I felt funny, she could have a reading, and I packed yours in case I had to be ran back."

"I can't believe they made it through the X ray scanner." he mentioned, thinking of all the electronics in the chest plates.

"It wouldn't if we had flown commercial." she told her husband, before regurgitating more chicken. Barry was beginning to feel a bit nauseous himself. Finally landing after what seemed like twelve hours and was close to two hours, both newlyweds were exhausted. Kara had luckily arranged a rental convertible and began feeling better by the time they reached the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, the two planned to stay at for the next five days. Checking in, the couple were immediately given their his and hers newlywed mouse ears.

"We really have to wear these?" the Flash asked.

"Yep. We get privileges for being newlyweds. Thats pretty cool huh? Newlyweds? This is so awesome. Look at this room. I've never stayed in a room this nice."

"Yeah, me either." Barry admitted, wondering if Kara had spent all their millions on this honeymoon and decided it didn't matter, Since they had arrived she had been like a kid, taking it all in with such excitement and the two hadn't reached the park yet. The day was ending, giving way to night, what Barry had been looking forward to the most. The night before had been amazing, making love in their home, her costume, hours and hours until it was time to leave. Tonight though, he knew she had bought special lingerie and looked forward to ripping it off of her.

"I need a shower and to brush my teeth multiple times. Wait for me, okay?"

"Where else am I going to go. Want some help in the shower?" he offered.

"Not yet or we won't make it out. I want to try my new nightie on first. Just relax."

Barry did relax, turning on the TV briefly while the shower ran, deciding he needed one himself. Ten minutes later , Kara walked out, taking his breath away. The short, lacy light blue nightie she had on was nearly sheer, not covering much and he could see the matching lace under it.

"Wow." was all Barry could manage.

"Bathrooms ready. You want a shower?"

"Yeah, but it can wait."

"So can I. Hurry up, and I will be waiting for you."

Barry moved quickly, taking more time with the shower than he would like but the last thing he wanted to do was have Kara thinking he stunk in bed. Finally deciding on simple boxers for their honeymoon night, he walked out to find Kara half reclined on the headboard, looking breathtaking in her lingerie and… snoring. Barry chuckled counting the hours since either had slept and realizing it had been nearly 24. Sliding in next to her, he gently woke her.

"Huh? What? Oh! Oh yeah… you ready?"

"Baby you can't sleep like this, move down and lets get under the covers. Then we can sleep."

"No!" she said quickly, but drowsily. "We have… I want…" Kara's protest was cut short when her eyes closed once again and her breathing deepened. Barry pulled back the covers and slid her down gently by her hips and covered them both. He was quickly asleep with her in his arms, determined she would not have a nightmare tonight.

While Barry and Kara had been making their journey to the happiest place on Earth, Oliver Queen prepared to make a journey to the remotest place on Earth, a snow and ice covered continent that currently housed a very dangerous man who needed to die. Waiting at the private, discreet airfield, preparing for a trip to the Southern most tip of Argentina. He was in the middle of double checking his bag when her voice surprised the hell out of him.

"I hope you packed a couple of jackets. It's -89 right now and will be a lot colder when we get there."

Oliver turned and saw a white clad Sara Lance holding a duffle bag. Instead of her normal white Canary outfit she wore a very thick white jacket, with a hood, and tights that he knew were thermal wear and would be covered by thicker pants when she arrived where she thought she was going.

"You aren't going." he told her immediately.

"Want to bet? Got my ticket and everything. I'm sure I can talk my way into a chopper in Argentina, or you can save us both the time and let me catch a ride with yours."

"You said you didn't want to be a member of a hit squad." the Arrow reminded her.

"I'm not. Just taking a trip with a friend, making sure he doesn't get himself killed while he takes care of business."

"Sara you following me never works out well for you. I don't need something like that on my conscience again."

"You followed me to another universe, I'm following you to this God forsaken place. Its the one part of the world I have never been, so I am kind of excited. Okay I'm not, I just want to get this done and leave that freezer as quickly as possible. You going to argue with me or just give in to the inevitable?"

Oliver sighed and nodded absently. He really didn't want anyone involved in this mess but she would probably keep him from getting killed. When it came to surviving they were always better than apart.

Twelve hours later, the two were on a chopper to Antarctica. Five hours later they were refueling on a very old boat in the middle of nowhere, literally, then back in the air for another five hours. Finally they touched down on an solid ground that was solid ice, slick enough that the chopper slid back and forth slightly after it landed until the Oliver anchored the machine to the hard ground with a large hammer, chains and a couple spikes.

Both the Arrow and Canary were bundled, from head to toe, only their eyes uncovered, with goggles at the ready should they be needed. The sun was bright but would be going down soon, meaning nightfall and cooler temperatures. Despite the bulk of clothing, Oliver had a white quiver on his back and his collapsable bow inside his outer coat. Sara had her sonic device against her throat and expandable baton in her coat.

"Overwatch, do you copy?"

"Yep. I am up from my nap and ready to guide you, my love, through the frozen hell. The wind is picking up, and cloud cover is going to make the night completely black. You have an hour tops to get in and get out or you are spending the night at the black site. I told you, to wait until tomorrow to leave the refueling boat but no, I am going to get this done he says. I am a genius. You are the one who does not listen to the genius. If you freeze to death I will say I told you so at your funeral."

"Looking forward to it. I have night vision if I need it. Moving in the dark will probably be best. Just guide me."

"Yeah, I'll guide you straight into a crevice so you can become one with a glacier. Keep your stick thing in front of you."

The two marched slowly over the landscape following a path between two glaciers that was not natural but man made, the only way in for a snow mobile to make it in with supplies. The entrance to the prison was barely noticeable from the sky, not at all if you didn't know to look. Most of the actual cells were below the ice. Darkness did fall but luckily the wind was at their backs. Keeping on a constant pace, helped take both their minds off the freezing temperatures that would have them dead in minutes if not for the special clothes they wore.

After what seemed like hours, the longest ten miles either had ever walked came to an end as they reached the location of the entrance according to Felicity. Neither could see much but daylight would be arriving soon, the march taking much longer than expected. Both were exhausted and Sara wondered how they would take the guards down but knew they would. Oliver always found a way. They had fought in worse physical condition than this before and survived.

"Thirty minutes to daylight. Lets walk in circles to stay warm."

"You're warm?! I can run a marathon right now and wouldn't break a sweat." Sara pointed out.

"Maybe but if you think you are cold now, try standing in one spot longer than a couple minutes. The sun is coming and we make our move. With any luck a guard will exit to do a quick patrol at daylight and we won't have to break the lock."

"There is no way a guard would be stupid enough to patrol this area, even if it is protocol."

"When the hell did I become the positive one?" Oliver asked, annoyed. "Lets keep moving. Put on the night vision goggles and we can at least make it to the side of the door."

The door jutted out from the ground covered by what would seem to be a simple frozen rock formation. Standing on one side would block the wind at least.

As sunlight stretched over the glaciers, to Oliver's pleasant surprise, the door did open from the inside. Preparing to attack the unsuspecting guard, both Sara and Oliver were surprised to see Caitlin Fairchild, with a strong grip on Prometheus's neck, in front, followed by a small teen girl. Despite the girls heavy clothing it was obvious who she must be. If Prometheus was not drooling she must be a telepath. Lilith Clay.

Sara at a nod from Oliver attacked Clay from behind with her staff knocking the girl out cold, before she had a chance to use her powers on them. Fairchild turned and saw the two, then threw Prometheus to the ground. She instantly reached for Oliver before he could extend his bow, grabbing the man by his neck, sending him flying down the ice. Sara attacked, striking the woman in her jaw and dodging blow after blow, any one of which would have been disabling.

"We know who you are." she told the woman. "Waller is dead. If you want out, now is the time. We can take you with us."

Fairchild stopped at the mention of Waller's name. She looked quickly at Clay to make sure the woman was unconscious.

"I can't leave. I have to stop him. Now isn't the time but soon, I will have enough on my side. Until then you and yours need to stay out of my way. Harvest wants that bastard and Harvest always gets what he wants."

Fairchild attacked once again, Sara slowed down by the bulky clothes but still faster than the large woman who seemed to be growing larger. Unleashing a Canary Cry, she remembered too late that the thick jacket had to be undone before the sonic device could have the desired effect and took a roadhouse in the jaw. Hitting the ground she was up quickly, in time to see an arrow embed itself into the woman's thigh.

"Nice of you to get up, Ollie." Sara muttered. She saw Prometheus run. "Get him! I can handle her."

Oliver glanced at Fairchild, who was pulling the arrow out of her leg, blood ruining her solid white clothing and moved, trusting Sara to handle this. Prometheus only had a light coat on, so he couldn't get far in the weather. If the Arrow could get this done, he would be back in time to help Sara finish Fairchild off and hopefully the two could drag her to freedom. Clay was an unknown and could take shelter in the prison.

While Oliver moved quickly, Fairchild had recovered and rushed Sara once more, who slid to the side and tripped the woman, sending her flying to the ground face first. Landing on top of her, Sara placed her staff under the woman's chin and pulled back, stretching her neck and head up in a painful position.

"Why don't you just teleport out of here?" she asked, more to herself, not expecting an answer.

"Only some of us can be transported. We are slaves to that beast. If I call with my mind he will take us but he cannot take Prometheus. We have to take the base's hidden chopper a half mile away. He can only bring us back. You have to let me go."

"Why are you telling me this? Do you want out or not?"

"Yes, but too much is at stake. Too many lives will be lost if I leave now. He isn't interested in you or your friends. Keep it that way and stop interfering."

"We came to kill Prometheus. We aren't here for you. Be on your way and say he was gone, or dead when you arrived but Oliver is not leaving him breathing."

"Then I'm afraid I have no choice but to stop you." Fairchild told her. Rolling to her side caused Sara to be tossed off onto the hard ground. Before the Canary had time to move, her quickness hampered by the ice, Fairchild was on top of her.

Oliver in the mean time had chased Prometheus down. The white haired man was shivering, slowing down, not at all prepared for the conditions. Perhaps Fairchild wanted him docile. After a while, he just stopped running. Oliver had his bow at the ready, arrow nocked.

"So I seem to be a popular man today. Those two got me out and you and… is that Sara Lance or Nyssa? Difficult to tell with all the weather gear. Or perhaps your sister?"

Oliver fired, the arrow striking the man in the chest. Had he not been cold, Prometheus was skilled enough that he may have caught the projectile but in his current state he had no chance, the point buried deep near his heart. He looked at the arrow in surprise as if he couldn't believe it was there.

"You kill me while I am unarmed? What kind of hero are you?" the man asked, manic joy in his eyes.

"I'm not." Oliver told him, sending another arrow into his chest, this time directly into his heart. Prometheus took a deep breath and collapsed to the snow, turning red around him. Memories of Malcolm Merlyn filled Oliver's mind, as he walked towards the man, pulled both arrows out and stuck the two back in, checking the pulse to make sure he was dead. Satisfied that he was, Oliver turned and hurried back to Sara, hoping she was holding her own.

Sara was not holding her own but rather being held by her throat.

"I'm just going to put you to sleep. Don't fight it." Fairchild whispered.

"Sorry, not fighting is not an option for me."

"You don't have much choice. I think I am a little strong than you." Fairchild told her, no gloating, just resignation.

"Yeah but there are a few parts of the body that aren't covered by muscle." Sara gasped, striking the woman with the blade of her hand into her eye. Fairchild dropped her, and without hesitation, Sara brought her foot down on the side of the larger woman's knee, listening to the tendons snapping and the knee cap sliding out of place. Twisting around, before Fairchild could drop, she brought her foot down on the other knee, causing a scream of pain and a very muscular, heavy woman to hit the ice.

Hearing a noise behind her, Sara saw Clay scrambling to her feet, staring right at her. The Canary could feel something in her head almost like fingers massaging her brain. The feeling stopped when Clay was once again knocked out, this time by a knockout arrow. Oliver ran up, checking on Sara and seeing Fairchild rolling on the ground in pain.

"Nice." he admitted.

"I still have a little skill, even dressed like a bear. Take her with us?" Sara asked, nodding towards the crippled Fairchild.

"Does she want to come?"

"Nope."

"I have nothing to knock her out with. We won't be able to carry her over the ice unless she cooperates."

"Go! Leave me! Hurry!" Caitlin yelled over the wind.

"Prometheus dead?" Sara asked him, not planning to go anywhere

"Yep."

'You sure?"

"I made very sure." Oliver told her.

"They are coming. I can feel it. Go!" Caitlin shouted again.

Oliver and Sara both looked around and saw nothing.

"Who is she talking about?" the Arrow asked. Seconds later, black tendrils appeared over the icy terrain. The tendrils spread out and the two were face with four figures standing, where none had been before.

A young woman carrying a katana was at the head. One man appeared to be made out of metal but the metal was flexible, constantly changing shape. Another had snow twisting around him, dressed in a black arctic suit, obviously controlling the wind. The final was not a man at all, it seemed. His skin, his entire body was darkness, almost a completely solid shadow, and what concerned Oliver most were the tendrils of darkness running from his body.

"This isn't good." Sara whispered. "Now might be a good time for us to run."

"Yeah, I would have to agree." Oliver nocked an arrow, aiming at the creature who seemed to be the most dangerous. Instead it was the young woman, who somehow seemed vaguely familiar to both Oliver and Sara. While she was dressed warmly her outfit was tighter than everyone else's, making Oliver think she perhaps had an advanced thermal suit that he would definitely ask Cisco about if they made it out of this alive.

"Stay alive for a few more minutes, help is coming." the nervous voice of Overwatch told him.

"Oliver Queen and Sara Lance. The famous Arrow and Black Canary. No wait, the Black Canary is dead, isn't she? You are just Sara."

"Watch your mouth." Sara warned, her grip on the bo staff tightening.

"If only Thea was here, I could make this a complete sweep of people I need to kill."

"Do we know you?" Oliver asked, keeping an arrow trained on the dark creature, and also an eye on the metal man whose arms just turned to blades. Those two were the most dangerous.

"You don't, but you know Slade Wilson. I have made it my mission in life to succeed where that fool has failed. You are one of his failures, Oliver."

The woman stepped forward, until an arrow hit her in the left thigh, followed by one to the right thigh. She collapsed with a scream. Both Oliver and Sara turned to see a portal of bright light, with Nyssa walking out in the lead, a bow in her hand.

"Why was she still unharmed?" the woman asked Oliver. "Were you waiting for her to finish her speech before you struck?"

"I was hoping for information. The man in the black suit can control wind. The metal guy with the blades for arms, can change his shape, and I am really not sure what the dark monster in the back can do but I don't want to find out."

Clay slowly shook her head and stood, only for Sara to strike the side of her head again, sending her unconscious once more and probably causing brain damage considering how many shots the girl had taken since the battle began. Oliver fired at the dark creature and saw his arrow fly straight through. Alex emerged from the portal, followed by Firestorm and Palmer. Behind them were two figures Oliver and Sara had not expected. Superman and Wonder Woman stepped out, dressed normally, Kal in his blue suit and cape and Diana in her armor.

"I can't believe she isn't freezing." Sara muttered.

"Firestorm, stay on the ground and melt the metal man. The cold should balance him out and make it harder to change shape. Ray help out, Alex see if he can produce enough wind to stop bullets. Shoot to wound or put him to sleep. I want prisoners to interrogate."

Nyssa looked towards Caitlin Fairchild, happy to see her knees were crushed and she wouldn't be a problem. Alex followed orders, opening fire on the one controlling wind, while Firestorm, and Ray stayed on the ground, firing bolt after bolt, Firestorm seemed to have the most affect, slowing the man down, the cold of the air and ground, fighting with the tremendous heat, melting his body.

The dark figure stepped forward and the extensions of his body shot out, just as the man know as Windstorm was shot by Valkyrie in both shoulders. Darkness shot out for Queen, and was blocked by Kal El, who jumped in front of him. Kal El instantly stiffened as the dark matter began seeping his life force. All noticed the Kryptonian shaking and Wonder Woman recognized immediately what was happening. This creature fed off the life force of others, like a psychic vampire. She had dealt with this before. Standing in front her friend, blocking the string of darkness from his body with her shield, she dropped her sword and tossed her lasso at the creature.

Wrapping itself around its body, she pulled and sent the force of Gaia into its body, the life force of the planet countering its darkness, the creature known as Shadow Walker began to shake. Kal El added his heat vision with Ray and Jax, distorting the body of the metal man even more, Rose had pulled the arrows out, only to be hit by Oliver, twisting into Sara, and followed by a side kick from Alex as she ran towards the bleeding wind controller on the ground.

"Leash!" Fairchild yelled from the ground.

Immediately the dark spikes appeared over all the Ravagers, Alex jumped towards her target on the ground hoping to catch him before he disappeared, only to be tripped by a bola thrown by Nyssa. The Ravagers disappeared in a second, all of them, even the one wrapped in Diana's lasso.

Alex sat up shakily, Oliver helping unwrap the cord from her ankles. Once up, she marched angrily towards Nyssa.

"What the hell did you do? I could have grabbed him! Held him back!"

"Or gone with him and a band of metahuman lunatics to who knows where. Use your head. We won, they lost and they knew it. They weren't going to stay around. If we want to defeat them soundly, we have to find out where they are, so they have no fallback spot to travel to. We must also find whoever or whatever this leash is and neutralize him."

"And I could have found where they are. I was going to slip a tracker onto him. If he took me I have a tracker on my suit. We would have had the location."

"Or you would be dead and the tracker could have blown out during this teleportation display. Next time use your head before rushing headlong into danger."

"Use my head? What the hell did you plan to do about that thing that almost took out Kal El If Diana hadn't been here?"

"He is a creature of energy. Firestorm can absorb energy, and most likely overpower it. Had she not stepped in, He would have broken off, and taken him out, while Queen and I took care of the metal shifter and you and Sara took care of the wind maker."

"And you know that would work?"

"Of course not. I never said it was a perfect plan, just the only one I had. Can we please have this argument at home with the heater on? It is freezing, no it is worse than freezing."

"She has a point. I can't feel my toes and that is just sad considering I am mostly fire right now." Jax pointed out.

"How do we get back?" Oliver asked. "My chopper won't fit everyone."

"Zatanna is back at S.T.A.R, and will bring us back. Before she does did you complete your mission Al Sahim? Is the mad man dead?"

"Yeah, his body is around that cliff."

Without another word, Nyssa took off, running into a flurry of snow that had begun dropping. Two minutes later she returned, bloody katana in hand. "I had to be sure. I am now sure. Overwatch please have Zatanna bring us back."

Five seconds later the team was back in S.T.A.R. a worried Felicity and an amused Zatanna watching them.

"Hey, better than last time. Go team. Way to take that bullet Supes. Thankfully there was a woman there to save you. We saw the fight on Satellite. He is a psychic vampire, not magical in nature but definitely a different type of meta. Probably the most dangerous. Firestorm may be able to absorb the energy but he could also take over Firestorm's body."

"Thanks for letting us know Zatanna." Jax told her.

"I would have arrived if needed but it is cold and I do not have cold weather gear. Not that cold. You all did great. Go team! Now, I am going to get a manicure. Have a great day anyone and do try to stay out of trouble."

"How did you defeat her?" Nyssa asked Diana.

"I have seen those types before. My lasso channels the power of Gaia, the essence of life on Earth. To defeat death you need life. If you see him again, I would recommend your sorceress begin working on spells of enhancing and channeling the energy of the Earth."

"Thank you."

"Of course. This is why we stayed. I cannot be sure but from what J'onn has told me about this Speedforce it is very possible, Barry could enter him and destroy the dark matter from the inside using his own cells. Something to look into, if you should run into something like that again."

"Where are Carter and Kendra?" Oliver asked.

"On standbye. The winds would have caused havoc with their flight ability. If we had needed them, they would have been there. Kara's substitute, how are you feeling?"

"What? Kara's substitute?" Kal El asked

"Yes, that is what you are, correct? Second string, temporary replacement. Kara would have used her heat vision the moment she was struck, hoping to counter the effects rather than standing there dying. What was your plan?"

"I… I was taken by surprise."

"I see. Diana, you have much work to do with this one. I am grateful our Kryptonian is much smarter. Thank you for your assistance none the less Kal El. You did save our team idiot. Speaking of which may I have the room so that Oliver and I can have a talk?"

"I should probably call Lyla and tell her whatever happened in that base wasn't our fault. No telling how many Fairchild left dead." Sara offered and walked out, recognizing the look on Nyssa's face.

Everyone hurried off, except for Alex who glared at Nyssa a bit longer and begrudgingly left, deciding that conversation would happen at home. Once they were left alone, Nyssa and Oliver locked eyes.

"Problem Nyssa?"

"Besides having to rush our team to your aid instead of having a prepared operation with appropriate personnel?"

"I wasn't expecting to see them again. My mission was to kill Prometheus. That is not a Justice League matter, it was personal. I…"

"Didn't want your actions to be judged by others? You are not the only one who will kill for her Oliver. You wanted this team, you deemed it necessary and you decided to go on your own. Make up your mind."

"The League doesn't kill! I do! They can't become that!"

"They will do what is necessary! We were lucky this team did not acquire him. They obviously wanted his knowledge. It was blind luck. I am guessing since he ran, the unfortunate telepath who will have a major headache in the morning, cured him?"

"That would be my guess. Fairchild said she didn't want out. She mentioned having to take the organization down from the inside and too many lives would be lost if she left now."

"Thanks to Sara she won't be taking anything down for a while unless muscle growth can repair shattered and torn tendons. You killed Prometheus but left his head on his shoulders. Have Malcolm Merlyn's numerous resurrections taught you nothing?"

"Yeah, I don't need you to tell me how to kill people Nyssa. I think I have that down."

"You need to decide if you want to be a member of this team or not. You should have at least told me. I would have gladly gone to assist. I doubt you asked Sara, she did this on her own correct?"

"Back off Nyssa." Oliver told her calmly, feeling anything but.

"Back off? If I had backed off you would be dead right now. You aren't the only one who would kill for her and her family. Don't go off alone or stay away. We are learning to gell and we can't if we are not acting as one."

"Not one of those would have approved of killing him and they shouldn't."

"Alex would, I would, Sara would. I wish I had been there when Kara stopped him. I would have taken his head at that moment in front of the world. What will it be Oliver?"

Oliver mumbled something.

"I didn't quite hear that."

"I'm sorry. I should have told you." he admitted looking away. Oliver was never very good at apologies.

"No more?"

"I won't go on my own anymore, unless I feel something needs to be …" he stopped seeing the glare from Nyssa, one he recognized many times in the past, usually right before she hit him in the face "… I won't go on my own anymore."

"Thank you. I have to go home and listen to Alex yell at me for the rest of the night, while avoiding any surprises Kara's mutt may have left on my floor. Felicity is worried."

Nyssa walked out, leaving Oliver alone. He took a breath and rehashed everything that had happened. Despite having to rely on the team to save him and Sara's lives, the mission had accomplished his objectives. Prometheus was dead, Fairchild and company cannot teleport just anyone,anywhere, only be brought back to this Leash, making him feel better. She is a mole and has a plan of some sort but he still knows next to nothing about the organization except it has multiple metas since this was a different team than the one in Keystone City and there is a sword welding female who wants to accomplish what Wilson failed at. She had seemed so familiar, but he knew he had never seen her before. Then it hit him.

Her eyes. They were the same as Slade Wilson's. He had a daughter, who while not close obviously, wanted to succeed where he had failed, He may not even know about her.

"Hey."

Felicity's voice cut his thoughts off as she wrapped her arms around her. "You okay?"

"Cold." he admitted. Felicity grinned a bit.

"I spent the better part of five years on an island in the South China Sea, Barry. I don't get cold. Remember that?"

"I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Ready to go home?"

"Since you left." she admitted, shaken as always while he was out in the field but hiding it as best as she could. "When Fairchild showed up, I didn't know who else might be around. i called Nyssa. Hope you aren't too mad?"

"No, you saved our lives. Thank you. Now I am starving and bruised. Very, very bruised."

While the Justice League recovered from a battle at the bottom of the planet, Kara and Barry started their day off, waking up from a deep sleep.

"Oh crap! Barry! We have to get up!" Kara told him, pushing him a bit when she saw the time.

"Why?"

"Because. I have a plan and our plan started with us at the Magic Kingdom three hours ago. It's noon!"

"We are on our honeymoon. Do we really have to follow a schedule?"

"Yes, we do."

"What was the plan for last night, or are you going to keep wearing things like that to bed as the norm? I'm not complaining, I prefer nothing but that nightie will work." Barry told her, grinning with his eyes still closed.

"Oh no. We didn't make love last night. I can't believe I fell asleep. That is what screwed up my schedule. I am so sorry."

"Kara, we were both exhausted. We have the rest of our lives, so one night won't kill us. Of course if you want to give it a go right now, I wouldn't object. Since the schedule is off anyway…"

"No, I need to Face Time Charlie first."

Kara hopped out of bed and dialed Alex before Barry could tempt her further. Alex didn't answer so she called Eliza.

"Hey sweetie… Kara, maybe you should put some clothes on?"

Oh crap was her first thought. "Sorry, be right back!" True to her promise, Kara was back in five seconds, t shirt on at least. "Have you talked to Alex? I was supposed to Face Time Charlie this morning and she isn't answering."

"She brought him by last night. She mentioned something about either her and Nyssa had a fight or they were going to fight, I'm honestly not sure if she meant physically or verbally. I am hoping verbally but either way she didn't feel the puppy should be present."

"Oh… thats not good. I'm sure they will work it out, one way or another."

"Somebody is getting tied up!" Barry shouted from the bed, causing Eliza to wonder what the hell he was talking about not for the first time. Eliza shook her head and called Charlie, who jumped in her lap and tried licking the phone screen while Kara talked to him in some sort of gibberish, making Eliza glad she had never gotten Kara a dog growing up. She wasn't sure she could have stood listening to that all day, and the odds that Kara wouldn't sneak him in the house every night were zero. Once the call was over, Charlie whined and tried to attack Eliza's phone while she dialed Alex to come get this mutt. Nyssa was the one who answered.

"Nyssa? Everything okay?"

"Yes of course."

"Could you ask Alex to come to the phone?"

"I can't. She is in the shower and I am not allowed to speak to her regardless."

"What did you do?" Eliza groaned, hoping she wouldn't be stuck with Charlie.

"I kept her from doing something incredibly stupid and saved her life."

"That sounds like Alex. She would get mad about that. Can you please come get this dog?"

"Of course. I will be there shortly in Alex's car. Apparently I don't get to complain about the dog any longer or anything else. So she can deal with the shed hair in her Porsche."

Eliza shook her head at the dial tone. Kids.

In Florida, Kara and Barry prepared for the day, late but not deterred. Lunch had to happen and with no nausea Kara took this as a sign for a great day.

"We really have to wear the Mouse Ears at lunch?"

"Yes. Are you shamed to be married to me?"

"Of course not! What does that have to do with Mouse Ears?"

Kara ignored him. "Just wear them, Now we have two missions today. The three o'clock parade during which we can have several pictures taken with characters. The attractions are all open until 1 AM so being late isn't a problem. We have reservations at Be Our Guest at 7, and afterward as long as we don't take longer than necessary to eat, we can reride the attractions we enjoyed the first time. Our ears will get us priority as well as the fast passes. We are going to meet Belle, then the Cinderella castle. I also want a picture of us riding Dumbo and go on the river ride. We also need to stay near the castle around ten. I understand if we go to the back of the castle hardly anyone is there so we can sit on the ground, and get a great view of the fireworks. We will have to move to the front to see Tinkerbell though. You got all that?"

"Yep. Pretty sure." Barry lied.

"I hope you are on top of your game Flash. By the way we have to take pictures of all the hidden Mickey's so when we bring our daughter back next year and the year after and the year after, we can show her where they all are. I want to bring Charlie next time too."

"Got it. You think you can pencil me in for say 1:30 AM?"

"Yeah, as long as you promise to be up by 8. Animal Kingdom waits for no one Barry. We also have to hit the water park before we leave. I would like to wear a bikini. I've never worn one before and think it would be kind of cool to do it once before my body could possibly be lost forever."

"Okay, hey since it is technically still lunch time and we finished eating early, you don't have any activities scheduled till one, you think we can spend thirty minutes upstairs?"

Kara took a deep breath and looked around. It was a nice hotel. No point in hurrying.

"Yeah, I think we can make time." she admitted. "I wonder what everyone is doing back in Central City? Think we missed anything?"

"I doubt it. Other than the fight with that team in Keystone City, its been quiet. I would bet everyone is bored out of their minds." Barry guessed.

"Yeah, you're probably right. They know better to get into fights without us right?"

"Yeah, not even Oliver is that dumb." Barry assured her, then stopped. Both stared at each other until Kara made the suggestion.

"We should probably check in."


	46. Chapter 46

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N I'll keep it short since this is as usual a long chapter. It covers a lot of time, time where Barry has been practicing a lot. Like a lot. Barry is getting closer and closer to becoming comic book legend Barry. And if anyone is wondering about the trick he pulls in the waterpark, yeah Barry Allen can actually do that or has in the comics. I wish I could. Thanks for all the reviews. Because my internet is down once again and I am working the day shift at my job I can't reply right away but I will get back to you all. This chapter sets up the next arc for the story and then the final one. Probably ten chapters to go and we are home! You can't say its too short of a story lol. Y'all have been with me from the start and I deeply appreciate it. Okay, here we go.

Chapter 46

Captain Singh and his department had faced all sorts of situations in Central City. Every sort of metahuman nightmare, and the occasional black hole had occurred in the little city in the middle of America. Despite the stories the police could tell about the Flash and Superwoman's heroics, normal, everyday violence still occurred. Admittedly bank robberies had gone to practically zero. There had not been a successful bank robbery in the City since Barry Allen had donned the red suit. Superwoman's appearance had dropped violent crime by 80% in the city. While gang violence was still a problem and always would be, and the drug trade was still alive, the city was much better than it had been two years ago.

Unfortunately there were always the crazy people who didn't get the message or were just plain psychotic like Prometheus, or on a smaller scale like the man inside the bank who had a gun to his ex fiancee's head because he would rather kill her and himself than let her be with anyone else.

"Where is the negotiator, or psychiatrist?" Singh asked.

"Where is the Flash? He could have this guy in a cell before he took another breath." another officer asked.

"Honeymoon. Give it a rest Anderson, we have a job to do." Singh reminded him.

"But couldn't we call him? He's in Florida, right? He could be here in like ten minutes while Ka…Superwoman goes to the bathroom. She would never know he came back."

Captain Singh thought about it for a second and looked at Joe, who shook his head. He was right, the two deserved a vacation. The last thing he needed was the kids getting burned out, called away from their honeymoon. Kara couldn't help anyway. Actually, her X ray vision could be a big help right now.

"Nope, they are off for two weeks. Where the hell is the shrink?" Singh was getting more worried by the second. The man had been there for a few minutes and though he hadn't shot her yet, he had a gun pressed against her head. When he acted, despite warning everyone in the bank to stay,a herd of patrons and tellers ran for the exit. Now he stood alone with her, asking for a chance to talk to her and threatening to shoot if the police didn't leave and that just wasn't an option.

"Can I be of assistance, officer?"

Captain Singh turned and saw… what the hell was this?

"Who the hell are you and why are you stretching out Kara's suit? It don't fit in case you haven't noticed." The Captain observed.

"Kara? I don't know a Kara." Clark stuttered.

"Then you better get the hell out of her suit." A female officer told him.

"That's not her suit. Her S is smaller and has a lot more tech. His just looks ironed on. Are those fish scales? They look like fish scales." Oscar asked.

"I'm Superwoman's cousin." Kal El explained, a bit out of sorts. The group had neglected to mention that apparently the entire police force knew who Kara was.

"So you can get a hold of Kara?" one officer asked.

"No one is getting a hold of her and start calling her Superwoman. There is press that could sneak up." Joe chided the cop.

"My bad." he told the group apologetically.

"I can handle this. I have the same powers she does. I will go in…" Superman tried.

"Are you stupid? You go in there and he is going to fire the minute he sees you. I saw you at the wedding eating a whole chicken. I didn't realize you were in the business. I'm sure you're a big deal wherever the hell you are from but no offense, here we trust our Superwoman and Mr. Superwoman." Singh explained. "Joe, where is Alex?"

"Donut break." he answered.

"See? Valkyrie is already inside, probably hiding in a vent or behind one of those teller windows. Once she gets a bead he gets put down or put to sleep depending on her mood, we rush in and boom, bad guy down, hostage saved. Ka… Superwoman usually looks inside and the second that gun moves away from the hostage's head Ba… the Flash rushes in, gun is outside, Superwoman and Valkyrie take him down , she throws him or Valkyrie puts him down with one of Cisco's sleeping bullets and we head to the burger place across the street from the Department and celebrate. It's a smooth running machine but we are short those two, so we are improvising. The last thing we need is an amateur upstart like you getting in the way. I do appreciate the offer though. Where is Palmer? He was just buzzing around."

"Whoa, I have no idea where Ray Palmer is." The Atom told him, regaining his regular size and wondering how they knew he was there.

"Give it up Palmer. Only you could come up with something like that suit, you have the same voice you use on TV and the Atom started showing up the same time as you escaped from HIVE which we all know is a BS story. At least Queen uses a voice thing. I mean he tries to put an effort in the whole secret identity thing." Another officer explained to the big guy in the metal suit. "I still vote for calling the Flash and Superwoman."

"Where the hell is the shrink?" Singh asked again

"He has a flat tire."

"Send a damn unit to get him!" Singh stressed. He felt like, at times, he had to think for everyone.

"I can…" Kal tried to offer once more.

"Second string, we got this. Atom right? Not Cisco's best but whatever. Can you shrink, sneak up to the guy and push the gun away from her head so Zorel can get a clean shot?"

"I can do that, even if I am definitely not Ray Palmer."

"Whatever, get in there, knock the gun away, Zorel has her shot, SWAT rushes, Big Belly for everyone. Don't screw this up." The SWAT team commander told him.

"I can tell you if the gun moves." Kal El stressed again. "I can also move as fast as the Flash."

This claim was met with a round of laughter from all the police.

"Does Superwoman even know you are here? I heard she had someone house sitting, not trying to fit in a fish scale suit. Either you shrunk that thing in the washer or you are proud of those muscles. I would be proud too but I wouldn't be running around in a spandex jumpsuit. No offense but we work with a select group of people. Sit back, Superwoman's cousin, we still got some heroes in town." The head of the Swat team told him. Kal El stepped back, feeling a bit confused. He had never been turned down before by police. They trust Kara but not him? Of course he was an unknown but this was the second time he had been called second string and he wasn't crazy about it.

"Hey did you guys know Kara actually knows the Miranda rights and Alex still has to use that cheat sheet she keeps in her back pocket?" Glen asked.

"You keep looking at her back pocket and her samurai girlfriend is going to turn you into Sushi." Sandy told the man, who still had issues with propriety at times.

Palmer shrunk and moved under the door. A few seconds later gunfire shattered the silence, SWAT moved in and jumped the man on the ground, while a full grown Ray Palmer protected the woman with his armored back. They realized that the perp had a dart buried in the back of his neck, Valkyrie training her gun on the man in case he needed an extra one. Once handcuffed, EMS was called in to check the perp before he was hauled unconscious to the police station.

"Big Belly Burger time!" One of the officer's yelled. "Somebody get a picture of this and text it to Mr. and Mrs. Superwoman."

"You have their phone numbers?!" Clark practically yelled. He was ignored. "This is getting ridiculous. I'm out."

"Thanks for your … showing up and offering. If you want to change, you are more than welcome to join us at Big Belly Burger." The Captain offered. He appreciated the man's offer, even if he was a little fool hardy and not near as fast as Barry or as calm as Kara. Walking in and trying to reason with a crazy man? What the hell was he thinking?

"I'm… good. Have a nice day officers." Shooting straight up in the sky quickly, he heard someone on the ground call him a show off and point out that Superwoman never feels the need to blast off like a rocket. It was obvious that these heroes had a ridiculously good relationship with the police. At least he didn't have to worry about someone shooting her.

He would still worry. It was good to know at least in this city, she was safe. He wished he had a way to check for Kryptonite on this Earth. Dr. Stein informed him that he was improving a radiation blocker to be woven into her suit to prevent any type of radiation from effecting her. He offered one to Kal El who had turned it down, but wondered if it wouldn't be a bad idea. If he hadn't given his word to Wayne, he and Lois would stay here. This world seemed a lot simpler if still as dangerous as his. Central City while large, seemed like a small town in places. There were no traffic problems like in Metropolis, the air was clean, the people nice. Even the group picture of the JL here was better. The one that hung in their meeting room at WatchTower had the members seated at a round table, stoically looking at the camera. All he had seen at S.T.A.R. was a picture of the team making goofy faces at the camera except for Oliver and Nyssa, Instead Kara and Barry stood behind them, making gruesome faces behind the two where they couldn't see. Yes, definitely a much looser group than his own. He would find this Order before he moved though. If the elder of his house would allow him to anyway.

In Florida, the first couple of Central City sat on the grass watching the fireworks light up the sky behind Cinderella's Castle. Tonight was the last night of five days of Disney in which they had managed to hit every thrill ride the two wanted to take on, Barry's favorite being Soarin, during which he fell in love with the feeling of flying and for the first time considered allowing Kara to take him up. He wasn't scared of flying per se, he just preferred to use a plane or at least have a parachute on. Kara insisted on riding Aerosmith' Rock n Roller Coaster again and again until her corn dogs made a reappearance after the fifth ride. Kara did admit that if you couldn't actually fly, Soarin was the closest one could come to the feeling. Space Mountain was also a thrill, except for the sudden drops which challenged her motion sickness. She braved it though and was a coaster veteran by the time the day was over. Now they were relaxing, turning in early after the show, and in the morning, checking out of Disney and then checking in at Universal Studios. After five days there, a couple stops, one day at the Disney water park Typhoon Lagoon and one day at Blizzard Beach, followed by a day of goofing off, buying souvenirs and visiting Alligator farms and Kennedy Space Center, then the two would ship off bags and gifts on Ray's jet and take off by foot back to Central City. Barry's feet anyway. He would go slower carrying Kara but felt he could still make it in thirty minutes easily.

For now though, Barry sat on the grass, Kara between his knees, leaned back into him watching the sky brighten.

"Hey Barry?"

"Yeah…"

"I checked before we left, I got to know the money guy Nyssa set you up with. Just so you know we actually have more money now than before the trips and wedding, even after paying for the house and car."

"How is that possible?"

"Apparently he has some of the money in tax shelters earning 15% interest and the rest in mutual funds, minus a $5 mil surplus account in the Cayman's that can't be touched by anyone but us. Did you know since we don't live the lifestyles of the rich and famous we could actually live off the interest on the money alone for the rest of our lives?"

"I guess I hadn't thought about it. Any reason why you are? Worried?"

"Of course not… I just wanted to talk to you about something. You know how I told you when we met that I worked at Catco instead of the DEO because it kept me grounded, not so lost?"

"Yeah…"

"See, here is the thing. I never wanted to be a CEO. To be honest I wasn't sure what I wanted. I thought working for Cat would give me an idea and it gave me a few. It helps with my job now but… I don't need to feel grounded now. I need to be there for our daughter. I don't want her to be taken care of by other people with me not there, knowing she could be… more special than the usual child."

"Okay. So you don't want to work? Thats not a problem Kara. I just never mentioned it because I know you love your job…"

"I don't." she told him, shocking the man. He had never heard her complain before. "Don't get me wrong, working with Ray has been great and I love the office and all, but I never wanted to be a Vice President of anything. I think I want to spend the rest of my pregnancy, getting Kendra ready to take my place or at least into marketing. Public Relations really isn't that interesting to me in a business sense but she seems more interested than I am."

"Thats fine…"

"But there is something I have always wanted to do, and it would give me flexibility with schedules, our daughter could be with me all day and it would kind of be a dream of mine. I want to open a gallery."

"A gallery?" Barry asked, not quite understanding.

"Yeah, like I would like to try and sell my paintings or do family portraits for people who come in, or preferably both. If I could get a shop to rent, maybe downtown, like the old Pizzeria that recently closed, with the large windows, I think I could make something of it. I would at least like to try. What do you think? And don't just say whatever I want because I really want to know if you think I could make it work. I could have a store front and reorganize the back, move the ovens out, knock down a wall and have a painting area, I could keep a basinet there and toys, she would… I could make it nice. If someone came in, I could take her with me or leave her only on the other side of a wall if she is asleep."

Barry took his time, knowing she would want an honest opinion. He was taken off guard but suspected after their daughter was born she would be more interested in the baby, than doing PR work for Ray. He also knew art was one of her major passions but she never thought she was good enough to show paintings to friends, much less strangers. She kept most of those in her room covered and only allowed close friends and family to see them then brushed off any praise. She really was talented but no one could convince her. Maybe she had started believing it finally.

"What would you call it?" he asked. Kara shrugged her shoulders, getting a bit excited. She really didn't want to hear the whatever you want line from Barry.

"I haven't decided. I wanted to ask if you even thought it was feasible."

"How would you feel about people seeing all your work? I know how private you are with our art."

"I know, but maybe, no, I know its time to get over it. I'm good. I am getting really good at portraits and maybe some of my paintings are out there, like out of this galaxy but no one would know it. I think my sketches of birds are pretty good and would love to paint them and other landscapes here. Honestly I like my Krypton memories the best and even if no one knows what the landscapes are, it would be kind of neat for the planet to live on through others who have my art, whether they know it or not."

"How would you price them?"

"I have given that some thought. I visited a lot of galleries on weekends in National City. I realize the economy was quite a bit different there and prices for everything were higher but depending on the size, how much effort, how much I like a piece, anywhere from $500 to a $1000 starting off. A family portrait could range from $500 to $750 depending on the size."

Barry took a deep breath and asked the question he didn't want to but had to. "Kara, I think your art is beautiful. Everyone who has seen it thinks it is beautiful. I have no doubt you can make this work and I think it's a great idea, but I have to know, what if you don't sell right away? What if business is slow to start? Things like this take a lot of word of mouth before they catch on, meaning people aren't going to be breaking in on grand opening day. From what i understand you sell one or two, they tell their friends, who buy one and on and on it goes until everybody will have to have something you've done. But it doesn't happen overnight. Are you going to be depressed, because I know you get hurt by things like that. I don't think that will happen, I think people are going to recognize talent and want to be a part of it quickly, but I want to be prepared and I want you to be prepared. Can you handle it if you don't sell many pieces right away?"

"Yes. I've thought about this. I'm tougher now. A year ago, two years ago, I would have never dreamed of this but now, I don't know, I guess I feel like I can do anything. I can take it. I won't give up, I won't get depressed. If nothing else I will at least know if my art is good enough for the world at large or just my friends and family. I'm good either way. Most of my life I never believed I would be loved by a man, much less one like you and then to be married, having a child, I just feel like I am ready for anything instead of thinking of reasons why it can't happen. I don't want to be scared of anything anymore. Cat was never scared. She had a huge mountain to climb, not only surviving but taking over an arena that was previously reserved for men. I want to take that chance. I don't want a media conglomerate but I do want to be an artist. A real artist who isn't afraid to be out there."

"The work we are going to have to do is going to require us buying the building. I have no problem with that as long as you don't. You wanted my honest opinion and honestly I think you would be great at it. I think you would be a major hit. I would love for you to do it. If you want, while you are teaching Kendra the ins and outs, you can look at more buildings to see if one fits better or we can check out others together. I have no problem with the old Pizzeria, but it is kind of small. A larger space with even broader windows could fit better. Like the Furniture store going out of business in the downtown area."

"I didn't think of that." Kara admitted, seeing the possibilities. "I could display paintings on canvases and not just on the wall. A room in the back where… there would be a lot more space. We could cut the building, block off half the front and still have a lot of room. Heating and cooling would be a big thing. I can't just have the art in an uncontrolled environment. I could host art classes for kids in the back too, have a special work area and occasionally… that is a great idea!"

"Yeah, but we could also build a place to your specifications, find a lot in a great space, tear down anything that is there and rebuild. Take the rest of the pregnancy, work with Kendra and we can start looking. Once we make a decision we can buy and start building or remodeling. Then when you have the baby, wait a few weeks and open for business. I think you could be a hit Kara Allen."

"Thank you. Even if I'm not I just feel like I have to take the chance and there will be no other time that is more perfect."

"Just keep a lot of fire extinguishers around, in case the little baby gets hungry and decides to heat blast a few of the works to let you know."

"Barry! She would never… yeah I should probably keep a couple around." Kara agreed. "Did you ever find out what happened from Nyssa?"

"Nope, she just told me she handled it, whatever it was. I asked her to tell me what happened and she asked me if I was deaf, that she handled it and I was not to ask again. I wasn't going to be talked to like that so I stopped asking and she was a lot nicer then."

'Thats good. I think her and Alex are having problems. I hope its not too bad."

"I'm sure they will work it out." Barry assured her.

"When I face timed Charlie this morning, Nyssa asked me to buy Alex some mouse ears and a pink Minnie Mouse stuffed doll because if Alex insisted on acting like a child she should be given children's gifts."

"Did you tell her you had already bought that anyway?"

"Rao no. I don't think I'm going to give them to Alex now. Nyssa made it sound like an insult. I bet Mom would like them. Thea… yeah, Thea would get a kick out of them."

"I'm sure Oliver will love the Robin Hood fox doll you bought him." Barry hoped. Kara had been so excited about that one.

"I still think we should have bought him the Robin Hood hat. It would look a lot better than the hood. But whatever, if he wants to be Mr. Scowly let him. Ready to head back to the room? We have a lot of work to do tonight under the sheets and then we have to change hotels in the morning. Oh and I have a little black leather number I think you will like."

The next morning, after the two had checked in at the resort hotel at Universal, they both entered the park that Barry had been most excited about. Standing in front of the large structure, both took a deep breath.

"It's really here." Kara said quietly in awe.

"Hogwarts Castle." Barry agreed, a bit awestruck, himself.

"I am so Gryffindor." Kara told her husband. "And you are so Ravenclaw."

"Excuse me? Ravenclaw?"

"You do boast about your intelligence often."

"And you like to tell me who the smartest of us actually is. Seems like you should be Ravenclaw."

"As if. I am awesome at Quidditch, at least when it comes to nuclear missiles. You however, without your powers are super slow. Cisco said you are slower than a normal person without your powers. Maybe Hufflepuff would work for you?"

"Keep talking trash, Kara. You are going to have to back that up one day."

"Not today though. Lets go! We can tour the castle and then go to Hogsmeade! This is going to be so awesome. We have to go on the Forbidden Journey!"

"I thought you hated to fly unless you were controlling the flying."

"This is Harry Potter! I can make an exception. Race you! Oh never mind. You can't use your super speed and without it, there really wouldn't be a question as to who is fastest, so I will walk slowly for you."

"Being here is making you cocky. You sure you aren't a Slytherin?"

"Take it back Barry Allen! I will hurt you… later. Come on, we have priority seating. First the castle then the 3 D ride!"

While the two newlyweds were indulging their inner wizards, Alex and Nyssa were solving their own problems in a non traditional way. While Alex walked with an exaggerated limp that she blamed Nyssa for and Nyssa reminded her that she had been wearing arctic boots and it was impossible for the wires to harm her through the fur lining, the two stepped onto the training mat at S.T.A.R.

"We shouldn't train today. You are too emotional, Alex."

"You have no idea." she agreed with part of that statement.

"All because I kept you from doing something stup… unwise from a tactical standpoint when you may have been a bit in the moment?"

"Let's go back before that. Your Alex? What am I, a piece of meat?"

"Of course not! I just wanted to clarify… that… you…"

"Were taken? You think she didn't know? I have a feeling people notice us Nyssa. There is no need to claim me like I am some sort of prize."

"I can't claim to be with you?"

"That is not what I meant and you know it." Alex countered.

"If you are so angry with me, why are we still having sex?"

"I told you I'm not experienced in relationships so I am making it up as I go along. The no sex when fighting rule seems stupid. No point in punishing myself. Charlie crapped in your closet today, by the way."

Nyssa reddened. "You want to train? By all means, lets train." The two warriors selected Kali sticks and began. Nyssa as always changing tempos, twisting and twirling, trying to get Alex to react to split second changes and strikes. It was going well until Nyssa saw something Alex had not done before. Instead of defending, she blocked with the left, twisted and struck the woman across the jaw with the stick in her right hand. Nyssa dropped hers and stepped back, rubbing the sore spot on her jaw. Alex had never struck her before.

"What was that!?"

"What was what? You hit me all the time. I finally hit you, I am getting better, enough to hold my own and you are mad? You trained me. Shouldn't you be happy?"

"No! I hit you while we are training. You hit me while you were mad."

"What difference does it make?"

"Its spousal abuse!"

"Spousal abuse? How in the hell is that spousal abuse? You hit me all the time when we train. You have hit me with staffs, with a bow, with these damn sticks, tonfa, the butt of my own gun and your palm a lot."

"And I never hurt you when I am mad. That hurt, but only because you were mad. I admit the move was quite impressive but it is still abuse."

"It is not abuse! Abuse is claiming me like a piece of meat and then tripping me in Antarctica."

"That was not abuse! The first was pride that you are in love with me and the second was to save you."

"Whatever. You ready to go again, or are you going to rub your jaw some more?"

"I'm not training with you if you are angry. I won't take anymore abuse."

"Oh I can't believe this. You finally get struck and you use this excuse. Fine, whatever. I guess I win today."

"You don't win! I was emotionally distressed because of how you have treated me and your sister's dog defecating all over our home and you took advantage of that!"

Alex didn't hold back her smile any longer. "This really bothers you, doesn't it? I got a shot in on the great Nyssa, the legend, feared by assassins around the world, untouchable, ice cold, except when you aren't cold. Oh no, when emotions are involved you get sloppy, don't you dear?"

"Do not go there with me, Alexandra."

'Its true though. Why can't you just admit I am finally, after all this work, with you no less, am getting as good as you are?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Fine. One match, winner is who is left on the mat. I win and you are going to stop this childish pouting and begin to think more in the field instead of letting your emotions rule you."

"When I win we are going to a cocktail party, maybe New York with your fancy art friends and I am going to introduce you as my Nyssa the entire night. You are also going to agree to wear whatever I want you to wear, no matter how little of it there may be." Alex challenged.

"You are on. After this, I may have to keep you by my side in the field. I know, you can be my sidekick. We can change your name to Speedy Jr."

"I wasn't my sister's sidekick and she can fly. Good luck with that."

The two women squared off, sticks tossed to the side, hands up. Circling each other, Nyssa lashed out, surprised that Alex dropped her guard, her fist landing on her chin. Alex stumbled back a bit and Nyssa moved for a takedown followed by a toss, making short work of her.

Instead Alex dove to the side, landing awkwardly and rolled, with a scream, grabbing her ankle in obvious pain.

"Alex? Alex what happened? Are you hurt?"

Nyssa rushed to her side and bent over, giving Alex the perfect opportunity to grab her nearest arm and roll, tossing the woman and sending her rolling off the mat. Nyssa looked up from the floor at her girlfriend who was in no way injured, standing above her.

"Never be distracted, even by someone as beautiful as I am. See? I am learning from you." Alex reached out her hand, which a red faced Nyssa took and lifted her up.

"If it makes you feel better I won't make rash decisions again. Looking back on it, my plan of action was not the most well thought out and you did save me. You ready to go home? I have a trip to New York to plan, some mini dresses to peruse that I think may look good on you, even if they aren't exactly appropriate for a formal affair and you need to clean up Charlie's messes. Let's go, my Nyssa."

Nyssa smirked. Irritated but admitting to herself that she was feeling quite a bit of pride. "Lead the way, Agent Danvers."

Cisco and Winn sat in their apartment that Cisco still strangely rented despite being very rich and Winn still hung out at occasionally, despite sleeping with Caitlin nearly every night. The two were deep into World of Warcraft when both their phones alerted them to texts. Each saw a picture of Kara and Barry in front of an incredible likeness of Hogwarts, smiling. Next followed a …was that Diagon Alley?

"Look, they are on the Hogwarts Express! Man, I hate those guys sometimes." Winn shouted. "Okay not really. Kara is impossible to hate and Barry is too cool not to love but damn sometimes I really hate them."

"I know…what the hell, another one? No! No they cannot have matching wands! Every wand is unique! Barry knows this! Whoa, they hit Skull Island! Look at Kong! Thats amazing. I am yeah, I am so hitting that place up. I have to go. Screw the Justice League, screw S.T.A.R., screw Barry's toys, we are heading to Universal."

"Great! I'll call Cait."

"Whoa! Its a bros trip, bro. No chicks allowed."

"But… I want us to get matching wands." Winn argued.

"Each wand is unique! Forget it. I'll get Jax to go. At least I know he won't try to get matching wands."

The honeymoon was winding down and the last couple days were spent at the water parks of Disney which were separate admissions from the main park. Barry had a great time, watching Kara in her blue a while at least. Kara remarked how friendly everyone here was. It seemed like every guy here and a few women wanted to buy her a drink or assist her with skin protection. At one point, a man who must have been a fitness model approached her. Barry concentrated, not worried since everyone was watching Kara, and began vibrating, drawing his cells together expanding himself and increasing his muscle mass. He and Harry had talked about this and even done it to some degree of success. It couldn't last more than a few minutes but he didn't need it to. All he needed was a few minutes to step in front of the man. Before he could, Kara, apparently tired of the attention, turned to the man she had only heard walking up.

"Not interested, don't need a drink and my husband will do something very bad and painful to you if you offer to put lotion on me. On the bright side it will happen so fast you probably won't feel it. Bye now."

The man, rejected and shocked speechless, walked away quickly. Kara looked at her husband.

"Cut that out. You look like one of these Zoolander wannabes. Go back to normal. I like you looking like you."

Barry did as instructed, losing quite a bitt of the bulk he had picked up and feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry."

"No problem. I was getting really tired of the attention. Let them see me in a couple months and they won't be offering to rub lotion on me."

"Maybe if you had your ring on, they wouldn't bother you." he suggested, not really thinking it would make a difference.

"Barry Allen, look around you! There is a tidal wave pool over there. The waves are twenty foot high easily. Hundreds are in the lazy river, there are miles of water slides and you seriously think I am wearing a twenty thousand dollar ring here? If it slipped off I would never find it, even with my vision. Maybe if you would come rub lotion on me, they might get the idea that I am taken.

"You don't burn."

"Not really the point, is it? The lotion does feel good. You are my husband, I want to feel good, are you getting the logical progression of steps here?"

Admitting she had a point, Barry slid behind her for a few minutes before Kara decided they needed to share a tube on Castaway Creek once more. He knew she would sleep the entire run home but it was worth it. This whole trip was like a dream. Just the two of them, relaxing, not a care in the world, no super villians, no murder scenes, no bodyguards needed for Kara. One day he vowed they would retire from this life. But util that day, he would make sure, at least once a year their family, all three of them and the mutt if he had to bring him, would spend two weeks somewhere. Kara seemed lighter than she had been in a long time.

The lightness of the trip continued even after reaching their new home. Until Lois answered the door. Somehow the two had forgotten they had unwelcome house sitters.

"Well, the law enforcement community will be excited about the two of you being back. I don't think Clark can take much more rejection." she greeted the couple, smiling. Kara internally groaned.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing major. He has just had to learn the hard way who the top Kryptonian is in this universe. We have a hotel reserved for tonight and are going back in the morning. I hope we can have breakfast before we leave. I thought the two of you may want to be alone on the second night in your house."

"Thanks Lois. You can stay if you want of course."

"Something tells me Clark's super hearing may not want to pick up what will be going on. He is out flying, and Diana has already moved our bags so we will see you in the morning."

"You don't have to rush off Lois." Kara told her. Despite wanting to relax at home she realized that every time someone left her universe it could be the last time she saw them. Not a pleasant thought but a realistic one.

"I'm not sweetie. You two relax. I think Diana is going to stay for a moment. She wanted to talk to you. She in one of the guest rooms now. She promised she wouldn't be long. We can meet for breakfast in the morning and Cisco can send us home."

Both Allens watched her leave, Kara with a bit of sadness and a bit grateful because she was tired. Barry with a bit of apprehension, wondering what the Amazon would want or why she would stay in the first place. He had a pretty good idea. As if summoned magically, Diana Prince walked into the living room. Even in blue jeans and a simple white blouse she somehow seemed majestic.

"Welcome back. I would ask if the two of you had fun but I can see by your faces you did. Thank you for letting me stay in your home, even if Clark sort of invited us all himself."

"It was no problem. Have you enjoyed your time here?" Barry asked, hoping she would get to the point.

"I have! It has been wonderful. I took a flight and found the Island I am from, at least one in this universe. Hard to believe there is an island full of my sisters, hidden from the world as always."

"Oh! Wow, a hidden island… here?"

"Yes. Unfortunately I was not known but accepted regardless. My mother apparently never made me in this world. She adopted a daughter a couple decades ago though, a delightful girl. She is from this world, abandoned after a fire that killed her parents. She was just a baby. My mother had been visiting this world, blending in and observing as it were and had seen enough of the horrors that mankind inflicted on itself to know that this was no place for an orphan girl. She brought the child back to the island and raised her. She is 22 now and has been blessed by the gods with any gifts."

"Thats… did you say you were made?" Kara asked to be sure. Diana smiled at the bewildered look on the blonde's face.

"Long story. Regardless I would like to talk with you for a moment, you and your husband if you have time? I will be on my way afterward."

"Of course." Barry told her, still on edge. She was a strange one, he had no doubt. Like Kara her beauty could hide a force of nature underneath. The three sat, Diana in a lounge chair and the two newlyweds on the sofa.

"You are having a girl." the woman stated.

"Yeah, we have gotten some pretty strong hints." Barry admitted, thinking of his mother in the Speed Force.

"She is going to have great power, but you do not need me to tell you that. You both have great power as well. Kara, I have fought in many wars over the last 5000 years…"

"Excuse me? Did you say…"

"Yes." Diana confirmed and brushed aside the Blonde's question. "I have fought monsters as strong as the telepathic apes and White Martians of your old planet. I have been to Mount Olympus and fought Ares himself. The gods of Olympus, strong metahumans also gifted in magic, worshipped by primitive cultures. Ares was the god of war."

"Was?"

"I killed him. The Shield I carry was his. He won't be needing it any longer. I suppose I am the Goddess of War now. It doesn't matter, my point is I have fought and defeated nearly every type of enemy on this Earth and beyond, whether alien, magician, metahuman or combinations of both. I have never lost a battle. I don't intend to ever lose a battle. This may sound conceited and arrogant but it is simply a fact. What about you Kara? Have you ever lost a battle?"

"Why? Do you want to fight?" Superwoman asked jokingly but beginning to feel as on edge as Barry. Diana laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Absolutely not. We are sisters, whether you know it or not, at least in spirit. You have not had five thousands years of battle. This is good. It becomes a weary existence, one not full of happiness except of a solitary nature. You are lucky to have friends as I was lucky to have my sisters. You are very lucky to find love. Many of us never have that chance. I loved a man once. He died. Such is the curse of immortality. My point Kara, is I have observed some of your battles here and on the other Earth. You fought Savage with raw power, overcame him through force of will. You did the same to Non. I have seen the videos. J'onn told me about the battle the two of you had against the White Martian. I believe life can be much easier for you. I want to work with you, and with your daughter. You are very good but I can make you better. I understand Nyssa is your mentor in battle and she is very good but she can't teach you to fight in the sky. She cannot teach you how to fight a monster made of dark energy or an eight foot tall behemoth, even one that has Kryptonite running through its veins and under its skin."

Barry stiffened. "You know about Doomsday? Is there another? Because she won't go near that monster. It was designed to kill her. It exploits every one of her weaknesses."

"Yes it does but every creature has a weakness of its own. How would you have defeated it Kara?"

"I… don't know."

"What about the numerous battle with Non? Why did you not defeat him sooner?"

"He… had more experience. I was stronger but, he had numbers, he knew how to use distractions, he knew what I would do if others were threatened. He knew me. I was on TV a lot. I have no doubt he studied me. Its what I would do now, if I was preparing to fight an enemy as strong as I am."

"Exactly. You have learned from that and grown. I can take you farther. Battles are not always won by those with the biggest heart. Sometimes it takes cunning, sometimes it takes better weapons and sometimes it takes intelligence. Your daughter, she is going to have a challenge controlling her powers. You had a challenge as a 13 year old. She will be dealing with it in some degree from birth. How will you handle that?"

"We know what we are doing." the Flash told her immediately. "I mean not exactly but Eliza and Alex, Caitlin… we have the ability to help her control her gifts as they come."

"And when it is time for her to battle? Because such power given to one individual, she will attract attention the same as you do. She will attract enemies. She will fight wars. She will need to know how to fight before she loses her first one."

"Diana, I don't mean to be rude but could you get to the point? You want to work with Kara obviously, but I am not comfortable with how you are talking about our daughter."

Diana nodded her head and looked down.

"I apologize. Sometimes I come on forcefully and have to remember to stamp it down. The bad part of being a princess and a goddess. Once the baby is born and you have recovered Kara, I think it would be beneficial for me to return. I could take you to Themyscira here, now that I am certain this universe has one. I can introduce you and you could learn. Your daughter could learn as she grows."

"You want to take my wife to some hidden island where people like you apparently fight metahuman magicians that have been worshipped as mythological gods and learn to fight more effectively? I'm sorry, I'm wondering why the hell she would do this? I realize you don't get our news where you are from but she is kind of a big deal. No one in this world can defeat her."

"Then why are you so afraid?"

"Because I love her." Barry answered immediately. "Part of loving a woman who doesn't back down from a fight, means living with the fear."

"Kara? Give it some thought. I would love to visit with Kal when the baby is born. We can talk more then."

"Of course. I mean I don't… I'm going to have my hands full, I just can't take off for a weekend retreat to fight other… Amazons. Wow, I said that."

"Of course not right away, but perhaps you might reflect on the wisdom of an occasional visit. I have a favor to ask of you both on behalf of my mother, at least my mother in this Universe. Her daughter will be going through the trials this year, learning to harness the gifts granted to her by the gods. Gifts very similar to my own. She has not been in battle and has had little contact with the world of man."

"I live here too. It's not just his." Kara reminded her.

"She will succeed but she will need her own battles to fight. My mother wishes her to be allowed to fight in your army. I have told her of your deeds and she is impressed."

"Our army… you mean the Justice League?" Barry clarified.

"Unless you have another army I am not aware of."

"We aren't an army. We are just friends, family who are trying to do what is right with what we have been given, the same as your Justice League."

"As you wish. Whatever you call yourself is yours to choose, army, League, it doesn't matter. She will need to be surrounded by good people, powerful heroes while she learns about the world and its enemies. Would you be opposed to her joining your League? She won't be done for twelve months at the earliest but she will need assistance in her time here."

"Of course. We will always welcome… people who want to help and have the ability to do so, whether they are metahuman or not." Kara told her.

"Excellent. I will fly to Themyscira tonight and inform Hippolyta of your decision. I also ask that you seriously consider my offer Kara. There are many things you can learn that will only make it easier for you to protect your daughter. Thank you both and congratulations on your marriage. I look forward to seeing the little goddess when she enters this world."

Diana rose and walked towards the door, only to be stopped by Kara.

"This girl? You want her to fight with us by our side… she has no experience with this world?"

"None. She has spent her life around the Amazons. She will need guidance, not different from when yo landed. She does speak English among a dozen other languages though, so she will have that going for her."

"What is… is she named Diana?"

"No. Her name is Donna Troy. That was the name she was given in the orphanage before my mother took her. She will be very excited. I told her tales of your power and bravery. The opportunity to meet you will aid her success in the trials as motivation. Good bye to the both of you. Until next time."

The door closed, leaving Barry and Kara alone, trying to take in the surreal experience that a conversation with Diana Prince could leave someone with.

"Okay then. That doesn't happen everyday." Barry admitted.

"Forget about it. Lets go to bed. I'm tired."

"It's three in the afternoon."

"So I'm not tired and just want to go to bed. You have a problem with that?"

"Absolutely not. We better take advantage. Who knows what villain is going to be out to get us next?"

Barry, as it turned out had nothing to worry about. No villain had shown up. After learning of the happenings in Antarctica and berating Oliver for an hour, Barry expected a run in with Caitlin Fairchild's team but had seen or heard nothing for months, nor had Lyla. Cat and Carter were brought back to Earth 1 for Christmas, while Cat scouted locations for Kara's new venture. Gifts were exchanged. Kara hopped around like a five year old on a sugar rush for most of Christmas morning and then her and Zatanna proceeded to try and cook for a lot of people until Zatanna caused a dead chicken to levitate accidentally and float into the ceiling fan. Kendra, Caitlin and Eliza arrived shortly after that, drawn by Kara's pregnancy hormones and wails at killing a dead chicken again. Besides the chicken incident, Kara's pregnancy went smooth for the most part.

For the most part being a gentle phrase considering the challenges she faced in regards to illness, insatiable hunger, hours and hours under a sun lamp to fight off illnesses, mood swings, craving sex one minute and yelling at Barry the next then apologizing profusely then either yelling or wanting sex again. She also had a craving for peanut butter smeared on Pepperoni pizza. As the pregnancy progressed she lost use of her powers for 90% of the day. There were highlights though, that did not involve spending the day under high powered solar lamps and being fed every immunity boosting herb and drug available.

In the fourth month, surrounded by friends and family, Caitlin confirmed the sex of the baby was indeed a girl. Alex was the most excited as she had been since the pregnancy was announced. Valkyrie had been scouring baby name books for months, wanting to pick the name and manipulate Kara into choosing the one she liked best. Alex was determined to name the baby.

"So I have been thinking of some possible names." she told her sister, before anyone else had a chance to talk to her, especially Eliza, who Alex knew had her own ideas.

"Oh… I'm sorry Alex. I already, I mean we, already picked a name."

"You picked a name? You haven't said anything." her sister pointed out, wondering how much of a battle she would have to change Kara's mind.

"Yeah, we wanted to officially confirm the sex first. We are going to call her Lexie." Barry told her absently, still staring at the sonogram, the most complete picture of their daughter they had seen yet.

"Lexie? What… why Lexie? Where did that come from?"

Kara turned away from the picture and met her sister's eyes. "We can't call her Alex. That would be confusing, so we are going to go with Lexie. When I am mad at her I will be able to pull the Alexandra card, just like Mom."

Alex froze, looking around, seeing the smile on Caitlin and Eliza's face. They had known.

"You are naming her after…"

"You, yeah. Alexandra Nora Allen. Look at her, Alex. Isn't she gorgeous?"

Kara didn't see the tears in her sister's eyes because she had turned back to the monitor, Barry and her, along with most of the League and family members, watching the little girl curled up inside Kara, not having a care in the world. Alex wrapped her arms around Kara from behind and lay her head on her sister's shoulder.

"I think… thank you."

"No, thank you, Alex. I never would have gotten this far without you."

The fifth month had its highlights as well. It started when Kara was pulled over by a Central City police unit. She gently pulled over, her tire almost going up onto a sidewalk. She was surprised to see Quentin Lance.

"Quentin? Was I speeding?" she asked innocently.

"No. As a matter of fact I just clocked you doing fifteen miles an hour in a forty. I'm pretty sure the lady in the wheelchair over there made more ground than you."

"Oh… uh… it's not against the law to go too slow, is it?"

"Kara, you… you hit two cars in a parking lot last week."

"They were not parked correctly. I fixed the dents. Why are you bringing this up?" she asked, wanting to forget those two separate incidents. "It isn't my fault those people didn't know how to park."

"Kara they were police cars, parked in the same spot reserved for each car. They weren't parked incorrectly. You almost swerved into a pier by the docks the other day. If the cops hadn't known who you were they would have pulled you over for drunk driving."

"The wind was strong. My vehicle isn't the heaviest. Speeding is a problem in this city. I would think the police force would appreciate a safe driver like myself. I don't speed." Superwoman reminded him.

"Kara I've got a bad back and knees held together by shoe strings and I can walk faster than you drive. Someone is going to hit you or you are going to drive into water… or a mailbox, or hell I don't know, anything! Word around the station is the bigger you get the more your powers are going away. You are going to have to live like the rest of us for a while, kid. You could be hurt."

"Are you saying I should stop driving? How am I going to get better if…"

"You aren't getting better. Look, because I'm still the new guy, I drew the short straw. Have someone drop you off at the parking lot behind that driving school on Elmer street. I'll be waiting. Just don't drive yourself. Joe or Alex, or Nyssa or damn near anybody you know will be glad to drop you off. Barry can pull himself away from his microscope long enough to take you. Just be there. I have been informed by the Chief that I am to meet you everyday at two PM until I can teach you how to drive without killing yourself or driving into anyone or thing."

"Traffic School? Really?"

"You think I like this? Riding with you scares the hell out of me too but you have to learn. Two PM, be there, and for God's sake don't drive there, or anywhere else until I give the okay. We got each other?"

"Yes Lieutenant Lance." the woman responded irritated.

"Don't be like that, Kara. No reason to bring out the rank and last name. I promise, give me a few weeks and you will be ready for Nascar. But until then, let me follow you to the station and Barry can give you a ride home. Promise?"

"Yes…" she grumbled. So began Kara's driving lessons. After three weeks working everyday, Lance had managed to get her to the point that she was driving at least 55 on the highway and not swerving any longer. She could drive a straight line and operate at the posted speed limit. While not ready for Nascar, it was the unanimous opinion of all that Quentin Lance had pulled off the impossible.

In the sixth month Kara sat next to Cisco and Caitlin, watching a stunt they were probably sure was not possible months before. The presence of the majority of the Justice League in Cnetral City and surrounding areas meant that Barry had more time to devote to Kara but also to training. Thanks to Nyssa's meditation techniques, he had had been able to beat ten different computers at chess within five minutes, never taking longer than a second to decide on the next move. He had also gotten faster. Touching base with himself at a basic level, relaxing, feeling at one with the universe, had more benefits than just relaxation and focus. Barry was finally able to call on the Speed Force and merge with it, at will.

Today was the day he had been building towards. Over the past two months he had clocked amazing speeds running from South America to Canada and back. He could heal himself instantly and he could vibrate at an unheard of frequency, shattering even Wells expectations. Striking with tremendous force while standing still and even greater force when running, he had grown much, much stronger in owning his power. Cisco had set up a training ground of a sort, involving concrete pillars in a small area. Standing in the middle and vibrating to the point where anyone touching him would die, Barry was able to destroy four of the columns in five seconds. Force equals acceleration times mass and Barry was able to produce acceleration and solidify and build his mass at a rate no human should be able to survive. The most impressive thing in the whole exercise was his fists were not injured nor any other part of his body.

Today Barry planned to circle the globe. None were feeling optimistic and Firestorm, Ray and the Hawks were spread out over the Equator, having left the day before to reach their assigned spots, should Barry fall into the ocean. Although Cisco had still not devised a com that could handle the frequency the Flash was moving at, the chest plate and GPS held. The camera only showed a light show of course, moving to fast to catch actual clear images, but his vitals were monitored by Caitlin and to her surprise, he didn't appear to be more put out than usual. Barry had reached another level. If he thought of slowing down, he simply pulled more of the Speed Force into his body, become one with it and think of Kara and his little girl who would be born soon. Although Barry claimed to be focusing on the vibrations of the universe, his thoughts often focused on one thing, one creature that would always be on his mind. Doomsday. He had seen and gone through a creature whose sole purpose was to kill the woman he loved and if he ever ran into it again, the results would be in his favor. With every punch he threw or speed record he broke, protecting his family was primarily on his mind.

Kara sat at the control room rubbing her growing belly, Charlie at her side as always.

"I'm glad you can't see this Lexie, because Daddy is being an idiot right now. Yes he is acting like an idiot. Its a man thing. You see he is either going to run so fast he is going to burn up, or slow down and drown. He may hit a whale. The chances are good that I am going to be a single mom after today but I don't want you to worry. We have all his money so we are going to be set for life. Maybe mommy will find a man who isn't a brave idiot."

"Kara honey? I can hear you. You aren't exactly giving me confidence right now." Barry complained in the com.

"I thought your Speed Force friend said you had to do it without encouragement. Have I mentioned how bad of an idea this is? How many things could go wrong? The League has had one fight, and it was a joke. I can't believe everyone raced to take on Weather Wizard. He gave up when he saw us all. Or you guys anyway. I stayed here. Know why? Because our daughter has to have one parent when you go boom! Just get on a plane and come home."

"I have to do this. I have to circle the globe in under five minutes and the Equator is the straightest path I can take."

"You are going to cause a lot of problems for people. It is going to cause some major damage if you pull this off." she argued, grasping for anything to make him change his mind.

"The Congo might be a challenge and I may have to blow some jungle down, but the area in Indonesia I plan to travel through is fairly uninhabited. Felicity, how does the weather and shipping lanes look in the Pacific?"

'Small storm three hundred miles South of line. Shipping lanes look clear at this moment."

"Cisco?"

"Atlantic looks fine, as far as I can tell shipping lanes are clear but that doesn't account for small fishing boats."

"Barry…" Kara tried again.

"Baby listen, light can travel around the globe 7.5 times in a second. I am trying to do it in five minutes. So you see? Perfectly safe. Okay, go time."

At the Equatorial line in Brazil, Barry Allen's eyes flashed. He pulled the Speed Force into his body and manipulated it, wrapping it around his body. He could do this. He could go faster. Today was just a trial run, just to see how fast he could do it and how much faster would he need to be. Was light speed really possible? To move that fast, at such an unimaginable speed?

Of course it wasn't possible. It was impossible and that was what the Flash specialized in. Once he did it, he could go faster, and faster. There was no limit. There couldn't be. He refused to allow one.

He took off. not even noticing his feet moving. He saw everything and nothing, every particle in the air, even at an atomic level and saw for miles in front of him. Despite the speed he had all the confidence in the world that if he saw a boat, he would simply phase through it. If he saw a ship, he could stop on a dime and even in the water move around it, never losing momentum except for an amount of time that milliseconds couldn't measure.

At the lab, the atmosphere was tense. Eliza, Alex and Nyssa stood in the back, Caitlin and Cisco, sitting next to Kara, relegated to watching and waiting, while Jeremiah stood behind his daughter, rubbing her shoulders. Wells paced behind the console and Zatanna prepared to teleport Barry Allen back to the lab if he should fall and wondered how to pronounce Barry Allen backwards, wondered if she would have to use his entire name which would be impossible to pronounce quickly or if she could get away with just saying Flash backwards. Hsalf gave her a bit more leeway with pronunciation. At times she was allowed to consider the H as silent.

"He just went by. I think he did. Something red did but it is gone." Carter reported from over the Atlantic.

"Did he burn up?!" Kara asked immediately.

"No, he is fine. He is just moving too fast for Carter's eyes to process him as more than a flash of light. He isn't even leaving a trail of lightning. I never would have dreamed this was possible. I have dreamed a lot, but this? I never really thought it would happen." Cisco admitted. Even Wells was having trouble believing it. He knew it was possible but to know and then see it was completely different.

"He just went through the Congo. A trail of trees are smashed to the side, but I see… yeah he is gone. Still moving." Kendra reported.

"Just passed Indonesia. I am pretty sure he phased through a neighborhood considering it is still standing." Ray reported.

"I'm out over the Pacific, whoa! Man Grey can't even believe this. How fast is he going?"

"Fast." was Cisco's simple answer. The group heard nothing, no sonic boom, no ground shaking warning, nothing. Barry was wrapped in and part of the Speed Force and still controlling it. He slowed as he entered Central City and was in the lab before anyone realized the door had even opened in the front.

Breathing a bit deeply, lightning still flashing in his eyes and body vibrating slightly, he asked the most important question on his mind, one he had been asking since he woke up from the coma.

"How fast?"

"If Zoom was here, you would destroy him with your finger." Wells told him.

"Two and a half minutes man. You just circled the globe in two and a half minutes." Cisco reported while Caitlin tried to let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and tried not to vomit from worry.

Barry's vibrations slowed, taking that in. He had no idea how fast he was moving, he just knew he was. He saw everything, perfect recall of every sight in the world he passed. He missed a sailing yacht that must have originated in Hawaii. He saw a lion in the Congo. He saw a child playing soccer in the street in Indonesia who never noticed him as he passed by.

"Kara?"

"Yeah?" she answered, letting out a breath.

"You ready to go home or do you want to yell at me here?" he asked, grinning.

"I'm not going to yell at you. I'm proud of you, even if you do scare the hell out of me. I guess you won't be satisfied until you circle the globe in a second?"

"I can do it."

"I know. Thats what scares me so much. Just don't make a habit out of it okay?"

"Deal."

"Who is up for a burger? I am. I'll even buy you one, Cisco." Wells told them, shocking the hell out of the room. Barry realized he was hungry, very, very hungry. He may have to stop by the bank to pay for his and Kara's meal.

The seventh month of Kara's pregnancy was not as horrible as it could be. The cold and flu season was over but the heat of summer was upon her. By this point, having powers even for a minute was a treat for the woman. Kara had to deal with life as a human pregnant woman. Despite not gaining any extra weight outside of her rounded stomach that was growing by the day, she felt huge. She couldn't drive comfortably and even considering her improved skills, her family and friends still weren't crazy about her behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. As a result her constant and faithful bodyguard Carter Hall drove her everywhere, Charlie in his safety seat. The two were even more inseparable than before and Kara was working less and less, letting Kendra take the reins so to speak a little at a time. Because of the extra time at home, Kara had actually managed to house train Charlie. Like her powers at the start of the pregnancy, the training worked about 90% of the time but accidents still happened.

Married life suited her. She still looked around the house often convincing herself this wasn't a dream. Today was another milestone for her, another dream she would realize soon.

Today they broke ground on her gallery. The couple had decided no building suited there needs so a former large clothing boutique in the Park area, had been torn down after a battle of permits and inspections, contracts, city council votes and bids from contractors. The Council was agreeable, especially with Ray Palmer in Kara's corner, hinting at the displeasure his company would have with the city if an art gallery were not allowed. Ray told the mayor himself he would hate to close the Central City office because of red tape keeping a young couple from launching an exciting business that would only improve the city. After Ray's intervention the process moved much smoother.

Barry was waiting, helping her move out of the car. Kara felt like she would fall over if she tried to tie her shoes.

The two stood side by side as Kara stuck the blade of the shovel into the ground. Oliver and Thea Queen, the entire Justice League, support team and quite a few of those wandering by cheered loudly. Though emotional she did not cry. Today she was happy but more than that she was proud. Her and Barry had made this happen. She looked at her friends and realized how much had changed since she arrived here. This large family had begun with Barry, Cisco and Caitlin and had grown to an extent she had never imagined. Soon,probably in the next three to four months, she had no doubt a woman named Donna Troy would make an appearance in their lives and the League would grow stronger, the world would be safer and she would have her little girl.

By the beginning of the eighth month, Kara was prepared to ground her child the moment she was born. The little one had made a habit of hanging out on Kara's bladder and her kicks were getting stronger. Too strong. She was fairly certain one of her ribs was broken, but didn't want Caitlin to let an X ray anywhere near her. Her powers were non existent now, she actually had a sun burn after watching construction all day, and her back and feet were killing her. The baby's nursery had been prepared, walls colored in a bright white, with a large symbol of the House of El painted over where her crib sat. Through the crest was a lightning bolt of course, the new coat of arms for her family.

Thea had begged her to go baby clothes shopping once again so Kara sat waiting for the shopping addict with arrows when she felt it.

Barry and Oliver sat in his lab at the station, discussing a possible group of organized metahumans robbing banks in Chicago. Barry's phone buzzed. He was surprised to see a call from Kara instead of the usual text.

"Hey, everything okay?"

"Are you ready to meet your daughter face to face?" a very nervous Kara asked him.

"You mean?"

"My water just broke."


	47. Chapter 47

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Okay the moment we have all waited for. I've been excited about writing this kid since the story started. Some of you have PM'd me asking if I knew Prometheus would be a villain this season on Arrow. No I didn't. I chose him because of his connection to the Green Arrow in the comic. Green Arrow actually murdered him and got kicked out of the JLA and in true Arrow style he didn't give a damn. Plus when Prometheus in the comics nearly defeated all the JLA and took over Watchtower, it was Catwoman disguised as Cat Grant who happened to be there and took him out with a whip to his private parts. That is why I had to have Kara take him down with a knee to the groin. Sort of a nod to the comics. Because of the Arrow and Cat Grant associations I decided he would make a great villain. I wanted someone smart but not super powered. Someone who could still pose major challenge. When I was researching possible villains to fit my needs I actually told my wife the guy would make an amazing villain on Arrow. I guess the writers thought so too. Thank you for all the support as always and if I haven't gotten back to you I will. Still having wireless problems. Its in and out.

Chapter 47

"Just relax. Keep calm, okay? It's going to be fine, we are going to be fine. Don't worry, everything is going to be fine. I uh… I called Caitlin and Eliza. Eliza said something about Alex. She is probably going to call her. You just have to relax. Are you relaxed?"

"Are you?" Kara asked Barry who did not seem calm or relaxed, instead pacing in front of the couch Kara was sitting on. She had already changed to the best of her ability, slipping on a very large nightgown before Barry had arrived, lifted her in his arms and sat her down in the living room.

"Of course I'm relaxed. Why wouldn't I be relaxed? I'm not the one who is about to experience unimaginable pain, a real baby at least 6 pounds being pushed out of a small area of my body. You are going to be crying and screaming and you know I hate to see you in pain… wow, I probably should stop talking now."

"That would be my preference. Help me to the car and drive me to S.T.A.R. That is the first step. Can you help me?"

"When did contractions start? Aren't they supposed to start? Have they started? If they haven't we need to do something. There is a larger…"

"Chance of infection, blah, blah, blah, I read the same books you have, Barry. I had my first one about 14 minutes before my water broke."

"Why didn't you call me then?!"

"Because I wanted to make sure it wasn't false labor. My water broke and that made me pretty certain. I'm probably due another one at any moment so take me to S.T.A.R. or let me lay here in peace while I deal with the pain and try to relax! You are freaking me out! We have prepared for this. We know what we are doing. Breathe, relax. Your thoughts are all over the place. I recognize the look. Use that technique Nyssa taught you to slow down your mind."

"I am. No, I have this. You just can't freak out on me, Kara. I know you like to freak out. You aren't as calm as I am."

"Yeah right, because you are the picture of cool right now. Help me to the car. I have zero power at the moment and I don't just mean that in the superhero sense."

Kara's attempt to calm Barry down ended when she stiffened and moaned, her face scrunching in pain. Barry stared at her frozen in place for what seemed like hours but was actually 62 seconds.

"What was that? Did it hurt? It looked like it hurt."

"Why are we still here?! Get me … screw it, I'll drive myself."

"No! No, I got this. Let me help… I can run you…"

"No you can't. Not today, not like this." Kara reached her hand towards Barry who helped her up and carefully and slowly walked her to the garage. Placing her in the passenger seat and buckling her in, checking it twice, he then sat in the driver's seat and began to back up.

"Barry!"

"What?!" he asked, jumping in his seat.

"The garage door is still down. Are you planning on opening it or backing through it?" she asked, beginning to be a bit irritated.

"Sorry. Yeah, opening it would be a good idea."

Barry moved to open his door when Kara grabbed his hand, holding him back and pressed the garage door opener in the console.

"No need to get out. Are you sure you should be driving? You are sweating. A lot."

"No… I am good. Just a bit out of sorts but I am good now. I am calm."

Barry forced himself to believe this then squealed and jumped in his seat when the door opened. Oliver was standing there, shaking his head at the manly squeak the superhero let slip.

"Get in the back, I'll drive."

"You? No, I…"

"Barry, get in the back." Kara ordered.

"You too Kara. Safer back there. Help Kara in the backseat, Barry."

Barry did as instructed quickly while Oliver watched to make sure he was doing everything right. The Flash was sweating. Oliver had never seen Barry sweat, and didn't even know it was possible. Kara was sweating but as the summer came on and her powers lessened and her weight increased she learned to sweat quite a bit.

Driving quickly but safely to the lab, Oliver helped Kara out and Barry practically pulled her inside. Caitlin and Eliza were waiting for her, bed prepared, one Kara had become intimately familiar with as more and more exams were conducted.

Sitting gently on the bed and laying back in a reclined position she began breathing, trying to calm herself.

Barry began pacing again, irritating an already irritated and uncomfortable Kara.

"How far apart?" Caitlin asked. The two has discussed this many, many times and Kara was an expert on pregnancy, knowing everything about delivery except actually delivering a baby.

"18 minutes. Water broke 14 minutes after the first one. Pain scale was about 6."

"That was a 6? You looked like you were dying."

"No, I didn't." Kara told her husband. "It was uncomfortable. On a scale of stubbing a toe and digging a bullet out of my shoulder it was probably closer to stubbing a toe but still not that bad."

Caitlin shook her head. Only Kara would consider a stubbed toe worse than being shot.

"So we have plenty of time. Are you comfortable?"

'All things considering, I am. Barry is more nervous than I am. I just want to see my daughter. Charlie… Barry, get Charlie! We forgot him! I'm a horrible mother!"

"Charlie can't be in here Kara." Barry told her immediately.

"Yes he can. He comes here all the time. Maybe he doesn't need to be in the room but right now he is freaking out that we left. He can be in the lab."

"He was taking a nap." Barry tried.

"Thats even worse! He is going to wake up and think he was abandoned. Go get him!"

"He can… call Zatanna and she can pop him here."

"No! I love her but she is not performing magic on Charlie. Go get him. It will take you two seconds. Actually make sure you bring his portable water and food bowl. We may be here a while. Also his chew toy. The Mickey Mouse one is his favorite."

"You seriously want me to leave your side to get the dog?"

"I don't like the way you said the dog. He has a name and he is part of our family. He is going to be Lexie's play partner and deserves to be here when she is born, not freaking out at our home until we come in with Lexie and he thinks he has been replaced. Get…Him…NOW!"

"Son, you should probably get the dog." Jeremiah whispered in his ear, surprising Barry, who hadn't heard him. "Your Dad, Joe, Alex and Nyssa they are on their way. She isn't going to deliver for a few hours. We can watch her for five minutes."

Barry zipped off without another word. Henry and Joe paid him no mind as they rushed in.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Dr. Allen asked, having completed his recertification three months prior. He was now working with a free clinic and making plans to build his own practice. Although Caitlin would be performing the delivery an MD was needed on hand for the birth certificate. Kara told Henry that he could be in the room but wasn't prepared for her father in law to see her in another light and Henry completely understood.

"About 18 minutes and her water has broke." Caitlin told him.

"And her powers?"

"Her is right here Daddy in Law. My powers are kaput. Have been for the last two weeks." Kara explained, a little amused at Dr. Allen seeming to think he was entering emergency surgery in progress.

"We should still put the bracelet on right? Just in case they come back during labor. Right Caitlin? You agree, right? Caitlin?"

"Henry, calm down. You are almost as bad as Barry." Dr. Snow told him, only half kidding. Barry looked like a neurotic mess.

"Sorry. I'm good. So we have a while. Anywhere from an hour to twenty four hours."

"Excuse me?" the pregnant blonde asked. 24 hours?

"I'm back." Barry told her. She heard a squeak in the next room.

"Did you just drop Charlie?"

Barry froze then recovered. "Nope. I think he was surprised."

"You dropped him."

"Like a foot or so. He wiggled out. He is fine. Harry just came out and is setting up his bowl and stuff."

"How do you know that? You dropped him and raced in here." Kara reminded him, using her powers of deduction and reasoning.

"I'll check on him, Princess." Jeremiah told her, winking at Barry and walking out. Eliza laughed a bit at the nervous Allen men and Joe who was frozen silent in the back, stiff as a board.

"Thank Rao, one man is calm besides Oliver….Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"Thats 16 minutes. How much does it hurt?" her best friend asked.

"Closer to stubbed toe!" Kara whimpered, gritting her teeth and then breathing, trying to control it. She knew it would only get worse as the contractions increased.

"Maybe we should try giving her an epidural." Eliza suggested, hating to see Kara in pain. "We are going to put the bracelet on her anyway."

"No, Caitlin is right. We can't be sure what if any effect any drugs will have on her. I'm doing this even if it kills me… it won't kill me, will it Cait? I know sometimes there are…no, no this won't kill me. It is going to hurt like hell but I can take it." Kara said determinedly, trying to convince herself.

"We should probably put the bracelet on. The baby may be done absorbing power from her cells and if her powers come back I have a feeling her body is going to be impenetrable again and impossible to move or change. That would definitely complicate a delivery." Caitlin decided.

"I agree though I don't think we have any worries. Her body has to recognize what is going on. She is going to take a while to recover. Plus breast feeding." Eliza added.

"Whoa! Hold on, I'm not breast feeding. I don't have enough. Caitlin has developed a formula that will give her all the calories and nutrients she needs."

"I thought we talked about this and agreed…" Eliza started.

"No, you agreed. I nodded my head while trying to get the image out of my head. Besides my body is going to go right back to the way it was before the baby, perfectly healed, same size and everything. Guaranteed right Cait? Cait? Say right Kara, yes it is."

"Kara this is uncharted territory." she tried, "and if you can breast feed it would be best and we can supplement with the formula if more calories are needed."

"Okay, okay…"

"Kara no matter what happens you are gorgeous…" Barry tried.

"You try fitting in my suit with extra weight. Not a whole lot of give in case you never noticed Flash."

"No worries Kara. Uncle Cisco has more material and Winn can let out the seams a little, or a lot." Cisco told her, walking in and thinking how much has changed since the first time Kara had lay in this bay.

"Hey Cisco." Kara greeted him. "Glad to see another calm guy besides Dad. Joe hasn't moved yet. He is like that card board cut out you have of him."

"Yeah, I'm good. Oliver is standing in the front acting like he is expecting an attack at anytime. He even has a sword on him. Apparently he had one stashed here with an extra bow. Where are Alex and Nyssa?"

"Haven't shown up yet." Barry told him, eyes never leaving Kara, while Cisco handed Eliza the bracelet and she slipped it on her daughter.

"Yeah, Oliver is about to have company. The rest of the gang is showing up to keep watch on the outside. Jax may as well sit in Martin's lap. Why is Charlie walking with a limp?"

"What!? Kara screamed, then looked at Barry accusingly. He was glad to see her eyes could not light up.

"Kidding! I joke. I just fed the little guy. He's in Ray's lab, trying to sniff you out. He probably shouldn't be here but whatever. He will hear your voice eventually or use that weird soul connection you two seem to have and find you. Can you read each others minds or has he put enough doggie spit on your face that you share DNA now?"

Cisco gave her a gentle hug, saying something about ordering a lot of pizzas for the day and hopefully not long into the night.

Barry began stroking her hair, until Kara asked him to go eat so he wouldn't pass out during the birth. He hadn't wanted to leave her, feeling very keyed up, but agreed, seeing the wisdom when Cait assured him that Kara wouldn't deliver for hours. Kara looked away as Eliza hooked up an IV to her and Cait hooked up one on her other arm. One was delivering saline loaded with small amounts of carbs and sugar for calories so Kara wouldn't pass out and the other was for any emergency administering of drugs Caitlin may have to give if things went very wrong. The three women said nothing, enjoying the silence, all three of them trying to relax.

Caitlin thought of how famous she would be one day, far in the future, if the story of the Justice League was ever written about in the history books. Despite not being an MD she would be the first PhD to conduct studies on a metahuman speedster, perform surgery on an alien and deliver the first alien metahuman child. All because of the sunny blonde who changed her life from the moment she first saw her. Who became her best friend and the reason going home to her apartment changed from the worst part of her day to the best. The one who took her to another world where she met a man and fell in love, something she never thought she would do again. Kara had definitely changed all their lives and they had changed hers giving her something she probably never thought she would find. A place where she could feel, if not normal, because none of them were, at least a place she belonged, with friends and family who had the same ideals she did, were willing to sacrifice just as much as she was and accepted all sides of her.

"I have some good news." she told the blonde.

"Yeah?"

"All those exams we did have not been in vain. I have developed a birth control pill for you. I am certain it will work."

"Really? You are certain? Like 100%?" Kara asked excitedly.

"Uh… not like 100 %. More like 95%. It's a new drug I developed just for you. There is only one way to know if it is going to be 100%."

"Are you kidding me? I have to take the chance of… screw it, I'm married, he can't get rid of me, I'm just never having sex again."

"Sweetie, why can't you two just use condoms?" Eliza suggested.

"Yeah, right. Know what happens if he gets too excited? It's happened and trust me that is a gynecological exam you won't want to perform on me. There isn't a latex that can stand up to that speed. I suppose he could channel the Speed Force and protect it like he does his suit but that would be awkward, especially since he sees his mother a lot when he does that. Plus I really don't want… you know… at light speed and… just no. Barry has apparently talked to Cisco about this, which is mortifying in itself, but Cisco's estimate is 70% chance of failure and 99% me having a serious injury before I can take the bracelet off. Yeah, I'm going with the no sex thing."

"You are going to try out my pill." Cait told her. "Have a little faith in me. We can see for a month if it regulates your cycle and I can check levels and then give you the all clear. Besides you two are going to be so busy it will be months before you think about sex."

"Months?" Kara asked doubtfully.

'Months." Eliza confirmed.

"I remember when the mention of sex would have you blushing and stuttering." Cait remarked.

"Yeah, I have gotten way past that. I have learned just about everything a woman can learn about sex in the past year, except a lesson I am about to learn painfully. Its fine though. It will be worth it. Women have been delivering without drugs since the human race began. I can handle this. I just want to hold my daughter. I want to look at her and I want her out of me. I think three of my ribs are broken by the way. You are going to have to be careful Caitlin. Any chance of Cisco contacting Kal? Diana said she would come with him. She would be strong enough if …if our baby is a little stronger than the average newborn."

"He is trying to project onto Earth 3. If he can find J'onn's signature, he is pretty sure he can communicate. If nothing else, Oliver volunteered to go into the Bat Cave since we know where that is."

"He should probably not do that. I don't want anyone going over. There is a chance something could go wrong and until they have a way of bringing their own here I'm not going to risk anyone getting stuck. I know we can get them back. They can't get our people back."

"Have some faith. Cisco will find them somehow and he won't let Oliver be stuck."

"Just wait. I don't think, I don't think she can be that strong. I haven't had my powers and Lexie hasn't punched through my stomach or destroyed my bladder. She just made it her tap dancing stage. I think if she is stronger than the average newborn Kendra can probably handle her. I hope. Maybe my powers can come back as soon… Rao, I don't know. I'm so damn scared, Caitlin."

"I know, but that has never stopped you before, has it?"

Kara shook her head, her eyes glistening but mouth set tight. She would not give into the fear. Not today, today she would be strong. Her daughter would not see her mother weak when she entered this world.

"I'll be back. I'm sure Alex wants a moment with you. She will be here soon. Do you want ice?"

"Thats all I can have, isn't it?" Kara asked, resigned to her fate.

"Yep."

"Then yeah, only make sure its crushed ice."

"I promise. I'll check on Barry and make sure he has calmed down. I think he is more nervous than you."

"He picked a hell of a time to lose his cool." Kara admitted. "But I'm kind of glad I'm not the only one freaking out. Tell him to hurry up and eat… no, don't. He will stop eating and come to me. When he is finished ask him to bring Charlie with him."

"Okay."

While Caitlin was giving Kara a moment alone, Barry was trying to make himself eat, giving up and chewing on one of Caitlin's high calorie treats he and Kara all pretended were good. Sitting around him were his father, Joe and Jeremiah.

"Barry, relax." Jeremiah told him.

"I am." he responded quickly, too quickly.

"You have been chewing on the same part of the bar for five minutes. I get that they don't taste good but you should at least try to finish one."

"I don't like seeing her in pain. It freaks me out. I've seen her in pain too much and it makes me sick. Now she is going to… she is going to be in a lot of pain."

"Barry, I'll let you in on a secret. Kara can handle pain. She has been handling it since she was 13."

"And she screams over a stubbed toe." the young man reminded his father in law.

"Yeah and she can dig bullets out of her body without flinching. She can take a beating from an immortal mad man and not only survive but beat him. Kara can handle this and whether you know it or not, this is going to be the best day of her life. When it is over she will remember the pain but it will pale in comparison to your little girl in her arms."

"Its going to be the greatest day of your life too, Barry." Joe told him. "You may be nervous now and that is natural but while you make think wedding day was the best day of your life, nothing will compare to this. Nothing. Its scary but a good scary."

"You are going to be great at this son. Sometime today if we are lucky and the labor doesn't go into tomorrow, you are going to have your daughter placed in your arms." Henry told him. "Alexandra Nora Allen is going to be a very special child. Fate chose you and Kara to be together. Fate placed you in another universe the second she needed you. Fate chose you to be the Flash, and fate chose you and Kara to be parents to this special girl. No one else can do this but the two of you. Everything is not only going to be okay, it's going to be perfect. Yeah it is going to hurt Kara and you are going to be scared of dropping Lexie the first hundred times you hold her, you are not going to sleep because even when she is, you will be listening to the monitor, listening to her breathing. When you doze off you will both jerk awake thinking you might have missed something. You won't want to go to work because you won't be with her every second and you won't want to miss a second. She is going to have first crushes and first heartbreaks and you will want to phase your hand through some poor kids chest but you won't. She is going to be perfect and the two of you are going to be perfect. All you have to do is be yourselves. She has two of the greatest heroes humanity has ever known as her parents. Two of the greatest people many have ever known. How can she turn out to be anything less than perfect?"

"Yeah, she is. Kara is going to be okay. I'll get her through this, right? We've been through hell, all of us have in some way or another and we survived. She is tough. I just have to figure out how to relax. I really, really don't like seeing her in pain."

"Should have thought of that before you knocked her up." Jeremiah mumbled, then noticed the looks from Joe and Henry. "What? I'm just being honest. Sorry for talking, I'll shut up now."

Barry grinned a bit then began laughing. The three men joined in, and the Flash began to relax. It would be okay. She was tough, tougher than anyone he knew, even Oliver, even his Dad, even Jeremiah. Joe had raised two kids himself, one of whom he didn't have too. Kara was his hero though. The woman had no limit, no fear she couldn't overcome. They would be fine. They would be perfect at this.

While Barry gave himself positive reenforcement and laughed with the three fathers in his life, Kara was alone with Alex, who had just arrived.

"Hey." Kara greeted her.

"Hey yourself. You look like hell."

"Thanks."

"No, I mean it. Your face is sweaty, your hair is stringy, you are pale. You sure you don't want to call this whole thing off?"

"Nope. Never. No matter what, I want her and more importantly I want her safely out of me. But I think I am going to miss it too. I will never be as close to her as I am right now."

'You will be closer." Alex told her. Kara hoped she was right.

"I am so scared right now. When I thought I was going to die, not when I was shot, but when I took Fort Roz into space, I was scared. When I was shot I really didn't have time to be scared. But Fort Roz… even before that, knowing I had to find a way through both Indigo and Non, I thought I was going to die. I was scared but I was at peace with it. But I don't think I have ever been as scared as I am right now."

"The pain is going to be bad but…"

"No, thats not it. Pain… whatever, I've dealt with pain. I'm scared about afterward. Remember how badly I wanted to play soccer my freshman year?"

"Yeah, you couldn't because you weren't that great at control and may have kicked the ball a couple miles." Alex told her, remembering how well Kara took it in stride but also hearing her cry in the bathroom with the shower running, thinking no one would hear her.

"I really wanted to play. Just to belong to something, you know?"

"I know."

"She won't have that either. She can't play soccer or softball with the other kids. Things like that bother me the most."

"If Diana gets her way you will both learn to sword fight with Amazon warriors. How many kids can say they got to do that?"

"Thats the problem isn't it? She won't get to tell anyone."

"Thats not a problem. Kara, we made you hide your powers. She won't have to. We are going to help her from the beginning. Being special isn't always a bad thing. She is going to be hanging out with a bunch of superheroes, including a Mom who can lift a million tons in the air and a Dad who can circle the globe in two minutes and probably faster in the coming months. She is going to be able to do that too. She is going to embrace who she is because we are going to remind her how important and special she is. I won't lie to you anymore. It is going to be tough for her at times. She may not be able to hang out with other kids like a normal girl. She may not even be able to go to school with them at first. I don't know what is going to happen but I know she is going to have an awesome mom who knows what it is to feel isolated. You are going to be able to help her deal with it but also I am betting that you and her will be flying all over the world one day, just the two of you, playing in the clouds, enjoying the sun. How many mothers and daughters get to experience that?"

"Not many I guess." Kara admitted. "We are going to be good at this, right?"

"Of course. Besides you named the kid after me. How can she be anything but awesome?"

"You have a point."

"Do you have any idea how much that meant to me?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I do. But I didn't do it just to make you feel good. I wanted her to have a family name, a strong name and you are the strongest woman I know. No one else would be crazy enough to jump into a portal into another universe, tied up no less, just to get to me. Maybe Kal but he has superpowers and doesn't always think things through. But you, only you, would do something like that. I want her to love like you do."

"We will make sure of that. Mom would have too, you know."

"Yeah, I figured you learned it from her. But… I don't know, you and me, we have always had something extra, don't you think? I think we were sisters in a bunch of former lives and in this one I got reincarnated as an alien but we still found a way to each other. Have I ever actually thanked you for pulling me from space? You took a huge risk. You had never flown that thing. I didn't even think it could fly. But you did it. Didn't it ever occur to you that you could die? That you may not have been able to control it, to make it back?"

"I tried not to think about it. And no, I don't think you have ever officially thanked me."

"Well thank you. Have I ever told you I was pretty depressed when I woke up still alive?"

Alex looked away, having suspected that.

"I was tired and thought saving the world, being lost in space like the rest of Krypton, it wasn't a bad way to go out. I figured I had done what I came to do and that was it. I had told everyone goodbye and I guess I was ready. I didn't think about it, dying. I just knew that I would save you and Mom and that was enough I guess. My way of paying you both back for the pain I caused you. I kept thinking what was the point?"

"We've talked about this Kara." Alex told her, keeping her voice steady.

"Yeah but I need to thank you. I was even mad at first, mad that you would risk your life for me. But everything that has happened since, the good and the bad, has been amazing. It really has. Because you didn't give up when I had. This girl is as much yours as she is mine. She is being born because of you.I'll never forget it and I'll make sure she knows it. Thank you Alex."

"Always." Alex told her, eyes beginning to burn. "So lets talk about pain. Everything I know about labor makes me glad I'm a lesbian."

"You can still carry a kid." Kara reminded her.

"Yeah, I worked hard for this body. Not in the cards. I don't even like cleaning up after Charlie."

'The future brings surprises. Could you ever imagine we would wind up here? Look around us. This is surreal. At least it is to me."

"Yeah, it is. But maybe we just had to do things the hard way. I'm getting tired of waiting for Nyssa to ask me to marry her. I guess I'm going to ask."

"Thats awesome!"

"We've been living together just over a year now. You really think its a good idea?"

"Yeah, I really do…" Kara froze and gritted her teeth. Alex held her very warm palm while the contraction passed. It took nearly ninety seconds during which she took very short breaths and was in obvious pain but never cried out.

"How far apart?"

Kara looked at the clock on the wall. "Twelve minutes."

"Caitlin needs to see how far you are dilated."

"Yeah, then tell Barry he has eaten enough. I want him in here, with me."

"Yes Blondie. "

As Kara waited for her love to join her, Officer Jamie Locke arrived at S.T.A.R. lab. Code 111 was reported and the entire department knew what that meant. Locke had graduated the academy two months ago and usually rode with Lieutenant Lance. On his first day on the job he had been brought to meet the Chief who had him sign several confidentiality agreements, shared the identity of Superwoman and Flash and threatened him with everything from being fired to slow death should the identities ever be uttered to those outside the Central City Police Department. The threatening meeting lasted an hour and his fellow officers in the station had many conversations with him about keeping his mouth shut. Knowing Superwoman was pregnant was a shock. Not much crime had happened over the past nine months that required her presence but she had been seen flying over the city at least once or twice a week. Apparently this was some sort of hologram trick the Atom pulled to fool the public into thinking she was still active. The only real metahuman activity had been the Weather Wizard calling out the Flash after he escaped Iron Heights again. When the entire Justice League showed up in Opal City he surrendered quickly and peacefully.

Now Code 111 had been issued. All of Central City PD knew to patrol close to S.T.A.R. and one officer would be at the front entrance, guarding the base against anything, or at least warning the rest of the department to respond should trouble happen. So Officer Locke was here, standing in front of the large building, nervous, wondering what could possibly happen and how he would stop it.

"Why are you here?" a modulated voice asked, scaring the hell out of him. He turned and became more frightened. In the shadows under the awning over the front entrance stood the hooded man, all knew as the Green Arrow. Many suspected he was the Arrow before and his stand in had faked his death but there was no proof and honestly no one cared to look too hard. The man and his team saved the world from nuclear devastation and he personally killed Damian Darhk. He was a hero.

"You…you scared me. You are the Green Arrow right? Its an honor…"

"Why are you here?" the spooky voice asked again.

"Could you turn that off please? Its kinda freaking me out."

"No. You need to leave. S.T.A.R. is secure. Let your Captain know. The Canary is covering one entrance, my partner is covering another…"

"Speedy? Can I meet her? I mean, just to say hi? She is really hot… why do I have the feeling I should have shut up just then?"

"Leave. We have this. You aren't needed." Oliver told the man who couldn't be older than 21, once again.

"I can't. Chief insisted PD be here in person and the patrols are around. I have to call if anything looks unusual. We can have ten cars here in less than a minute. I'm new and if I leave Captain Singh will chew my ass out.

Oliver sighed, appreciating the gesture but Singh should have known better. The League could protect one of their own without help.

"Hey, could I get your autograph?"

"What?"

"Your… seriously the voice thing is freaking me out. I already can't see your eyes, you have that bow in your hands and the voice thing is putting it over the top. I'm trying to stay cool here but… could you at least come out into the light?"

"Why would I do that? Make myself vulnerable like you are? There is shade and you are standing directly in the sunlight. Are you trying to make yourself a target? You are doing a great job."

"Good point. Can I share your shadow with you?"

"You can go sit in your car. I don't want anyone near this entrance."

"Could I go stand by the entrance with Speedy? Wait, is she your girlfriend?"

Oliver stared at the man and even with his face covered in darkness, Officer Locke knew to shut up.

"I can't go to my car. You won't kill me, no matter how scary you look and sound. Lieutenant Lance told me not to take any crap from you… Mr. Arrow sir. Everybody knows you are a hero. I've been given an assignment and that assignment is to stand by this door and guard it. So if you are doing the same I guess we are going to be buddies. Now could you please turn off the voice thing?"

"For God's sake Oliver, turn off the modulator. The kid is just doing what he was told." Felicity said into the com.

"Is he cute? If he is send him to my door." Thea offered. "By the way, its hot. Do we really have to be suited up? I can wear shorts and no one will see me. I'm just saying I think once again we are the poster children for overreacting."

"Keep him away from me. Leonard has been pissing me off lately. I'm close to swearing off men again." Sara added.

"Maintain positions." Oliver barked.

"Don't bark at me Oliver. I don't work for you. Nyssa is in charge while Kara and Barry are busy popping out the kid so chill already." Sara reminded him. Oliver sighed, turned off the modulator and offered his hand to Locke.

"Green Arrow."

"James Locke, but you can call me Jamie. I'm a big fan. After you killed Darhk on TV I actually considered becoming a vigilante. I took archery classes and everything, but I wasn't very good. I decided to go to the police academy instead." he told his idol, shaking his hand vigorously.

"Good call." Oliver told him, voice no longer modulated. He doubted he would ever see this guy as a civilian anyway. He tended to stay away from police with the exception of Lance.

"So can I have your autograph?"

"Sure." Oliver sighed, listening to Thea and Felicity snicker in the com.

"Could you sign one for my Mom? She thinks your… she likes your arms. Weird I know, but you do have some guns. What gym do you go to? How much can you press? I got 245 up two days ago. I've been… uh… nevermind." he stopped, after Oliver signed one for his mother on the officers pad and took a deep breath of frustration. "So do you like baseball?" Locke tried.

The Arrow shook his head.

"I'm going to check on Superwoman. Scream if you need help. Speedy will be right by your side. Ask her out. She needs a social life. She hasn't had the best luck with men."

"Screw you Ollie. Seriously, is he hot though?"

Ignoring his sister's libido as he had done his best to do since he returned from the island, Oliver walked the halls of S.T.A.R. heading past Barry with a slice of pizza shoved in his mouth and into the med bay as Alex was walking out.

"Hey. Doing alright?" he asked Kara, who was reclined comfortably.

"Piece of cake. Cake would be so good right now."

"Shouldn't you be walking or something? Lets grab your bow and practice. You are getting pretty good. I don't expect you to slack off on training just because of this mother thing."

"I won't. Okay yeah I probably will. I am going to have to get used to flying again… and breast feeding… and changing diapers… yeah archery may have to take a backseat for a while. I don't want you going to Earth 3. Stay here. Kal can come anytime but I don't want to worry about you being stuck in another universe, okay? Promise me."

Oliver silently agreed, pushing his mask back. "You have my word. How can I turn down the Predator?"

"I guess that Diana will be coming as well. What do you think of her?" Kara asked him.

"She is strong, deadly, obviously a good person considering the company she keeps and if she is old as she claims or even not, you can learn a lot from her. Nyssa and I can work on your fighting style without your powers. But you have no one you can go up against full strength in a training situation that can survive. If these Amazons can give you the chance to do this, it is an offer you can't really refuse. Plus they are obviously familiar with super powers and could help little Lexie cope as she grows older and more powerful. Even if Diana doesn't skip dimensions much, this Donna Troy could be huge for you. Her mother wants her to fight with us and more specifically you, so they must be an honorable race. I don't see anything bad coming from being more involved with these women."

"Barry worries."

"He always well and he will always support you. Meet this Donna Troy and decide from there. For right now, only one thing matters, getting this baby out safely for both of you."

"Yeah, I wish she would hurry up but I'm kinda scared too."

"I can understand that. The first time I was tortured I think waiting was the worst part. I was wrong. But I have said it before and I always will, you are stronger than me, Kara."

"You really think so?"

"I know it."

"We never really talked about Prometheus and Antarctica." she reminded him, causing him to cringe.

"You can ask me anything." the Arrow told her, scared of her reaction. Barry made it no secret what he thought of Oliver's actions, though Barry was more upset he went alone rather than the reason Oliver traveled to the frozen hell.

"I don't need to ask you anything. I just want to thank you. You took a big risk for me, even if Fairchild's team hadn't shown up you were taking a big risk, you and Sara. I just wanted to thank you. I need to thank her too."

Oliver, a bit surprised, reminiscent of Thea's reaction when she learned the truth about him, was very grateful. Kara's opinion of him nearly equaled Felicity and Thea's in his mind.

"You aren't mad?"

"No. You did it for me. I know you hate doing that, but you did it for me and Barry and our child. How can I be mad? You made sure that monster never hurt anyone again. If Fairchild's team had gotten him and learned what he knew, we would have been in a lot of danger. They would never stop trying to get my baby. So thank you. I love you Oliver. You have no idea how important you are to me."

"I love you are pretty important to me also, Kara." Oliver reached over and hugged her gently, kissed her forehead and walked out as Barry was walking in.

"You made the Green Arrow tear up. What did you do?" Barry asked, half jokingly and half serious. He didn't see Oliver emotional much unless the emotion was anger or depression.

"Just talking. You look better. I think I feel a contraction coming on so if you want to, zip off. I know it bothers you."

"I'm not going anywhere. I hate to see you in pain but I will be here with you while you go through this. Sorry if I freaked out a little bit earlier."

"You didn't. Its nice to see you not all put together all the time. It makes me feel better about freaking out. So… we are ready for this, right?"

"No question. All the furniture has been put in place. We have more than enough clothes of every size from now until she is a year old. Six cases of diapers of four different brands in case she is allergic to one or two. We are stocked with Caitlin's special formula, baby monitor set up, basinet in our room for the first couple weeks only. The nursery at the Gallery is set up. I will grab the car seat before we leave… are we forgetting anything?"

"Her gown. She has to have the gown Winn made with our family crest on it. It has to be the first outfit she wears."

"Winn is bringing it. If he forgets, he can always go home and get it. Anything else?"

"Bottles. Did we disinfect enough?"

"Yeah, I think the two dozen bottles you washed throughly should keep us okay for a week or so." Barry told her, rubbing her cheek.

"I love you. Its amazing how many of my dreams you make come true." she told him, not exactly feeling romantic but unable to help herself. Even after dating, getting married, while technically at what should be the end of the honeymoon phase, he still made her feel butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him, just like he did the first time he pulled off his mask.

"I can say the same for you. This is crazy, right? Of all the things we have done apart and together, saving the world, fighting every kind of evil possible and winning and this is the one thing that has us so scared. I'm scared but I've never wanted anything as bad as you and this baby."

"Yeah, me too. I can't wait to fly with her for the first time. To see her running with you, trying to keep up. I hope her first word is momma."

"Her first word will probably be Cisco or Ollie. It always works that way. But yeah, I hope she says momma first too."

"Do you think there is any chance she won't have powers? That she could be normal?" Kara asked, not letting herself believe it.

"No I don't." Barry answered honestly. "Between your genes, the fact that she has already been absorbing sunlight, and my altered DNA, it's not likely."

"Thats fine. Normal is overrated." Kara told him, convincing herself.

"Your sister, Oliver, Thea, Sara, Nyssa, they don't have super powers but are hardly normal. Ray Palmer isn't normal. Captain Singh, Joe, Quentin Lance, they aren't normal. Caitlin isn't normal, but they are all amazing. She won't be normal either, whether she has powers or not. She is going to be like you. She won't be able to help herself."

"I guess she could be worse, huh? She could keep trying to do something idiotic like circling the globe in less than a second."

"Never say I am not ambitious." Barry told her. "Everyone has to have their hobbies. Can you imagine how epic my mid life crisis is going to be?"

"I don't want to even think about it. I shudder to think of the time lines being rewritten because you are bored. I guess I will have to keep you entertained constantly. That should sound sexy but I feel so unsexy right now."

"I think you are allowed… Kara?"

Kara cringed, bearing down on Barry's hand as another contraction hit her. This one lasted nearly two minutes.

"Its getting more painful and lasting longer. I think Caitlin should see how much I have dilated. You don't want to be here for that. You may never want to have sex with me again."

"Uh… I'm going to be right next to Caitlin helping delivery our child. And don't worry, because that can never happen. I'll go grab her."

Before Kara could take a breath, a disheveled Dr, Snow was at the foot of the bed.

"Okay then. I guess we are going to check dilation. You know the drill, Kara. Spread em Blondie."

Kara would have blushed if her face wasn't already red from her last contraction.

"Wow, 4 cm. You are officially into active labor phase."

"What has this been before?" she asked.

"Warm up. Want to walk? Ice chips?"

"No and yes."

"Let me go play Elsa for you then. At the rate you are dilating, figure five or six hours."

Four hours later, Kara still lay on the bed, contractions coming quicker now, practicing her breathing techniques with Barry. Everyone it seemed had come to visit her, not hard considering everyone she knew was in S.T.A.R. right now.

Now laying in bed, her legs and back ached, she had to urinate thirty minutes earlier and the walk left her in worse shape. She felt pressure in her pelvis and she was pretty sure she heard Caitlin assure Barry that something about a bloody discharge was normal and she didn't want to know more.

Winn and Caitlin sat on one side of her, Barry on the bed next to her and Alex and Nyssa on the other, just talking, trying to pass the time and keeping Kara's mind off of what was happening as best they could.

"You know, if we were still back on the old Earth, I would have won a lot of money by now, Kara." Winn told her.

"You bet that I would get pregnant?"

"No, there was a pool going in the office. Pretty much split down the middle between those who thought you were gay and those who didn't. Of course I knew you weren't. Everyone who guessed right would have gotten $500 each. There was a $100 buy in but I knew it was a sure thing."

"Oh… why would half the office think I was gay?"

"Oh… uh… well… you see a lot of people thought you and Cat were… you know."

"Me and Cat! Where the hell did they get that idea?"

Winn shrugged his shoulders. "I know you weren't but… there were…"

"Cat has children and ex husbands. She has never had a girlfriend. Believe me, the media would find out." Kara reminded him.

"Yeah I can see that, you and Cat Grant." Alex told her. "You did talk about the woman like she was a saint. She called, you jumped and never complained. You did have a fixation on her. Honestly I think the whole Kiera thing was more of a pet name for you rather than her not knowing your correct name."

"I did not have a fixation on her!"

"Then there was the whole Siobhan debacle. A lot of people thought she was punishing you for trying to make her jealous with her son." Winn added. "Plus there was the whole personal space thing. Everyone knew Cat Grant craved her personal space but she fixed your collar one time! She moved closer to you on the couch, she always asked you to come to her side of the desk to take notes. Every time she talked to you her eyes went up and down your body."

"They did not!"

"Yeah, I could see that." Barry admitted. "I didn't know her well but yeah it happened…"

"You yelled at her and she took you out for drinks, Kara. No one ever yelled at Cat Grant and survived, much less get taken out for drinks. It died down a bit when the other rumor started up though." Winn remembered.

"What rumor?"

"Just that Cat and Supergirl met at weird times on her balcony after everyone had gone home. How Supergirl was always flying to her rescue, like her personal bodyguard. People thought you went out with Adam because you thought she was cheating on you with Supergirl. She demoted Leslie to a traffic helicopter for saying rude things about Supergirl. Leslie had been saying rude things about everyone for years but within an hour of talking about you, the woman was pulled into Cat's office.I knew it wasn't true but I could see how someone would get the wrong impression. You two did and kind of still do have an intense relationship."

"I don't see it. People had too much time on their hands at that office. What about Alex? How did you know she was gay? Apparently I was the last to find out."

"Oh that was easy. While we were working on the interdimensional thing she brought her laptop to me. Seems somebody downloaded a celebrity sex tape and got a virus. I had to have the safe surfing talk with her."

All eyes turned to Alex who shrugged. "I was drunk. I still say that wasn't her. The quality was horrible."

"Who was it?" Kara asked Winn.

"Some chick that used to be on a high school musical show. Had a French sounding name. Who was it Alex?"

"She was the actress that played Stacy Moore on Homeland." Alex explained to Kara. "Leave it alone, Winn. You wouldn't want your computer searched, would you?" Alex warned. Winn ignored her, pulling out his phone and conducting a quick Google search for the Homeland actress.

"Here she is. Fully clothed, Kara. She has done quite a few photo shoots for fashion magazines…" Winn looked at the picture with Barry and both looked at Kara. "… she kind of looks familiar now that I think about it. I mean I didn't put it together but…"

"Yeah, she does look familiar." Barry admitted. "Maybe I've seen her… you said some high school musical show?"

"Let me see." Kara grabbed the phone, while Alex covered her face. "No, I've never seen her in anything. I don't even remember what that Moore character looked like. She doesn't look familiar to me."

"Pass the phone. I am sure she could be my twin." Nyssa took the phone, while Alex groaned. Nyssa took in the photo, looked at Kara, looked back at the photo, looked at Alex, then back at the photo. Handing back the phone to Winn, she sighed.

"I think we should leave the soon to be parents alone for a moment, Alex. I do not wish to even accidentally see a birth and I have a feeling I will need to find you a good therapist."

"Therapist? What the hell for Nyssa? I've seen a few so called fashion photos on your laptop as well." Alex complained as they walked out. Nyssa ignored her comment, just taking her hand and smiling.

"Of course dear, I was just picking on you. Lets see how your mother is doing."

Placated, Alex followed Nyssa out.

"That was weird. You think Nyssa is upset that the actress doesn't look like her?"

"Yeah, Kara, we can go with that." Barry told her. "How are you feeling?"

Barry's question was answered when Kara arched her back as much as her body would allow, gritting her teeth and moaning loudly.

"Spread them girl." Caitlin ordered. Checking the dilation Cait was surprised to see she had made quick progress and was at a nine. "Not long now Kara. The contractions should start easing up in pain but will still last a while and be more visible. Are you having any rectal discomfort?"

"And I am out of here. Have fun Barry." Winn told him, scurrying out.

"Yeah, quite a bit of discomfort in all kinds of places, especially the place that got me into this mess in the first place."

"Thats normal."

"Its not. Its really, really not." Kara countered.

"Barry would you get Eliza and don't…run with her." Caitlin finished as a disheveled Eliza appeared suddenly.

"Barry! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that? I feel like I'm going to… just don't! Unless someone is dying, say Eliza could you come to Kara?"

"Sorry." Barry apologized sheepishly. "But she is bleeding and there is this stuff and she is hurting and new places are hurting, places she doesn't deal with hurting often and Caitlin thought…"

"It's okay. Just relax Barry. She is going to be fine." Eliza assured him.

"She is at 10, Eliza." Dr. Snow informed her. Caitlin would never admit it but she was beginning to feel a bit nervous herself and wished Kara would have been comfortable with Henry in here.

"Kara are you sure you won't consider Henry being here, just to consult? I've done quite a few surgeries but I have never done this."

"Neither have I! You are the one…" Kara stopped talking as another contraction rocked her. Sixty seconds later she continued. "You are the one who told me not to worry. That I had this. Now you are getting cold feet?"

"I would just feel better if he was here to make sure I'm not missing anything. He can stay at the head of the bed. He won't see anything compromising or traumatizing to either of you."

"Mom has this. Tell her Mom."

"It wouldn't be a bad idea Kara. The man is a doctor. This is his specialty, or at least one of them. I know he has delivered before."

"This is going to be so embarrassing." Kara muttered. She trusted Henry. She just didn't want to… awkward. But…

"Kara, I hate to say this because I don't want to influence you but it would mean the world to him if he could deliver our child." Barry told her. "Trust me, nothing down there looks like it usually looks anyway."

"That is no lie." Alex told her, joining the party. "I've never thought you looked like an alien until now."

"That is not funny Alex. You are sure he wouldn't be uncomfortable?" she asked Barry.

"He would be honored." he assured her.

"Okay, then ask him to come in. He can deliver the baby. I am pretty sure I am past embarrassment right now, considering my mother, sister and best friend are looking at me while my legs are spread and so much stuff is going on down there I don't even want to think about it."

"I'll tell him! Wow, just wow. You are going to need some serious time under the sun lamps after this."

"Alex! Please ask Dr. Allen if he would like to deliver his granddaughter." Eliza instructed her oldest daughter while she tried to hide the laugh in her belly. Being a bio engineer Alex was well aware of the birthing process. Seeing it first hand along with Kara's terrified face worried her but… it was also sort of funny. Walking into the control room, she found, Oliver, no longer outside, probably relieved by Palmer or Carter, along with Jeremiah, Joe and Henry walking in circles, heads down. She wasn't even sure if the men had noticed each other.

"Henry?"

"Yes? Has she delivered?" he asked, anxious.

"No. Thats why I am here. She wants you to do it. Want to bring your granddaughter into the world?"

Henry stood still for a moment, trying to grasp what Alex had asked.

"You mean it? I thought she would be embarrassed…"

"She is long past embarrassment. Everyone agrees we need a doctor to handle this. You up for it?"

Henry grinned and with a look at Joe, who was also grinning, walked straight for the med bay. Snapping on gloves when he walked in, Alex grabbed one of Kara's hands while Barry grabbed the other. Caitlin and Eliza stood by Henry's side, waiting to assist if needed.

"Kara? Thank you." he told her gratefully.

"Just get her out. Please just get her out." Kara begged. She was beginning to get excited as well. She hurt, every part of her hurt but she would have her daughter soon.

"Okay, are you ready to start pushing? Do you feel the need?"

"Yes."

"Then go ahead. The baby is almost ready to enter the world. Sit up a bit, relax your body and push as if you are having a bowel movement."

"I thought I was past embarrassment. I was so wrong." Kara whispered. Barry was mumbling something in her ear but she couldn't focus on him right now.

"Tuck your chin into your chest. Look down towards your navel and focus on where you should be pushing from. Caitlin and I have talked to you about this. Eliza said the two of you practiced. You have this. Take deep breaths and control your pushes."

"Contraction!" Kara growled.

"Good, go with it. There you go, you are doing good." Eliza encouraged her.

"It hurts. Everything hurts." she whispered. "The contraction stopped."

"Take deep breaths. get ready for the next round." Barry suggested.

"You get ready for the next round! No, I'm sorry, I'm not mad."

Barry gave her a small smile but it didn't hide his worry. Kissing her on her sweaty forehead, he walked to the end of the bed, Caitlin taking his spot, holding Kara's hand.

"Contraction." she whispered.

"Push!" Eliza ordered.

"Oh my God." Barry whispered.

"What? How bad is it? It feels really, really bad."

"I can see Lexie's head, Kara." he told his wife in awe.

"Eliza will you suction the mucus? Keep pushing Kara, you are almost there." her father in law encouraged.

Kara pushed once more with everything she had. She hadn't pushed Fort Roz this hard when lifting it from the ground. Screaming, she felt a decrease in pressure, immediately and then heard a baby's cry. With wide eyes she looked at the end of the bed and saw Henry staring at her daughter in his arms. Eliza drew Barry's attention away from the baby to cut the cord. Henry, with tears in eyes, placed Alexandra Nora Allen into her father's arms as soon as the cord was tied off. He walked around to a wide eyed Kara and placed the child gently in her arms.

"Hi, I'm your mother. I'm going to be really good at it." she told the girl who had a light fuzz of blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The child was wide eyed staring at her parents. "And this is your father. He is a hero and he is going to be the best father."

Henry had said something about another push and she did but it was easier and her eyes never left her child.

"She is amazing." Barry whispered. "You did so good. You are amazing."

"You didn't pass out. You are pretty amazing too."

Kara reluctantly handed the child to Caitlin while Alex and Eliza watched her clean the baby up and rub her down.

"What are you putting on her eyes?" the blonde asked.

"Just an ointment to prevent infections." Cait wrapped the child up and handed her to Eliza.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you, little one. About 14 years. Alex, look at your niece."

"She is perfect, isn't she?"

"Six pounds, four ounces. Perfect size." Henry told them when Caitlin had collected the baby and weighed her. She then placed the child back on Kara's chest.

"You are feeling okay?" Eliza asked her.

"Yeah, right now… yes. I don't know if I have ever felt better. But I am soooo sore."

"We are going to bring in a little bed for her in here. There are some tests that need to be done…"

"No! Just let me hold her for a little while." Kara told them.

Eliza silently communicated to all that the new parents could use a moment alone. All four walked out, Eliza and Henry with arms wrapped around each other, the new grandparents. Jeremiah, Joe, the entire Justice League muscle and brains would be coming in soon but the moment belong to the three of them.

Joe and Jeremiah entered six minutes later finding Kara and Barry still together, Barry with his arm around his wife and both staring at the little girl who was now sleeping. Both touched her cheek, with large smiles and misty eyes. Jeremiah and Joe hugged Barry, not wanting to jostle Kara, instead giving her a kiss on the cheek. She looked like she had been in a war but the smile wouldn't leave her face.

Jax and Dr. Stein lead the procession of no more than three at a time, Cisco bringing Charlie in, who was thankfully quiet and not trying to jump into Kara's arms. He may not have recognized her at the moment. Cisco still couldn't believe that on the table she had died momentarily once, she now had new life. Hugging Barry, he walked out, not planning on leaving. The entire League would be at S.T.A.R. till the happy family went home. Carter and Kendra were there, and Carter said what seemed like a blessing in Egyptian but Kara wasn't sure. Oliver, Felicity and Thea walked in, Thea gushing and planning another shopping trip now that she had seen the baby's eyes. Lexie had woken a couple times, not yet crying since she had entered the world, pressed to Kara's chest happily. Kara asked Thea if she could get Nyssa and Alex. The two entered quickly, Nyssa taking in the child for the first time.

"She is beautiful Kara."

"Thank you. We didn't have such a thing as Godparents on Krypton. The entire family no matter how extended was responsible for the upbringing of the child. Barry isn't religious, except he prays to the Speedforce quite a bit."

Barry bumped her shoulder while he lay beside her.

"Kidding, chill. But anyway, we did have Protectors on Krypton. Usually one man and one woman who would be chosen by the parents, to be the guardians of the child until he or she had completed their training in combat. This training usually happened when a child was 14. As both of you have been able to tell, I missed that training. Until that time however the protectors were sworn to defend the child, fight the battles she could not fight. It was a sacred position, given to those who were honorable, trustworthy, loyal and fierce, warriors of the highest caliber. The tradition dated back to ancient times, when families regularly fought one another. While the parents were in battle the Protectors sworn to the child were the last line of defense, willing to die before harm came to the young one. When the time came, it was the protectors who were the primary instructors in battle. Kal El's parents were my Protectors. I would like to carry on that tradition here. Nyssa, Oliver, we would be honored if the two of you would be Alexandra's Protectors."

Both stared in silence at the blonde, caught off guard. Neither had expected this. Listening to Kara's description both recognized what an honor this was.

"I would be privileged to Kara." Oliver told her.

"As would I, sister." Nyssa agreed.

"Thank you. There is a small ceremony to be sworn but we can handle it when we get her home. Alex can help you with the Kryptonese. Thank you."

Both nodded, not willing to break down in front of anyone, much less loved ones. Alex suggested Kara get some rest and allow the rest to dote over the baby, while the tests were run. Winn and Curtis Holt had many action figures to show the newborn who still couldn't see the world clearly. Alex didn't want to ruin their fun though.

Kara reluctantly handed the baby over to her namesake and lay back. Barry moved away quickly. Before she could be annoyed he was back with Charlie, who snuggled into Kara immediately.

"Hey boy. We did it. That little soccer player inside me, she is out and ours."

Charlie, probably sensing Kara's pain snuggled deeper into the crook of her arm and closed his eyes. She followed suit and Barry watched her drift off into a deep sleep. He wanted to see his daughter, not take his eyes off her but recognized the others needed time and he didn't want to leave Kara. Reclining back, he closed his eyes and pulled her closer. A quick nap would be all he needed. Once the two were up, Lexie would be right by the bed. Tomorrow or the next day, depending on Kara and how many tests Lexie would need, they would take their daughter home and the best part of their lives would begin.

Before he closed his eyes he whispered to himself.

"Thank you Mom."


	48. Chapter 48

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N Thanks as always for the support. I noticed our small short story has almost fie hundred favorites! Thats amazing. I have gotten back to some of your reviews and have some PMs to respond to but will do so as soon as this chapter is up. It's a long one (surprise) so enjoy.

Chapter 48

Kara looked at her best friend dumbstruck, trying to comprehend what she had just told her while holding Lexie in her arms. "What do you mean her cells are as powerful as mine?"

"Her cells have been storing solar energy since conception. You knew this and we were expecting it."

"If she is as powerful as I am already then why aren't her eyes glowing when she is hungry, or irritated?"

"When you lose your powers, your cells restore themselves, but your powers don't return immediately. Your injuries heal, but it usually takes a jolt of extreme adrenalin to activate them. We have never experimented on what would happen if you weren't given this shock. If you lost your powers but healed, like you did after the fight with Savage, who knows how long it would have taken your powers to return? They would have had to eventually. That much power would have to be unlocked somehow. Would they come back gradually or hit you all at once? We have no idea. If you took your bracelet off right now and lay under a sun lamp, your cells your power returns immediately. Harry is pretty sure it has something with the red solar rays not overpowering your cells but deadening the metabolizing effect that allows you to focus the power doesn't mean your powers will return immediately after an outage though. Hers might be latent on was well. They must be."

"Caitlin what does this mean for her?" Barry asked, worried about his daughter but remaining calm. He had prepared himself for anything short of a non super powered daughter. He knew this was not possible but anything else was.

"I don't know Barry. We will have to watch her everyday. Her cells aren't multiplying so the worry about accelerated aging isn't a concern at least. I didn't think it would be but with the amount of energy she is storing I couldn't be sure. Her cells are smaller obviously but the ratio of radiation is similar to Kara's. She could gradually grow into her powers, they could hit her all at once or she could be surprised one day and they activate immediately, the same as Kara's powers do. The best we can do for now is keep her in a stress free environment and hope for the best. Testing her skin everyday should give us an idea if she is becoming more…"

"We are not poking a needled into her everyday!" Kara told her immediately. Caitlin didn't argue. Yes, her skin hardening may give them all a warning but Caitlin doubted any warning would help. Her biggest fear was the baby having everything hitting her at once. The longest Kara had gone with powers was after the Savage fight. Caitlin knew eventually they would return but not how long it would take. The advanced healing was the first obviously to return, almost as a defense mechanism, that while not making her strong or invulnerable, did take care of the third degree burns on her feet and torso from Savage's blast's and Firestorm trying to catch her.

"Of course not Kara. Harry is in his workshop right now developing a smaller bracelet, just in case her powers emerge at once."

"And she wears it everyday until she has to take it off one day and the powers hit her at once again." Kara sighed.

"But she will be older, able to handle it better." Barry tried, seeing Kara becoming more upset by the minute.

"Yeah, I guess. Okay, so when can we go home Caitlin?" the blonde asked.

"Do you want to lay under the solar lamps? It could help with the soreness and if you take the bracelet off your powers may return."

"I'm good. I need to be able to feed her."

"She took the formula well last night." Cait reminded her.

"Yes but I will be feeding her as long as possible. I know about… I know about what I need to eat, my diet changes, I… didn't think I wanted to but I do, just for a while."

Caitlin didn't argue, surprised, but Kara always did surprise her.

"Eliza wants to check you out, give the results to Henry…"

"Just have Henry with her. I don't think modesty where he is involved is an issue after yesterday. I feel okay. I am still really sore but I can walk, I'm not sick. I just want to take Lexie home."

"Of course." Caitlin began to leave until Kara called her.

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful, I'm not. I'm just really worried."

"I know. All I can tell you is she is healthy, if any problems happen Barry can have her in the red sun room here quickly and we are working on contingency plans for every situation we can think of. Just don't forget to be happy too. You have a beautiful, healthy daughter. Enjoy each other."

"Thanks Cait. Love you."

"Love you too Blondie."

Barry hugged the woman who was more a sister than a friend. Eliza came in and showed Kara the ins and outs of breastfeeding, then handing the newborn off to Aunt Alex while her and Henry conducted an exam on the new mother. Lexie was scanned and fed with a baby formula from the market, and seemed to hold it well. It was decided to have tests done in case Kara was suddenly unable to breast feed due to any physiology changes that might occur when she finally took off her bracelet. It was 6 PM before the couple, Lexie tightened into her car seat even more securely than Charlie, made their way home. After Barry had three cheeseburgers Jeremiah had delivered and Kara ate a salad which she actually requested and nearly set off another round of examinations on her, the family of four had settled in.

After securing the house, and making sure Kara had everything she needed, he walked to the bedroom and stood leaned against the doorframe, seeing the most beautiful sight. Kara had sat up in bed with Lexie on her chest, feeding. The smile on his wife's face was angelic, peaceful, in contrast to the joyful but exhausted look he wore 24 hours prior.

"Just when I think you couldn't get anymore beautiful you bring a partner in and prove me wrong again."

"Partners are important. Every superhero needs at least one." she told him, meeting his eyes. "Come sit with us."

Barry slid under the sheets and sat up, next to Kara, both staring down at their daughter.

"How long do you plan to wear your bracelet?" he asked, trying his best to sound casual.

"As long as I can feed her." she told her husband quickly.

"If she isn't eating more than a typical newborn, maybe regular formula or what Caitlin has developed…"

"And if she has an allergic reaction eventually? Sure it worked once but what if her body starts to change? What if… what if… if I can't breast feed her and we can't find a formula that works or stops working for her she could starve. I can't take that chance."

"I'm not saying we should, but using formula while she is breast feeding isn't a bad idea. She won't have an allergic reaction. She would have the first time she fed. I have a feeling that like you, not much is going to harm her."

"I've been unable to handle some foods since I have been on Earth. It may not hurt her now but she could reject it eventually. It's not worth the risk. You know how I act when I am hungry. You want to take the chance of her being hungry? As long as I can feed her I will."

"We can try small…"

"Why do you care? You never want me involved in fights anyway. You are getting what you want. I have to worry about her." she told her husband, a bit irritated. She knew he meant no harm but her emotions were all over the place since Lexie had been born. For the first time in her life, she knew if some supervillian attacked Central City, instead of rushing towards him or her, Kara would take her daughter as far away as possible.

"And we can both protect her better if we are both as strong as possible. I understand though, Kara. I just wonder if you are willing to wear that bracelet for the rest of our lives or avoid the sun."

"She is going to have to, why shouldn't I?"

"She won't be wearing it forever. We don't even know if she is going to need it. You have plenty of time to think about it. I can protect us. No one has really been after us for a while anyway and… I can't believe I just said that." he admitted, shaking his head. "But if someone were, I can take care of it."

"I know you can, Barry. I've never doubted that. I just… for right now, I need to feel like… this is going to sound weird but as miserable as I was towards the end of my pregnancy, I already miss her being inside me. Right now she needs me for survival and I like that feeling. I love it."

Barry smiled at her, understanding. Kara smiled back knowing he understood. The two had been together so long they could have a conversation without words about simple things.

"So do we teach her Kyptonese or English first?"

"I'm thinking both. Alex and I taught each other at the same time. She will be smarter than both of us. She can handle it." Kara told him confidently. Lexie tired of feeding rested her head on Kara's shoulder. The two were both nearly asleep, when Lexie vomited. Kara woke with a start, and panicked seeing the mess on her gown.

"Barry!"

Lexie began crying.

"She's crying!"

Charlie ran in to investigate the cause of his mother's distressed voice. Hearing the baby crying he decided to join in with his own howling.

"Burping! Gas! We know this!" Barry realized. Kara nodded her head, remembering and stood up too quickly judging by the pain she felt and began lightly patting the baby's back. After a minute the crying had not stopped.

"She is still upset. She won't burp. I can't pat her any harder. This is bad… this is really, really bad. Charlie, please stop barking, you are not making this better."

"Let me try." Barry offered. He hesitantly took his daughter in his arms, moving slowly and stiffly.

"If you can't hold her when she is crying, how are you going to burp her?"

"I can hold her, I'm just being careful."

"No, not like that… we went over this… there, cradle her, okay, yeah, you are good." Kara encouraged him. Barry began patting Lexie's back. Two minutes went by and Lexie was turning red from the crying. Barry handed her back to a quickly panicking Kara and activated his emergency plan. It was only ten o clock so she should still be up. Thankfully she answered immediately.

"What's wrong?" Eliza answered as a greeting.

"Lexie like… I don't know, she is rejecting Kara's … I don't know its probably gas but she… I don't know… It's a mess and she is crying, she won't stop, we have tried burping her…"

"Open your front door." the woman instructed. Barry had the door unlocked before the word door couple be complete, surprised to see Eliza running up, Alex behind her.

"You two were coming over this late?"

"Of course not. We've been in my car outside, in case Kara needed us tonight." his mother in law told him.

The two women stormed past Barry into the bedroom. Eliza gently took the baby from Kara's arms and pressed the child against her of patting the baby she began rubbing circles with her hand on the child's back. As the seconds ticked by, it seemed to work, the newborn calming, her crying lessening and then Eliza began gently patting her back. Within seconds a belch was heard by all. Silence filled the room, Charlie giving one satisfied bark as he walked back to the couch in the living room, planning on resuming his slumber.

"How did you do that? I … I patted her… I did. She wasn't squirming when she was feeding or anything, so I didn't think she needed a break. I was going to do it when I changed sides but then she…"

"Kara, calm down." Eliza told her, gently.

"Can I have her back now? She is okay? Why can't I burp her? This is bad. Am I going to have to hire someone to take care of this? Do people even do that for a living? I don't want a nanny and I certainly don't want to have to hire one and admit I can't burp my own daughter and that's all I need her for. I swear, I can handle the rest. Are there classes I can take?"

"First, change." Eliza told her. "Lexie didn't vomit she spit up. It happens a lot. Keep a towel on your shoulder or a lot of clean nightgowns or long tee shirts around."

"Second, you think you could put your boob up? It's a little awkward just kind of out like that, even with what we all saw yesterday." Alex suggested.

"Oh! Yeah, let me… okay." Kara stammered composing and adjusting herself. She hurried off to change, still walking gently though due to soreness. Both women looked at Barry, who stood still, mouth hanging open.

"You need to calm down, Flash." Alex told him humorously, slapping the back of his head and seeming to focus the man.

"I…I was calm. How… why… you were in your car?"

"Yes," Eliza confirmed, "No matter how many books the two of you have read or how many planets you have saved, you both are new parents and new parents, superheroes or not, need help books can't provide. I decided to hang out in the car tonight and Alex volunteered to keep me company."

"Why didn't you just ask to come inside? We have extra bedrooms."

"Kara…" Eliza started to explain.

"I thought we could handle this Barry." Kara told him, walking out slowly. "She offered but I wanted us to do… it…"

"Kara relax." Eliza told, handing her back the baby. "How were you holding her when you were burping her?"

"Like this." Kara demonstrated.

"Try holding her a little higher on you. Let her chin rest on her shoulder, not tucked in. There are different methods and you will figure out which ones work. There are different positions and techniques and quite a few of them can work but some won't. Also a bit of rubbing is all that is needed at times or a combination of both. These are things you will figure out, you just have to stay calm. Barry has to help you stay calm." Eliza finished, looking at her son in law who dropped his head. "I promise as long as she is crying, she is breathing and it won't hurt her until you determine the best way to sooth her.

"Thanks Mom." Kara told her genuinely grateful.

"Always Kara. We should be going Alex. I think they have this."

"You're going to stay in the car tonight, aren't you Mom?"

"Of course not…yes, yes I am." she admitted.

"Please stay here with us. I … we are going to need help." Kara admitted with a small smile, breathing easier now that Lexie had stopped crying.

"I would be glad to spend a week or longer if needed. You don't have to ask, baby! My bags are in the car. Barry come help me. I have some research and tests results that need to be analyzed and categorized. I can work from here on what I can and Jeremiah can handle the rest."

Eliza had left the room before anyone could say anything.

"Did she say a week or longer?" he asked. Alex popped him in the back of the head once more with a smirk.

"Yes she did. Too bad alcohol has no effect on you Dad. Better help her out. She has six bags. I'm spending the night also, just tonight. I can get my own bag."

Barry walked out, shaking his head, leaving Kara and Lexie alone.

"Sorry?" she told her little girl who was staring at her mother. She blew a small bubble that Kara took to mean she was forgiven. By the time Eliza and Alex had settled in, Superwoman and her daughter were back in bed, asleep. Barry gently moved Lexie out of Kara's arms and tucked her into the bassinet.

"On her back Barry." Eliza whispered.

"She is." he whispered back to his mother in law.

"She is slightly tilted towards her left side. She shouldn't have the strength to roll over but we can't assume anything and don't want to give her a head start. Tuck the blanket… here let me show you."

While Eliza took over preparing his already sleeping daughter in the exact same position he swore he had her in, Barry glanced at the door where Alex stood, biting her fist to hold back a laugh and then left.

It would be a long week.

Six days later, while Eliza and Kara bathed Lexie, Cisco knocked on the door.

"Daddy! Hows is going man? Eliza still criticizing everything you do?"

"No, she isn't criticizing. She is making suggestions." Barry clarified, although admitted to himself that quite a bit of her suggestions sounded like criticisms. He was beginning to understand Alex a bit more. Kara could do no wrong. Barry on the other hand was too stiff when he held Lexie or not firm enough, he wasn't cleaning her well enough during diaper changes and she could get an infection. Too much water got in her eyes when he bathed her. While he admitted this all may be true, he was amazed at how quickly she pointed them out and if he didn't know better, seemed to educate him with a sadistic glee.

Kara however, was a natural, according to Eliza. Eliza suggested using formula once a day and Kara agreed. Whatever Eliza suggested, even Kara's lunch and meals, rest times, anything at all, Kara took it as biblical truth. Despite his perceived shortcomings in the fatherhood department, the week had been amazing. For the first time ever, Barry had serious doubts about whether he wanted to return to work. He had taken six weeks paternity leave but wondered how he would be able to pull himself away from spending every moment with Kara and Lexie. Yes, both parents felt like they were in a daze at times, waking up several times a night and neither having more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep but it was still amazing. They were sharing things together, experiences neither had ever imagined and the idea of this ending when it technically didn't have to, saddened him. Kara's gallery was ready and would open in eight weeks, leaving plenty of time to move over paintings from S.T.A.R. and their home. She would have Lexie with her all day while he crawled around homicide scenes that once intrigued him and now he strangely wanted no part in. After being around such life, the idea of going back to a world where death was business as usual didn't appeal to him. But he had a job to do and would have to figure a way back. His father told him yesterday once again that it would be difficult to leave this restless, exhausting, terrifying but exciting nirvana that parenthood was and return to the real world.

"You talked to Alex today?" Cisco asked.

"She texted me earlier, asking if I was enjoying reliving her teenage years. Why?"

"I guess she didn't tell you. Cool, I wanted to be the one to surprise Kara."

"Kara really doesn't do well with surprises lately."

"She is going to like this one… maybe. Supercousin and his cougar Lois, Cougar Grant, and the really hot Amazon and the Martian Manhunter in all his greenness will be here in a few minutes. I finally got in touch last night. Brought them over this morning in the pipeline. They are checking into a hotel and then grabbing a couple taxis. Okay, Cat refused a taxi and has ordered the manager of the hotel to find a limousine service. Since her cards don't work here, I was informed the group would be using mine and the next time I visited her universe she would put me up in a five star hotel and provide a limo. I told her I didn't plan on visiting anytime soon and was told that was my problem. I'll send you the bill, bro."

"Oh… okay."

Barry took a look around the house, seeing it a bit disheveled. The bottle that had held the formula Eliza and Kara deemed best, were still in the sink, soaking in hot water, the take out containers including Kara's chicken salad bowl, which still blew Barry's mind, were on the counter and a load of spit covered garments were piled in front of the washer. The house hadn't been dusted either in two days. Kara was usually a freak about this since Lexie had been born but the little girl had kept them on their toes more than usually the past two days and Barry had forgotten.

"Come in and give me a minute."

Cisco watched a blur sweep through the room, a broom running across the hardwood floor, a towel sweeping over the cabinets and counters, the feint smell of Pine Sol rising in the living room. Ten seconds later Barry was back in front of his friend.

"Sorry it took me so long. Dusting does take a bit more time because if I move too fast the dust just spreads. If Kara had her powers she would see it and be upset about Lexie breathing dust."

"But there are always trace amounts of…"

"Don't tell her that. Just don't. The search for the best air purifier in the world continues."

"Great, Caitlin is coming over for Lexie's daily check up. Got any beer?"

Barry looked at Cisco in disbelief that he would even ask that. Why the hell would he need beer?

"Sorry. It wouldn't kill you to keep a bottle for your buds who stop by."

"I have water, milk…no jokes…" he warned, knowing his friend well…"and some sort of green protein shake crap that Eliza has convinced Kara is good for her and by extension the baby and orange juice."

"I'll pass on the green protein shake crap. Water it is, I suppose. Really man? No soda?"

'You are more than welcome to go to the store. Wait, I have a list of other things you could get! Buy a beer for yourself too, on me."

Before Cisco realized what was happening he had Barry's card in one hand and a list in the other.

"You are being a big help. I haven't had time to grocery shop. Make sure you get those exact diapers. Ask for help if you aren't sure because the brand may be the same but there are fifteen different types. You are going to want the package with the pink top and bunnies on the bottom. Also please get the premixed formula, and for God's sake don't screw that up. I will never hear the end of it. Thanks. Here, your car probably won't fit all these groceries so take mine. Just remember to close the garage door afterwards. Best bro ever man."

Cisco blinked and was in Barry's Volvo, garage door rising behind him and car running. No sign of Barry.

"Wow… that just happened."

Barry warned Kara and Eliza of impending company, Kara excited and Eliza less so, but hiding it well, but not well enough as Barry noticed. Kara took their daughter to her nursery, to find the perfect outfit no doubt and straighten up, though the new mother kept the nursery spotless.

"You okay Eliza?" Barry asked, seeing Eliza's small smile disappear when Kara left the room.

"I've been acting like a … I haven't been very nice to you, Barry. I didn't mean to be. I just… its a…"

"Hey, calm down. Wow, I've been waiting all week to say that to you." he jokingly told her. "You have been a huge help."

"Thank you. I should have more patience. I always have patience with Kara but not as much with everyone else. You are doing so well Barry. Lexie is lucky to have such a good father."

"I appreciate it, Eliza."

"I've just been stressed, things are going good, the baby isn't having any problems and I am waiting for the other shoe to fall. I can't show that stress around Kara because if I am not calm she won't be. So I suppose I take it out in other ways. I did the same thing when she was growing up. I was so scared of Hank Henshaw threatening to take her away I drove Alex away, pushing her to be ready to run with Kara and never being able to tell her why. That bastard could have taken her too. When Jeremiah first started working there, for that year before we thought he died, he would tell me all about the Kryptonite weapons the DEO had. Henshaw didn't even tried to hide them, showed them off just to let Jeremiah know he could take Kara when he wanted. Now she has the same fears I do about the baby and I have to hide mine."

"You don't have to hide. Talk to her. She does has the same fears as I do, we all do and not talking about them isn't going to make them go away. What else is going on? You don't seem excited about our visitors. Didn't you and Cat Grant kind of become friends?"

"Yes, we did, surprisingly good friends. Cat isn't the problem."

"You don't want visitors?" he tried. All week, everyone they knew had visited at least once, Alex and Nyssa, Harry, Joe and Jeremiah daily but none stayed more than a couple hours, wanting to give them time to settle in. Oliver, Thea and Felicity visited on Monday, Kara, using the power of four puppy eyes, six if you counted Charlie, forced Oliver Queen to not only hold Lexie but also feed her a bottle of formula. Thea took over two hundred pictures in five minutes, causing Barry to speculate that Thea may actually be a metahuman.

"No, it isn't visitors, its those visitors, or more specifically, its Clark."

Barry was surprised by this. "I thought … you and Clark were close and working together…"

"I can't stand him." Eliza bit out. She never would have said such a thing if Kara had her powers. "Kara is my child. He gave her up. He ignored her, it is shameful how little contact he had with her. But when he thought she was dead, he took us to his fortress for our protection. During that time, he killed Lane and then came back to brood. He talked about how Kara had looked, how he was certain she was dead. He was so certain he had me believing it. Only Alex would tell him to shut the hell up. He didn't begin working on a way to get to Kara like he promised Alex. Hank had to convince him to let us come to the States and we had to start the search. He was no help. Sure, he brought crap from his Fortress that he had no idea how to use and couldn't tell if it was helpful or not. Cat even worked, searching the world for scientists who might be able to help and recruiting them. Hank tried to help the scientists. He would actually read their minds looking for stray thoughts they may have had fleetingly and dismissed, then research whether they had any merit, himself. He disguised himself as colleagues of astrophysicists all over the country who had ever flirted with the multiverse theory, men we either couldn't afford or trust and he picked their brains for information. Alex began studying allows of Kara's pods and tried to determine the feasibility of them handling the extreme vibrations that would be needed. Clark brooded about the death of his people. Unless something happened to the population of Kansas that I didn't know about, his people were fine."

"I… didn't know you felt that way." Barry stammered, trying to digest this unexpected information.

"When Jeremiah died Kara and Alex both could have used a positive male presence in their life. Do you now where he was? I don't. I was the one comforting two teenage girls, one of whom I didn't realize was living with so much guilt… anyway, I put up with him, because he is, or at least was Kara's last link to Krypton. But since we found her, every time he is around its all about his people, his family, his blood line continuing. He's an idiot and he doesn't deserve her. She is so forgiving. If I was her I would have banished him from the house, as was her right to do at anytime, based on his abandonment of her.

Now watch Barry, the minute he arrives he will be doting about Lexie being blood and blood bonds and all that other crap. She is my blood! Kara is mine and every time he is around I have to listen to him spout that crap about a civilization Kara loves that he knows nothing about. Don't believe me? Has Kara taught you how to ask how have you been in Kryptonese?"

"Yeah."

"Use it when you see him. It will take him a minute to formulate a response. At least a minute and his response will probably be wrong. J'onn was more of a father figure to her in a year of knowing her, Jeremiah has been more of a father figure even in the year before he disappeared than the man who could have and should have been that for her the last 14 years. But I will smile and listen to his crap and count down the days until he is gone."

"How is your Kryptonese?" Barry asked curiously.

"A lot better than his. I was never able to pick it up like Alex and Kara never really tried. I think she got a kick out of communicating with Alex in a language only they knew. Both girls loved it but Alex was too cool to admit it. While we were going over the Kryptonian databanks from his fortress Alex taught me quite a bit. Enough that we could get drunk together and talk about what an idiot he was right in front of him."

Barry choked back a laugh, seeing the seriousness in her eyes.

"Then while he is here, you and Kara should converse in Kryptonese. I'll throw what I know in the mix. Maybe I will ask Kal to help me with the translations."

Eliza smiled and shook her head.

"I won't embarrass him. Kara wouldn't want that. I will do what I always do. Sit back and take it while he pretends Kara is his family. The others are great. Cat Grant really cares about Kara. She loves her, always wants the best for her. Lois does care about her a lot. She even approved of Clark killing her father in revenge. J'onn loves her deeply. He fought and could have died by her side. But Clark…ugh. The Amazon also worries me."

"Really?" Barry asked innocently.

"Don't Barry. I know she worries you too. J'onn tells me she is a good person so I will believe it but I can't help it. I hope she truly wants to help Kara for no other reason than just helping her. I'm afraid she wants to train and gain Kara's loyalty so if she needs help in whatever kind of battles these Amazons have, Kara will fight by her side. I have no reason to suspect this, but…"

"You love her and always have to worry about the worst. I'm the same way. I don't think we have to worry though. Even if they become good friends Kara won't leave our daughter or her dog to go fight a war that isn't her business."

"You had better start saying our dog or I won't be able to save you from her wrath." Eliza told him, relaxing a bit. Many good things could be said about Barry Allen and one of them was he was very easy to talk to, just as Jeremiah told her his father was.

"Eliza, I can understand why you feel the way you do about Kal El. From what I have heard he wasn't the most supportive while Kara was growing up but we both know he loves her. He also did one thing right that we both owe him for."

"What is that?"

"He trusted me enough in a split second to let me bring Kara here so Caitlin could save her life. I wouldn't have been able to do it if he tried to stop me or even if he didn't help me. He did kill the men before they could shoot her again. He did snap the bands off of Alex's legs so she could get here. He isn't a bad guy, right?"

Eliza looked down and smiled. "You do see the best in everybody, don't you Barry? I suppose you have a point. I know I don't say it enough, but I love you."

Barry'e head snapped up and before he could stop himself he responded. "I don't think you have ever said that, actually."

Eliza stated at him for a moment, sadness creeping over her face.

"Then that is my fault. I should have told you and I will from now on. I wish I had known your mother. I can imagine as a mother of two daughters that if you were my son, I would be as proud of you as I am of Alex and Kara. No one will ever replace her but I want you to know if you ever need to talk or need for anything, I am here. We are family now and for a mother in law I could be worse. I haven't said anything about how you always put Lexie's diaper on crooked and I have to straighten it so it doesn't give her a rash, or the three times you forgot to put powder on her yesterday."

"Gee thanks. Here I was, thinking I had the diaper thing down too." he told her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you too, Eliza."

The two held each other until a knock on the door interrupted the moment and Charlie's howls alerted the house to visitors. Eliza pulled back and smiled.

"Time to play the good hostess. It will be fun. Watch Clark's face when I talk about stories of Kara growing up and how much we bonded. His right eyebrow twitches a bit but that strong jaw doesn't flinch."

The two walked into the living room as Kara was emerging, having changed herself into a light blue sun dress, Lexie dressed to match. She was awake and not fussy and both parents hoped being handled as she was soon to be wouldn't put her in a bad mood.

Opening the door, Cat Grant was of course the first to enter, taking in Kara as she did each time the two met again, memories good and bad crashing in to both their heads. The good were easy to remember but the bad were not bad in the traditional sense. Yes they both had moments where they annoyed each other, particularly the Adam and Siobhan disaster, but the bad memories Kara had involving Cat were of her mentor being in danger from Leslie, seeing her handcuffed in the park, surrounded by Leslie and Siobhan. She had seen Cat drunk, depressed over her unloving, cold mother, she had nearly seen her defeated by the email scandal, seen her unsure of herself when things didn't go well at her first meeting with Adam. All of these hurt her, because in Kara's mind, Cat Grant could not be defeated. These were the only bad memories she had in regards to the woman many considered a demon but not her.

Cat's memories were good as well but every time she saw Kara she relived the moment James Olsen told her she had been shot, was probably dead and would definitely never be seen again. Cat had never felt so alone and desperate in her life. Not having Kara by her side was like having a chunk of her body tore out, leaving a hole that couldn't be filled. Cat made Kara tougher and Kara made Cat softer, more open with others outside of her youngest son. They were each other's hero.

"Kara." Cat gasped. "She looks like you. Absolutely beautiful. I was so afraid she may look like your husband…oh, hello Barry."

"Cat." Good to see you," Barry greeted her, smiling, knowing she was kidding.

He thought she was kidding.

Kara backed up, allowing the guests to enter, Kal, Lois, and J'onn following.

Barry was about to close the door when Caitlin stopped him, Diana Prince dressed normally for a change, not in armor or even high priced fine evening wear, simply jeans and… Barry almost rolled his eyes. She had a Flash tee shirt on. She was also carrying the big bag Barry usually had to move from Caitlin's car. He asked Caitlin to leave it here but she insisted on taking it back to the lab each night. All the information on Kara and Lexie was kept on a separate drive, offline, not tied into any system that could be hacked nor tied into the internet at all. The medical information including measurement of solar radiation in both their cells, blood test results and anything else down to measurements of the baby's weight and height were kept on a secure, portable zip drive with a small destruct trigger inside it, capable of releasing a magnetic pulse that would erase all information. Caitlin took the zip drive when she left, along with Firestorm who watched her from the sky, in the event she was hijacked by someone wanting the information. Once she arrived at S.T.A.R. the zip drive information was entered into a serve kept in the pipeline inside one of the metahuman soon as the information was downloaded the zip drive was burned by Firestorm and the information secure. This would allow the scientists to use a work station in the cell to monitor Lexie's daily status but be as secure as possible. A small EMP device was also buried in the server and in the event that a secure six number password was not entered on booting up, the EMP would detonate and completely erase the entire system and all the information it contained. Harry and Cisco had designed the system for complete security, protecting both Kara and the baby's information as securely as possible. By agreement of all, only Alex and Caitlin had the numerical password to access the server. Others would be allowed to enter the cell while one of them stood by. Harry compared Lexie's DNA to Barry's and checked for any mutations that could be attributed to the Speed Force or Kryptonian DNA. Dr. Stein monitored the solar radiation readings from both the child and Kara, although she had been bombarded with red dwarf rays directly through the skin, negating the potency of her yellow star radiation. While her cells could never be depowered because of red sunlight, the red rays did negate the ability of her cells to metabolize the energy into raw power. This was the reason why she could take the bracelet off and her powers returned immediately because the yellow sun radiation never left her cells.

"Good to see you again Diana." Barry greeted her.

"Barry, the world of men has enough liars. Don't be one of them." she told him with a wink. He had to grin a bit. She certainly wasn't vague when she spoke.

"So this is her." Kal El whispered, his eyes going directly to the newest member of his family. The man did not have much, had lost a lot of them to this Earth, missed them very badly and had recently been dreaming about the day he and Lois could perhaps stay here permanently, watch Lexie grow up and be as close to Kara as he always should have been, and perhaps even splitting time with Kara protecting the world so each of them could have a peaceful life.

"Hi to you too cousin." Kara told him, with a bright smile. Kal gently hugged her, not wanting to press the baby between them.

"She is gorgeous Kara, not that I ever doubted she would be." Lois admitted.

"Is her skin still reddening when she is rubbed?" Caitlin asked, cutting to the chase. Her work on King Shark's DNA, her work with Cisco on developing better monitoring systems for the suits, helping Zatanna find physical links to her magic, had all taken a backseat to Lexie and Kara. This was the only project she worked on. It involved two and now three of the most important people in her life. Although they hadn't talked about it, judging by how Kara was with Lexie, Caitlin doubted this would be the only child she had and wanted to be absolutely prepared for the next one.

"Yes, she developed a small rash this morning but powder took care of it. It was gone after an hour and two minutes." Kara answered quickly. "I used a stop watch."

As Barry, Kara and Eliza continued to greet everyone, Caitlin moved to a back bedroom and began setting up her portable table with X rays, ultraviolet spectrometers and a blood collection kit. Kara had agreed with Eliza's urging to let Caitlin take blood samples for the first month, twice a week to determine how strong or weak her immune system was.

"Kara, I thought you would be back to your ridiculously perfect shape that Diana seems to take for granted. Did you lose your powers before birth?" Cat asked her former protege.

"I began losing them a lot more after we saw you all at Christmas. About two weeks before her birth they went away completely. I've been wearing my bracelet since her birth so I don't know if my powers will return or not."

"Why haven't you taken off the bracelet? You should strive to have your powers returned as soon as possible." Diana told her, before she could stop herself.

"I'm nursing my child. If my powers returned I am not sure what that would to my body. I would suspect I would become indestructible, and my body would return to my pre pregnancy form. That would make it difficult for me to nurse her."

"Of course.I was just concerned. Living on an island full of women, I was the first child to be raised on Themyscira. I wasn't born in the traditional sense so breast feeding isn't a concept our people are familiar with. I am sure you have enemies though."

"We will always have enemies. Barry circled the equator in two and a half minutes. We have a family filled with brilliant, strong, deadly and loyal members. I can take a few months off."

"Thats a good decision, Kara. Breast feeding is very positive for a child for as long as possible." Cat agreed, glaring at Diana who shrugged her shoulders. She could not judge, never being in this position herself and respected Kara's desire to trust others with her child's safety.

"I'm sorry, did you say … Barry, you circled the globe in two and a half minutes?" J'onn asked, in his Hank Henshaw guise.

"Yes sir. It was a trial run. I've learned new techniques to increase my speed, strength and vibrational frequency many times what I have accomplished before. I can go faster but Kara worries so I haven't tried, yet. My next goal is around the world in a second."

Kal El laughed. No one else did.

"Barry, moving that fast is impossible." Superman told him.

"You would have said the same thing about doing it in two and a half minutes. I did that, and I knew when I was doing it, I could go faster. At least I felt I could and am confident I can call it at will. If anyone tries to harm my family he or she will be taken out quickly."

"Why is it every time you hear about someone doing something you can't, you say it is impossible Kal?" Jeremiah asked, having let himself in as he often did. "Whether you believe it to be impossible or not I saw it. You are sitting in the living room of the most powerful man in this universe. The impossible is nothing for him. Changing timelines, changing reality, breaking every so called law of physics. Crossing the oceans, phasing through villages and even mountains if he wanted to, is possible for is nothing he can't do."

The pride in his voice for his son in law was obvious, as he walked over to J'onn and hugged the Martian then bent over near Kara who handed Lexie to him with a smile, after he kissed his daughter on the cheek. "Joe heard we had company and he and Henry are going to be grilling. I saw Cisco at the grocery store and told him to buy steaks with the rest of the grocery list you sent him after. You want to use charcoal or propane, son?"

"I guess with so many guests we should use propane." Barry told him, feeling a lot of pride at his father in law's assessment.

"Good call. So how are things on the place I used to call Earth and now fondly refer to as hell?"

Lois and Cat informed the gathering of what was going on, the search for the Order which was going well since Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon, who was walking strongly now, had found a money trail and were following it aggressively, Barbara through the web and Bruce in a more aggressive fashion involving the beating of several underworld accountants. Kara finally convinced Kal El to sit and hold her daughter while Lois took multiple pictures and the rest of the night went well. Diana found Barry and Kara standing away from the group with Eliza and Caitlin, discussing the positive results of Lexie's scans today.

"Your daughter is lovely, Kara. A goddess on Earth as I suspected. I apologize for questioning your decision earlier. It wasn't my place. I was just surprised and should have been more tactful."

"Its fine Diana. Believe me, Barry and I have had the same discussions, but as long as there are no overt threats I plan to enjoy this time."

"And no further contact with this group your League met in Keystone City?" she asked, remembering J'onn's report when he returned from Christmas.

"Not since Oliver's run in with the team while we were on our honeymoon. We decided it was an A.R.G.U.S. matter and unless the group became a direct threat to innocents or they could not pull Caitlin Fairchild out, we would stay out of it." Barry explained.

"A wise decision. Working with any government is a slippery slope. The only ones you can truly count on are your brothers and sisters in arms. So tell me, I have heard the stories but I am dying to know if they are true. How painful was labor?"

"Worse than a stubbed toe. A lot, lot worse. But it was worth it when she was placed in my arms. I would do it again and again if it meant getting her. Speaking of the Justice League Princess, I should feed her."

"Can I?" Kal asked, hearing the conversation from across the room.

"I'm going to breast feed her. You can certainly take your shirt off and try but something tells me it won't work." Kara told him grinning, enjoying the reddening of his face. While she was no longer the naive girl he had known on the old Earth, he still remained the Kansas farm boy who could be buttoned up and easily embarrassed by the thought of anything remotely involving a woman's body. Kara could have imagined his reaction had he been in the delivery room. She hoped he never lost that.

Kal El got over his embarrassment quickly and winked at his cousin. "I think I will sit that one out."

"You can change her diaper in an hour or so." Kara suggested, enjoying this. She very rarely got to pick on her little cousin.

"Uh…"

"Come on. You are the last son of Krypton. You can change a diaper, right Superman?"

Clark rose to the challenge. "Consider it done, Elder of the House."

While dinner was nearly ready, Alex and Nyssa arrived. Greeting everyone fondly, Alex pulled Nyssa by the hand towards Diana.

"Diana! How great to see you again. You remember my Nyssa?"

"I certainly do." Diana told her taking the offered hand. "A pleasure to see you both again. You have a beautiful namesake Alex."

"She is. How is Donna coming along with her trials? We haven't seen her yet." Alex asked, brushing off the praise. She admired the woman, as did Nyssa, but as everyone else who knew Kara, all were wary of anyone showing an interest in her powers. Diana was not surprised by this.

"I have not had a chance to fly to Themyscira and probably won't this trip. We have a situation back home, possible signs of something important being prepared so will only be able to spare a couple days. I am not sure what it is, only that it is bad. Our tribe has a sister, gifted in foresight and she has seen nothing but darkness and destruction in the near future and beyond. It falls to me to find out the possible cause and stop it. She sees possible outcomes so the future can be changed. I will know I am successful when her vision changes to one of peace."

"Fascinating." Nyssa commented. "So what are these trials Donna has to complete? What is involved?"

'Twelve tasks, involving difficult enemies, the children of the Gods of Olympus, as the meta's style themselves. Should she defeat each in battle she will be granted the final gift of the Amazons. The Goddess Hera will grant her immortality through her magic. Like all Amazons she will not be invincible but like all Amazons she is very hard to kill."

"So like the twelve labors of Hercules?" Alex guessed, causing Diana to laugh.

"Don't be fooled by men's lies. Hercules was not successful at all his labors. He was not granted immortality due to this."

"And which one did he fail?" Nyssa asked, fascinated.

"He did well until he was ordered to take my Mother's girdle. She sent what was left of his body by sea back to Olympus and his father Zeus. Hera was not happy that Heracles was sent on that particular mission. Her husband was in the dog house for over a century. My mother did keep the lion mane he wore. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, I would be glad to show it to you in our trophy room."

'I would look forward to it." Nyssa admitted.

"I have no doubt in Donna's ability at completing the tasks. Despite being young she is strong and her heart is great. She is her mother's child, just as Alexandra is Kara's. I have gathered the child is exhibiting nothing abnormal. My requests to the fates have been granted. She has so much power but at her age, the ability to handle it would be simply too much."

"We have been lucky. If your Fates have anything to do with it, then we are grateful." Alex told the Amazon, not quite believing in fate but grateful they had been lucky so far.

"Such power will not stay bridled for long. I have no doubt you are all ready though. Barry Allen, his achievements are becoming outstanding. He will be a god among men."

"He still scrunches his nose and tries to look away while changing a diaper, turns a bit green even. He also slurps his coffee and doesn't use coasters very often leaving rings on my very nice coffee table. His lab at the station is a mess. He has a ways to go before godhood is granted but yeah, he has potential." Alex admitted.

The next night, in the backyard under the moonlight as Kara insisted, the entire Justice League and family gathered. A ceremony had to be performed and since all her family, even extended was here, Kara thought tonight would be the best time. The visitors were going back to Earth 3 tomorrow and it was not known when the next time she would have them all in one place at one time. Cat planned to be back in six weeks, Carter in tow this time, for the official opening of Kara's gallery. The rest had work to do. Eliza expressed her sincere disappointment to Kal El that he couldn't be there, and Barry was impressed with her ability to lie so convincingly. The woman truly looked distraught.

Kara, dressed in a simple blue but long and elegant dress she had asked Thea to pick up for the occasion since she still hadn't left the house, stood in the middle of the backyard,

"Kara?"

"Yes Kal?" she asked, noticing he had been anxious all night and wondering when he would approach her.

"From what I have learned in the databanks the Protector roles were always reserved for members of the house. I was wondering…"

"Why I didn't ask you?" Kara guessed.

The Man of Steel shrugged his shoulders and looked at the ground. "I know my parents were yours."

"Kal, I love you, you know I do. That will never change. You are my little cousin and always will be. But Oliver and Nyssa are my brother and sister. They are my family and great warriors at that, two of the greatest who have ever fought on this Earth, I would guess in history. It is an honor reserved for family. One thing I have learned and I hope you are learning with your own League, is that our parents and people were very wrong. Blood has nothing to do with family. Nothing at all. Family is love, and that is all that matters."

"I understand, Kara. I even agree with you. I can see how close you are with your family. So will the ceremony be in Kryptonese?"

"No. I thought I wanted it to be but all the family deserves a chance to understand the oath being sworn by Oliver and Nyssa."

Kal El laughed. "And here I thought you were the one who held the strictest formalities of our culture. It's good to see yo loosening up."

"I haven't loosened up, I have grown. Krypton is dead. This is my planet, my family, and I decide the customs as I see fit. My first home will never be forgotten, but I won't be tethered to it any longer. Neither will you." Kara hugged her little cousin and he walked to the back to stand with the rest. Oliver in his Green Arrow garb hood up, mask off, as Kara requested and Nyssa, wearing her dark red leather armor, black thin pants, a thick but flexible robe, she often wore in battles in the past, her black hood covering her head as well, stepped towards the woman. Jeremiah placed a bassinet in front of the couple and Barry gently lay his daughter inside, then stood by Kara. Both Nyssa and Oliver had bows and quivers on their backs and broad swords in their hand.

"Oliver Jonas Queen, Nyssa Zor El, have you come here of your own free will?" Kara began.

"We have." both responded. Nyssa and Oliver pulled back their hoods, knelt on one knee and placed the swords on the ground in front of the bassinet, crossing each other.

"You have been called upon to be the Protectors of Alexandra Nora Allen, until such a time as she may defend herself. To defend her unto death from any who wish to harm her. When she is of age, you will be responsible for her education in the art of war, the art of peace and the honor a great warrior must posses. This is a sacred position, offered to only the greatest souls and purest hearts. Your souls will be bound to hers for all time and space, to protect, to love, to defend and fight beside her. Do each of you accept this great responsibility?"

"We do."

"Do you vow to bind her yourselves to her soul, to treat her heart as your own heart, her life above yours always?"

"We do."

"It is so sworn. Let all here be witness. The souls of Oliver Jonas Queen and Nyssa Zor El are forever tied to our child in a bond that cannot be severed. Rise Protectors and pay homage to your charge."

Nyssa and Oliver stood up, Nyssa first then Oliver bending over and kissing Lexie on her forehead.

"Thank you both." Kara whispered, holding back tears while Barry didn't bother trying, as applause rose from the gathered. While all walked inside, Nyssa, Alex, Felicity and Oliver stayed back for a moment.

"That went much better than the last ceremony the two of us were involved in, Oliver." Nyssa commented.

"I know. I kept waiting for the moment where you tried to slice my throat. I suppose it is up to me now to try and be a person who meets those expectations." he told the three, wiping a tear from his eye.

"You already are." Alex told him. He smiled gratefully and arm wrapped around Felicity the two moved inside.

"After all this time, all the battles we have fought against one another and at each other's side, I still cannot decide if I want to kill him or hug him." Nyssa mused.

"I have a feeling most people who know Oliver Queen feel the same way. Since you aren't much of a hugger and neither is he, chance aren't good for him, but then again you are sort of in this together now. Lets go inside, I am starving."

Nyssa held her back.

"I've never known love or a real family, until I met you Alex. What I just swore was the only oath I have gladly accepted in my life."

"I know."

"There is one other oath I would like to make and I wish you to make it as well. I am not sure how you feel about marriage, I have never thought about it before I met you, at least willingly. I love you, you love me, and it has been enough. I didn't need a ceremony to know we were forever. But recently my thoughts have changed. The importance of tying two souls together in a public manner has changed my perception on marriage. I would like you to marry me, Alex."

Alex stood frozen, caught completely off guard. Nyssa reached into her robe and brought out a ring. The ring had no setting, instead resembling a man's wedding band only this was encrusted in diamonds around the whole circumference.

"I thought you might like this. It is gold but Cisco ensured me that you could wear it under your glove and no shock from the electrical emitters in your fist will affect you. The gold is softer than a typical ring. You should be able the strike as much as you like with no damage to your finger or the ring. I took the liberty of buying myself one as well. I would like us to wear these matching rings as a married couple. Everything I have will be yours. If you need time…."

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, God yes." Alex answered quickly. She took the ring quickly and was not surprised to see it was a perfect fit. "I love you so much. I was going to ask you! Did Kara… no she wouldn't. If it doesn't involve an article in Parents magazine she doesn't… did you know?"

"Know that you were going to ask me to marry you? No. You really… you are certain?"

"Yes, I have never been more certain of anything in my life."

Nyssa kissed her gently, until Alex locked her leg behind Nyssa's taking them both to the ground and kissed her quite a bit harder. Gentle wasn't either of their styles.

The next four weeks had gone smoothly, Barry and Kara managing with little intervention from any of the grandparents, though they had so many daily visitors the house felt like it had a revolving door occasionally. Winn and Caitlin had finally convinced Kara that since Lexie's cells were fully powered it wouldn't hurt her or make any powers evolve simply because of exposure to sunlight every now and then. At six weeks old, the first time Kara took Lexie outside the baby smiled voluntarily for the first time in her young life. Barry zipped out and saw it as well, holding Kara and both laughing at their daughter who was expressing genuine happiness on her own for the first time. They knew a child could smile to express pleasure or warmth between six to eight weeks old. So of course Lexie took the first days later, Barry reluctantly returned to work. He had seen many of his coworkers during the time off, many officers stopping by to see the newly crowned princess of Central City, but still received many congratulations from co workers that simply reminded him that he wasn't with his wife and child. A call to his accountant that was unnecessary reminded him that he didn't have to be here. Alex and Joe visited him twice apiece in the morning, trying to cheer him up and Barry acted gamely, trying to fool them both. Alex and Nyssa had been over often working with Kara to plan details of a very complicated ceremony in a very complicated location, and had noticed Barry's increasing sadness as his time off came to an end.

Kara missed him greatly at home. She had Charlie to play with while Lexie napped during the day but hadn't realized how much she took for granted Barry always being around. Deciding to paint outside under the covered porch in the backyard, she set up her canvas and Lexie's play pen and laid her sleeping daughter inside it. With her back turned, Charlie's bark first alerted her to something being wrong.

Kara turned and saw a woman in a completely red bodysuit, only her bare arms uncovered, descending into her backyard.

Superwoman panicked, thoughts of Caitlin Fairchild's team's similar garbs filling her mind. Standing in front of Lexie sleeping in her playpen, Kara's power flared, the yellow sunlight in her cells overpowering the dampening effects of the solar bracelet. The red solar cells fried immediately and the bracelet cracked into pieces in a second. Twin beams of pure power shot from her eyes, pushing over 5000 degrees in heat, shot towards the girl who threw up her gauntlet covered arms and absorbed the blast, sending her through the fence and into a large tree trunk fifty yards into the woods beyond the back yard.

Kara turned to check on Lexie and saw she had woken. Grabbing her phone incredibly fast, she called Barry who answered before the first ring.

"Hey…"

"I need you at home now! Back yard!"

Barry moved, com in ear, barely having enough time to tell Curtis who was on JL duty to alert the League to gather in his backyard for a possible meta attack.

When he arrived seconds after the call was received he checked the area. Lexie had woken and was crying, Charlie was howling at the edge of the yard where a large hole replaced what used to be a section of wooden fence. Kara was knelt in font of Lexie's playpen, eyes on the hole, waiting for whoever was on the other side to attack. She was breathing hard. He also noticed her eyes were still glowing and her bracelet was in pieces as if it had exploded. Kara seemed fine for the moment but scared, angering the Flash. Barry had not bothered to suit up, not wanting to waste even a quarter second it would have taken him. He moved faster than Kara could even track, seeing the world standing still as usual while it moved quickly for everyone else. He saw a dazed young brunette in a red full bodied leotard beginning to rise shakily to her feet. He grabbed her by the neck, vibrating at unreal speeds, causing him to blur, and pressed her against the tree trunk.

'Who are you?" his vibrated voice asked. The brunette shook her head trying to clear it.

"I didn't think this would be another trial. Princess Diana just told me how to get here."

"Diana? Who are you?!"

"I'm Donna! Donna Troy. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise her. This was all I had that could survive the flight and I didn't want your neighbors to see me. I didn't know your phone number or have a phone. Diana showed me what one looked like but we did not have them in…"

"Yeah, got it." Barry told her, letting go of her neck. Before he could slow down his thoughts enough to have a conversation, Kara let out a scream. Barry moved back towards her, over her as she was on the ground, shaking, caught in a seizure.

Donna moved to investigate until an arrow flew towards her. She blocked it with one bracelet and blocked a bullet with another. Looking for her attackers another arrow hit her, wrapping a strange wire around her torso. Flexing, she loosened the tight binding and ripped it off with her hands. Before she could track her enemies four individuals dropped in front of her, a man and woman with wings holding a sword and mace. Both individuals eyes were red and she could swear their fingers were talons. Another man on fire and an armored man with his arm raised towards her. A flash of light and a woman wearing a black strapless dress and stiletto boots appeared. She had lights of all colors flowing around her but her eyes were completely black.

Barry zipped back, panicked.

"Don't attack her, she isn't an enemy. Kara is hurt, I have to get her to S.T.A.R."

"Take her!" Oliver barked. Speedy was running through the yard and into the woods, arrow already ready and wondering why the woman in red wasn't dead yet.

"Lexie! I can't run her…"

"We have her Barry, take Kara." Nyssa told him.

"But…"

"You asked us to be protectors, now trust us. Go!" Oliver ordered, exploding arrow this time, aimed at the unknown woman.

Barry gathered a shaking Kara, who was now moaning in pain still on the ground, and ran for Caitlin. Oliver, Nyssa and Alex ran back to the yard and stood in front of the backdoor, after Alex lifted the crying infant out of the playpen and ran her inside, gun in her holster but ready to fire if anyone came in. She wished she had time to suit up. Alex had a bad feeling that her fists wouldn't have much affect on the woman if she survived Kara's attack and an extra jolt to her strikes would be helpful.

"Calm down baby. Is okay. Momma is going to be okay." she whispered in her ear, Lexie eventually calming down, taking in her aunt's familiar scent.

FIrestorm took in the woman before him, Martin urging Jax to restraint, based no Barry's word.

"You so much as look at someone wrong, what she just did to you is going to feel like a cozy night by the campfire compared to the heat I will make you feel." he warned her.

"I promise you, I come in peace." Jax looked at Ray, Carter and Kendra. Ray nodded and neither of the Hawks seemed to disagree so he doused his flame, refusing to separate yet.

"I guess you better come with us so we can check on our leader. Follow us in the air. Its quicker that way and I am guessing you can fly like Wonder Woman?"

"Wonder what? Uh, yes I can fly."

"Let's go." Kendra ordered, shooting into the sky, the others following.

At the lab, Caitlin had the table and solar lamps ready, not understanding what had happened, but Curtis informing her Barry was on his way with Kara and Barry had called the League together at his house for a meta attack. A swoosh of wind and Kara was on the table, still shaking, gritting her teeth.

"What happened?" Caitlin asked, forcing herself to calm down.

"She thought she was being attacked by a metahuman. Long story. Anyway she obviously used her heat vision to hit the woman hard and then called me. I showed up and found the woman she hit where she had been knocked through our fence into a tree trunk in the woods. I attacked her and when I realized she wasn't a threat Kara began screaming. I found her on the ground shaking."

'She took her bracelet off? Harry asked, running in, Jeremiah and Eliza behind him.

"I don't think so Harry. From what it looked like on the ground, it exploded."

"Exploded? How could it explode?" Harry asked, thinking immediately of design it hit him. "The red sun light sent straight through her skin keeps the yellow sunlight from metabolizing. Kara must have felt threatened enough that her cells reacted anyway, overpowering and sending the rays back into the device. It must have been quick enough that the power caused the battery to overheat and crack the casing."

"So her arm is burnt? Does she have internal burns?" Jeremiah asked, close to panicking himself as Barry tried to hold Kara down. Barry hadn't even noticed that he had begun vibrating to hold Kara down.

"No, she is fine. Lexie was there, right?" Harry asked. Barry nodded.

"Don't try to hold her still Barry. There isn't anything we can do. It will pass. Just make sure she doesn't slide off the table. You are the only one who can keep her steady." Caitlin told him sadly.

"Yeah I got that, her powers are back, but why is this happening?!"

Kara finally stopped shaking as the question left his lips. She sagged on the table, exhausted, eyes closed. Caitlin moved the lamps to the side, knowing they wouldn't be needed.

"What is going on?" The Flash asked, briefly scared Kara had died when she stopped shaking.

"Look at her Barry." Eliza told him. Barry did look at her, really looked at her and noticed the changes. The larger, comfortable jeans she had been wearing were very baggy on her now, threatening to fall off her waist. Her t shirt did not fit her as snugly as before, now seeming to sag. Barry gently lifted her shirt and saw the stretch marks she had jokingly referred to as her battle scars were gone, and her abdomen was defined once again. Her arms were firmer, not bulkier but the deceptive and sleek muscle tone she always had before her pregnancy was back. Not part of her could be considered "soft" any longer. Any weight she had not lost from the birth yet was now gone.

"She had never voluntarily held back using her powers that long before. Even when she was hiding who she was, she used X ray vision and heat vision no matter how small. Her strength was always there. Being fully charged, holding back for so long and feeling her daughter was threatened it… hit her at once." Eliza explained to her son in law.

"So… so she is okay? The seizure was her body returning to what it was."

"Yep." Harry agreed, looking at the sleeping Kryptonian sadly.

"This is good. She just needs a nap. Everything will be fine."

"She is going to be so upset." Eliza whispered. "She won't be able to nurse anymore."

Barry hadn't realized that implication in his relief that Kara was okay.

Alex walked in holding Lexie, Nyssa, Oliver, Felicity and Speedy following.

"How is she?" Alex asked.

"She is okay. She…" Jeremiah started.

"Felt her daughter was threatened and the power in her cells overrode the bracelet, tearing it apart. Her cells hit her with the effects of holding back for so long and now she is… back to her old self." Alex guessed, already having suspected.

A bark alerted them all to the other visitors, Ray holding a barking Charlie who was panicking himself, judging by the way he was wiggling to get out of the armored arms holding him to get to his mother. Jax and Martin entered, ahead of Carter and Kendra who had a sheepish Donna Troy in between them.

"Is she…" Carter stopped his question when Kara sat up slowly, then took in her form. Letting out a breath she zipped off, back in two seconds wearing her suit, sans cape and mask.

"Perfect fit. How about that?" she muttered, sadness evident in her voice. Then she met Donna's remorseful eyes.

"I am so sorry. You are Kara Zorel or Allen? Princess Diana told me how to reach you, what lines to follow in the Earth. This was the only garment I had that could survive the flight. My other … garments were robes, that would not blend in with this world. I thought if I entered your backyard the few neighbors you have would not notice my strange dress. I had no idea I would scare you like that. I should have found one of those phones, but I didn't have your number. If you weren't home I was going to wait in the back. You were hurt…"

'Stop," Kara told her, then walked over to take Lexie, very gently from Alex's arms. She would have to be even more careful until she be was used to her new strength. Walking up to Donna Troy she offered her hand, which the girl gratefully took. "I am Kara Allen. I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm glad I didn't disintegrate you. I would have felt horrible. Everything is fine. Welcome to Central City. Why don't you fly back to our home and Barry can run there and let you in. I'm going to see if I have clothes here that fit and get a lift home. Alex…"

"Her car seat is in the backseat of Mercedes. It was that or on the back of Oliver's motorcycle. I'm even pretty certain I buckled it in right. Despite having a PhD I find those things very difficult to secure."

"Thank you Alex. I will catch a ride so I can stay by Lexie and see you at our home Donna. I have some clothes you can use until we buy you your own and a bedroom for you to stay in. You are of course welcome. We look to be the same size so it shouldn't be a problem."

"She can stay with me in Ray's penthouse." Zatana offered, walking in with a very pissed off Sara Lance behind her. Sara calmed seeing Kara okay but still kept an eye on this Amazon. "I have clothes she can wear and if they don't fit I can make them. I would love a chance to learn more about your home Donna. We can all be properly introduced tomorrow. Kara needs her rest tonight and having a baby in the house makes sleep difficult."

"You are a powerful sorceress." Donna told her, having recognized the magic flowing around the woman behind Kara and Barry's home.

"A powerful sorceress with a very large collection of fabulous shoes and stylish clothing options."

"For a Vegas Show girl" Harry muttered.

"Shut up Wells. Shall we Donna?"

Donna nodded but turned doubtfully back to Kara and Barry. "I really am…"

"Hey, enough of that. I am sorry too. We weren't exactly sure when you would arrive and had given no thought to how. It is my fault. I am glad you are here, Donna. I have heard great things about you and am glad to have you with us. We all are."

"I'm not sure if I am needed. Your League is very powerful." Donna admitted, impressed with the response and teamwork the group had shown when they thought one of their own had been attacked.

"And we will be stronger with you. Anyone with heart and skill, super powered or not who wants to fight for justice and the protection of all the inhabitants of this planet are needed. Thank you for the offer, Zatanna. I should get Lexie home. She has had enough excitement for one day. Thank you all for coming. Lets meet here tomorrow at say, 7? We can begin to discuss training schedules and get to know Donna better. Zatanna if you would stop by the station tomorrow Barry can give you our card and you can get whatever Donna needs?"

"Of course Kara. I am going to teleport us to the residence. Your outfit may make some waves among prudes like Harry, Donna."

With a quiet chant, Zatanna and Donna were gone.

"So we beat the hell out of her right?" Kendra asked.

"No. She has come a long way to help us. What happened today was an accident. Thank you all so much for coming. She is a good person."

"How can you be sure?" Thea asked. "Because I don't know her."

"Did she attack any of you or did she simply defend herself?" Superwoman asked. Silence was her answer.

"She is just a young woman who isn't familiar with this world and had no idea she would be surprising me or that I would react that way. I would bet they don't have backyards or fences or even what we would consider traditional homes. On Krypton my entire family, over three hundred extended relatives, lived in one large building. We children entered others apartments at will playing with each other when we weren't in lessons. Many civilizations are more open, the bedrooms being the only private area, especially in close clans where everyone knows everybody. She will need all our help to feel at home. Trust me, learning to live in a new world is disconcerting and not easy. So tomorrow we all become friends, right?"

The entire League nodded their heads. Kara hugged each of them then got into the back of Nyssa's Mercedes with Charlie, Lexie and Barry. For once Charlie had to forgo his safety seat but sat happily on Kara's lap. Once they arrived, Kara handed Barry the baby and prepared a bottle of formula. Walking back to the couch she took Lexie. Lexie looked towards Kara's chest, questioningly, as if she somehow knew formula time was tomorrow and dinner was provided from her mother right now.

"Sorry baby. This is the best I can do now. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Kara motioned for Barry to take her, so he did so, continuing the feeding and she rushed into the bedroom, sitting on the bed and began to cry. For weeks she had known what it was like to be a regular, everyday new mom. She felt more human than she had in her whole life and loved the feeling that her daughter still relied on her for something as simple as feeding. She knew it had to come to an end eventually but had not expected it so soon. The terror of seeing an unknown meta landing in her yard where her baby lay, the rush of power, the panic, the pain of her body forcefully being changed by the sunlight in her cells no longer being held back, waking up and knowing immediately what had happened. The pain was gone, all physical evidence of her having given birth was gone and while pregnant Kara may have been happy about this, new mother Kara was distraught.

Barry walked in with Lexie in his arms to find Kara sat against the headboard, head on her arms covering bent knees. She sniffed and smiled when the two walked in.

"Any gas?"

"Got rid of it all. I figured she would be sleepy but I forgot what time it is."

"Time? She usually sleeps from around 8 to 4 AM."

"Yeah, but she needs her mother to sing her to sleep, like she always does."

Barry handed their daughter to Kara gently and sat by her.

"Today, what you did, was the most motherly thing you could have done. She needs you for more than milk Kara. I know you are upset but she is still your daughter and she will always need you."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Kara took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. It was just a shock. I'm just glad Lexie is okay, I'm glad I didn't inadvertently start a war with immortal Amazons because I mistakenly turned their princess to ash. That would not have been good for future relations."

"Yeah, probably not. But I bet they wouldn't have sent anymore princesses flying into our backyard." Barry guessed.

Kara bumped his shoulder and laughed, the Flash glad to see her not so depressed. Lexie cooed once so Kara began her nightly duty of singing her daughter to sleep.

"Oh Rao, what is that smell?"

Barry sniffed the air. "Smells like it is time for a diaper change. I fed her, you clean her." he told her happily.

"Barry… where is my bracelet? Has Harry made one yet? Oh Rao, has it always smelt that bad?"

"I guess the reliable super senses are back. Harry said it will take a few days to make another one. I guess since the smell is a bit stronger now I can take care of this one."

"No! No, I have this. I need to get used to…wow, if you could only smell what I smell. I really need another bracelet."

Kara took Lexie into the bathroom and lay her on the changing station. Opening the diaper the smell hit her even harder.

"I really should have let Daddy take this one, Lexie."

Lexie looked at her mother and smiled. Kara was certain if she was able to, her daughter would have laughed. She had her father's sense of humor.


	49. Chapter 49

Do not own CW or DC characters. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites and the reply nice and encouraging PMs I have received. You readers are the best. Just a note before we start this chapter. The trick that Barry pulls at the start of this chapter is something Barry Allen did once in the comics but Wally West became a master at when he took over as Flash. The trick he pulls at the end is also something Barry Allen has done in the comics, only a bit changed but one of the coolest things I ever read about the Flash doing. Its just a bit changed from the actual story. Enjoy.

Chapter 49

Even while fighting Savage, Kara had not hit him as hard as she could. The first strike had not been near the force she could throw and from that point it became a battle of Savage's staff versus her heat vision. Probably not the smartest strategy and one she would not employ today, but it had been the most power she had used since Myriad. She knew when she fought Astra, she had not hit her aunt as hard as she could. Kara should have hit her when she had her down during the battle that Astra let her win. Her aunt should not have had to throw the fight. Kara should have beaten her. She was younger, stronger, faster, but she wasn't as experienced. Despite her inexperience, Kara could have destroyed her aunt but her heart wasn't in it. During the battle in Fort Roz, She had lost the battle in the air, sent back to the ground hard, but won the battle of will with Non.

The last time she had hit someone as hard as she could had been Non the night Astra died, the night after Kara had woken up, feeling like she had lost her world again. She remembered that night as clearly as any night of her life.

She remembered being on top of Non and striking him over and over again, the fear in his eyes when he realized he could not beat her, that she was stronger, she was more fierce and she could beat him to death. Despite the despair and rage that she felt, Superwoman remembered how good it felt to hit someone with all the force she could generate, over and over again. She had not had the chance since then.

Not until this moment, high over the police bomb disposal site, in the air, facing an Amazon dressed in a red bodysuit who told Kara to give her best. Donna Troy claimed that while her skin was not impenetrable, her strength matched Kara's and her bones would not break. She wanted Superwoman to attack her with all the Kryptonian's power.

The poor child had no idea who she was talking to.

Donna Troy had come to the Justice League meeting dye before. They had all hung out, Zatanna and Thea showing her the town mostly, not because Kara didn't like the girl, she did, but because Lexie came first and Lexie was still a newborn who needed a lot of attention as she would be a toddler who would need a lot of attention and so on. Lexie would always need a lot of attention. Without Barry at home, being at work the last six days, Kara had worked double time, not realizing how much having him there had helped.

But today was training day. Today was the day Kara shook off the rust from her forced sabbatical from being a superhero. It was also the day the League would see for the first time, what Donna Troy was capable of. The Amazon Princess asked Kara to not hold back, and Superwoman would oblige.

The two floated over the crowd of heroes six hundred feet below. Little Lexie was wrapped in her nervous father's arms a half mile away and as if sensing the impending battle, her eyes were wide open and staring at the sky. Charlie was barking in Ray's arms as if wanting Kara to swoop down and grab him. He had never flown with her and wasn't sure how he felt about her being up so high.

"Have I told you how cute you are suited out, swaddling your baby?" Thea asked the Flash. Barry wasn't in the mood for teasing however. His eyes were looking back and forth between the two women hovering in the sky, watching nervously. It had been so long since Kara had flown he forgot how awe inspiring she looked above, cape flowing in the breeze behind her.

"Why hasn't Kara attacked yet?" Barry asked.

"What do you think the two of us did at archery practice, Barry? We didn't just talk about shooting arrows into tennis balls. Donna has heard stories from Diana, I am sure. She is expecting Kara to make the first move, probably a heat blast. Kara knows that Donna can be hurt with that but not defeated. She is waiting for Donna to make a move." Oliver explained.

"And if Donna doesn't?"

"She will. She is young and a warrior. It would hurt her pride to stand there, or float as the case may be, and wait for an attack. She will become impatient and attack."

As if hearing him from below, Donna had decided Kara Allen would not attack her first. In her trials she had always been attacked first. She could tell by her eyes, that Kara was assessing her. She was not frowning, or smiling, just watching with a stoic face, assessing the brunette. Remembering the power and heat of Kara's heat vision, Donna expected her to attack with a blast again, planning this time to deflect it, hopefully back at the Kryptonian, or at least dodge and attack her while she was engaged in the show of power.

Instead Kara made it clear to her. She was the Amazon, she was new and it was her move to prove herself.

Kara had guessed correctly. She read the Amazon's eyes and knew she would make the first move and it would be a show of power. Donna flew towards her at impressive speed, right fist raised to strike, way to soon. Kara floated, not moving and a second before Donna struck, Superwoman laid back, kicking her in the stomach as she flew by and swung at the spot Kara had been. The blonde simply laid back as if on a mattress and Donna's wind was knocked from her. Turning to find her opponent, trying to catch her breath and not grab her abdomen or show weakness, she was hit in the jaw, harder than she ever believed possible, the sound of thunder heard all over Central City. Her unbreakable jaw cracked, then a follow up into her already sore solar plexus bent Donna over. Feeling the blonde's hands on the back of her head, she tried to escape, only to find the grip was unbreakable and her head thrown straight down into a knee covered by a red boot. The blow to her forehead made her dizzy and her eyes closed.

Kara moved above while Donna's eyes were closed and took her in. It would be easy to land a blow to the back of her head, sending her crashing to the ground but she didn't. One blow to the jaw, a knee to the forehead and a strike to the forehead was all it took to have the Amazon at a disadvantage. Kara knew she was still a very strong opponent. She had not fought anyone in the sky for a long time, even before the pregnancy. She and Oliver had talked about the potential of using different martial arts strikes, and the ability to use distance and height with no little obstacle like gravity to maximize her potential.

Donna looked around in all directions, not finding her opponent and beginning to panic. She felt a bit frightened when she heard a whistle above her. Looking up she saw Kara shoot farther up into the sky at incredible speed. Not to be out done, Donna followed, hoping to catch her by the boot and throw her to the ground. This Superwoman obviously had much skill fighting in the air. Princess Diana had told her not to take the woman lightly.

Kara felt Donna coming behind her and slowed once she reach thousand feet. As she expected Donna reached for her foot. Kara flipped in the air, the Amazon shot past her, then stopped, watching the blonde fall towards the Earth. Donna flew down after her, for the first time, grabbing the lasso clipped to her belt and tossed it, planning to catch Kara's foot and pull her back up into one of her own strikes. Throwing the lasso with uncanny precision, she knew she had hit home, until the blonde stopped and stood up on air, grabbing the lasso with her hand. Not willing to give up the weapon Hera herself gave to her, Donna held on, hoping to win a game of tug of war.

It was a mistake. As strong as Donna Troy was, she was no match for a Kryptonian who could lift a million tons.

Kara pulled the girl down, hitting her in the jaw again, a boom heard easily ten miles away in Central City. Donna lost her grip on the lasso, and Kara carefully wrapped the falling rope around her hand and arm and shot back up to Donna's level. Tossing the rope towards the quickly angering Amazon, Kara took her in.

"Don't become angry. It has never helped me before unless I was locked in a battle of wills with an equal opponent. We are teammates. Use this to get better, not to be angry. Are you okay? Need time to heal anything? We aren't here to battle to the death."

Donna was surprised at the calm candor of the heroine and it calmed her somewhat.

"Don't worry about who is watching. Not one of them can hang with me in the air either. You are the first to have the guts to try. Why did you try to use her lasso to catch me from above?"

"To stop you, bring you back to me, so I could use my momentum to strike you as I pulled up."

"You are strong, but pulling me up would have taken power and momentum out of your strike. It would have been better to try it on my way up. You could have stopped me and continued to fly up, using your speed to hit me in the jaw. Cisco, how fast was she rising?"

"One hundred feet a second." he told her through the com.

"Impressive."

"You slowed down. How fast can you fly?" Donna asked, anger forgotten.

"Fast. I have a feeling I am faster than your Princess Diana. Probably stronger as well. I also know if I were to fight her now she would wipe the floor with me. I can only teach you what I have learned from my battles in the air. I have about two years experience. She has a lot more. So I am going to teach you what I know about the air and maybe the next time the two of us see her we can take her out together."

"Together? Two against one?"

'Something tells me she would still have the advantage. Even if she didn't, we assume she does."

"Two against one doesn't seem fair." Donna mused, thinking of the battles she had fought along side her sisters. Each would engage an opponent, defeat the opponent and move to the next.

"Fair? Fair goes out the window when you are fighting someone who wants to kill you. Fair doesn't stop someone from destroying a city or even ending a single life. Fair doesn't matter. Look below you. If one of us is attacked by an enemy, that enemy will be attacked by all of us at once. That is the strength of belonging to a team as you do now."

"I understand. So shall we go at it again?"

"Are you still angry?"

"Nope. I'm good. I haven't lost a battle in a while. My mother taught me and she is the greatest warrior in the history of this world."

"I have no doubt. I hope to meet her one day. I've never met royalty. So you can handle flying in rough wind?"

"Yes, I have…"

Before Donna could provide her bad weather flight qualifications, Kara twirled her arms, a trick she had learned from Barry, making a vortex. Donna was caught in it, and just like Carter Hall when Barry used it on him, Donna began twisting in the wind. Kara stopped and used her freeze breath, striking the Amazon in the front, effectively blinding her, forcing her to close her eyes to avoid her tear ducts freezing.

The cold wind stopped and Donna focused on Kara in front of her, and to the side, and then behind her, to the left.

"Its a speed mirage. Barry taught it to me. I'm not as fast as he is now, but to do this you don't have to be that fast, just fast enough. I can handle it barely. Which on of me isn't blurry?"

"You all are."

"Exactly." Kara struck out with her foot striking the woman in her chest, then grabbing an arm throwing her straight into the ground, where she made a small crater. Landing near her, Kara kept her distance but watched the girl slowly rise. No one could deny she was tough as nails.

"Use your heat vision and finish her." she heard Oliver whisper from a half mile away. Kara had to smile. He was more into this fight than she was. He seemed to have forgotten this was training. Of course thinking of how he and Nyssa trained it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"That tickled a bit, I admit. Am I fast enough to do that? The mirage?" Donna asked.

"Maybe. Barry did it when he was first learning a lot of tricks. He has gotten a lot faster. He could probably make dozens. The most I can do is four and that isn't easy and I can't do any on the ground. I'm faster in the air. Now we go to your strength. Ground fighting."

Kara unsnapped her cape and let it float to the ground. No sense giving her something extra to grab.

Donna was prepared, thinking of her opening move. Kara decided not to give her time to think. She shot her heat vision at the Amazon, who quickly blocked the beams and sent them back towards Kara, who dodged, just in time.

"Cisco, tell me Barry…"

"He has it. Alex has Lexie far away, and Carter and Ray are in front of them both. They aren't in the angle of attack, just as you instructed Momma."

Kara's worry for her daughter, stupid since she shouldn't have allowed her to come out in the first place, cost her. Donna hit the woman in the jaw, sending her flying back and rolling. Hopping to her feet, Donna attacked again, sweeping her legs. Instead of falling, Kara lay back a foot above the ground, kicking Donna and sending her back where she had been before. Kara took a knee and waited, head down. Hearing the brunette charging, Superwoman grab a chunk of dirt from the ground and tossed it into her face, the soil burying itself in her enemy's eyes. She followed up with a powerful swing to Donna's stomach, and elbow to the back of her head sending her down.

Surprisingly, Donna bent and came back up, an uppercut catching Kara under the chin, A side kick landed on her ear, whipping Kara around. Two arms were around her from behind, trying to choke her.

"Nice moves." Kara gasped out. Donna didn't respond, focusing on squeezing her arms in a vice around the blonde's neck.

"I'm sorry." Kara gasped, catching Donna by surprise.

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, this is the first time my daughter has seen me fight and she won't see me lose."

Superwoman, swung her head back, into Donna's already sore forehead, stomped on her foot, then flipped over, Donna landing on the ground first. Her choke hold loosened for a split second, allowing Kara to free her arm and swing a back elbow into the woman's face. Flipping over she grabbed the girl and tossed her into the air. Before the brunette landed, Kara struck her with a fist to the solar plexus, taking her wind. When Donna gained her bearing, she realized she was on her back, a fierce blonde sitting on top of her chest, pinning her to the ground and a fist raised that she had no doubt could crush her skull with the solid ground behind her.

"I think its probably time we called it a day. I have to feed Lexie in ten minutes. Barry is going to want to but it's my turn."

"You want me to yield?"

"No, because we aren't fighting, we are training. We are on the same side. You did good."

Kara stood up and offered a hand which Donna gratefully took, lifting her sore body out of the dirt.

"You are strong, you are fast and you have known battle." Donna admitted.

"Yeah and I made life a lot harder than it needed to be for myself. Oliver and Nyssa have taught me quite a bit. I threw dirt in your eyes. Do you know why?"

"Because fair goes out the window when you are fighting?"

"Spoken like Oliver Queen."

"I am embarrassed." Donna admitted. "I hoped for a better showing."

'I hit you with everything I had. No one on this Earth could survive that. No one except you. Never be embarrassed. Only be embarrassed when you quit. You didn't quit. There have been a lot of times I have been embarrassed. I fought a man twice who nearly killed me and my cousin had to save me. I was embarrassed and angry but I learned and the next time I met him, I defeated him. Alex and my friend J'onn figured out a way and told me how. Teamwork. Your people are at peace, correct?"

"How do you know?"

"Because your mother wants you to learn to fight in wars. Donna you are strong, tough, abnormally fast. You blocked my heat vision. Actually you anticipated it coming and raised your arms in the correct defense by following my eyes. You are a warrior and have nothing to be embarrassed about. Why don't you come to our place for dinner? I will have a job for you in about thirty minutes."

"A job?"

"Technically since it is your fault that my powers returned including my enhanced senses, you Princess Donna, will learn how to change a diaper. Princess Alexandra usually has business to take care of about thirty minutes after she eats. The smell is…I'm still getting used to it. So you can pick up some slack."

"I see. Princess Alexandra, huh? What kingdom does she rule?" Donna asked playfully.

"The kingdom of Central City and she has a League of the greatest heroes on Earth as her personal army. She even has you now."

"Then I shall be glad to learn this challenging task you call changing a diaper. I've never seen it done actually. No children were on the island. Speaking of, I have never really seen men before this journey. I have to say they are intriguing. The one with the scars, Oliver isn't it?"

"Taken. Taken by the woman you are going to need to get the ID and other documents you are going to need to live in this world. She is the scariest of all of us. Computers run the so called world of man and she is their queen."

"Oh, okay… Ray?"

"Go for it."

"Go for what? You mean…"

'I was talking about asking him out, not… yeah."

"Asking him out? I am a princess. I don't ask men out or anyone for that matter. Why are we walking so slowly?"

"Thought I would give you time for the swelling in your jaw to go down. How fast do you heal?"

"It depends. I can heal very fast if I need to but the process is intense and leaves me vunerable. During a fight it would leave me at a disadvantage. Normally, I prefer to not get injured. My bones are quite strong as you can tell, as am I, but I am not impenetrable as you are. An arrow is able to pierce my skin, not a feeling I enjoy. Luckily, I was making headway in choking you though."

"You were. With enough strength, though you wouldn't be able to break my strength, you could conceivably close my throat and cut off my air. It has been used against me before. I've learned to tuck my chin now. You were having a harder time because instead of pushing against my throat, you were having to push my jaw into my throat. Not easy to do."

"And how did you find this out?"

"Nyssa choked me out in the training room once. Once is all it takes to be motivated to learn techniques to stop it."

"She choked you… does she not like you?"

"Of course she does. It's practically impossible not to like me… okay, some people have tried to kill me before but I like to think if they got to know me they wouldn't have. Thats what I am going with."

Donna laughed, like every other person that knew Kars, enjoying being in the presence of such an upbeat and positive woman who hit harder than the gods of Olympus.

A couple hundred feet from the gathered crowd, Charlie ran at a dead sprint for his mother who lifted him in her arms. He licked her twenty or so times on the face then growled at Donna.

"Charlie! Be nice. Sorry, he is kinda protective. You should see him box. He is pretty fierce for his size. Come on boy, lets go feed Lexie before Daddy gets to."

Donna took an offered ice pack from Jax and gratefully put it on her jaw.

"I ain't seen anybody survive going up against her. You got heart, Donna Troy."

"Thank you." she told the man gratefully.

"Course she was taking it easy on you and could have beat you to a pulp but its all good. She can do that to any of us except Barry and if she could catch him she would beat him up too."

While Donna was accepting congratulations on surviving, Kara made a line for Barry who was preparing a bottle.

"Do not give her that. Have you checked the temperature?"

"Waiting on you." he admitted. "Did you have fun playing whack the Amazon?"

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready to train? I thought you all were playing capture the flag or something?"

"We are. Just thought I would feed Lexie…"

"My turn. Give me the formula and then give me my Princess."

Kara took the offered bottle and took the nipple off, using her heat vision to gently warm it. Checking the temperature on her forearm and satisfied, she took her daughter and began feeding the baby with a Kara sized appetite. Barry kissed both his ladies foreheads and took off.

"I can't believe how well you did out there for your first time being back in uniform." Alex told her. "I am so proud of you."

"I owe it all to you." Kara told her.

"I didn't do much. Sure I trained you back when you first started and we spar…"

"No, I mean if you hadn't started sleeping with Nyssa she probably never would have trained me as well. So thank you."

Kara could stop grinning, so Alex nodded her head. "Red sun room tomorrow. We will see what Nyssa has taught you."

"Not what she taught you, I am sure." Kara continued to goad. Alex walked off, a bit red faced. Motherhood had certainly made Kara more … open in her conversations with night before, after Alex had been granted the privilege of putting Lexie to bed, Kara relayed how now that she had her powers back she was horny and her bracelet wasn't ready. She asked Alex if she thought Barry could heal fast enough that it wouldn't mess up the mood. Alex's mood ruined, she left without another word, greatly disturbed.

"Look at those silly boys and girls playing, Lexie. One day you will be able to take them all out with a finger… oh, that looked like it hurt. Prince Khufu does like to hit Aunt Alex in the head with a mace. Oh look, Aunt Alex just shot him… I don't think that was a knock out bullet. Ouch. Zatanna is going to have some healing to do later. All the weapons she has on that suit and she always goes for the gun first. Seems like it would be breaking some ninja code of honor, don't you think?"

Kara watched Zatanna cause the ground under Oliver to turn to water, sending him splashing down. He popped a hand up that Thea shot, wrapping the wire and pulling him out by the arm. He rolled and fired a knockout arrow at Zatanna, who turned it to sand, but she was not quick enough to do the same to the second arrow that struck her in the chin, knocking her down hard.

Nyssa stood in front of one flag, staring across the field at the enemy's commander, Barry Allen who also watched her. She knew he was waiting to make his move, she knew it could be faster than even she could react to, so instead of her bow she lay a hand on the sword inside her robe, ready to flip it up and impale the man at the slightest opportunity. Kara of course used her X ray vision to see under Nyssa's robe the sword in her hand.

"Look Lexie, Aunt Nyssa is about to turn Daddy into shish kabob. That sounds so good right now. You are going to love it one day when you get teeth. I am going to learn to grill shish kabob. Yep, I'm going to learn to cook. No more takeout every night for us. Don't worry though because Daddy can heal from a sword shredding his internal organs, isn't that right Auntie Caitlin?"

"We can go with that if you want, Kara." Caitlin told her through the com, not sounding confident.

Alex and of all people Sara, worked impressively taking on Oliver and Thea. It seemed Nyssa got a sadistic thrill out of forcing them to work together. Alex was doing well against Oliver, until Thea broke off from Sara and twisted striking Alex in the helmet with a blow, distracting her long enough for Oliver to flip her to the ground. Sara landed a kick to Oliver's head, and Alex swiped Thea's feet, sending them both into a grappling match. Jax, distracted by watching Alex and Thea roll on the ground because he was a man, ignored the warning in his head, also known as his smarter half Martin Stein and took a concentrated laser beam to his back. Carter landed next to Zatanna, to protect their most powerful asset and hope she could heal the bullet wound in his shoulder. There would definitely be a new rule about using live rounds in training. The Alex Zorel rule had a nice sound to it. Kendra swooped from above striking at Carter with her talons, slicing through the skin on his chest, not for the first time.

"Stop trying to wake your girlfriend up and fight Prince Khufu. Or is your flesh wound too much for you to handle?"

"Flesh wound?! She shot me! Real bullet and all the blood that comes with it!"

"Ray, take the flag." Nyssa ordered. The Atom landed in front as Nyssa jumped off the make shift platform ran towards the gang war that was Alex Danvers and the Canary engaged with the Green Arrow and Speedy. The moment she moved, Barry moved. Ray could not see him move, only his eyes from across the field. They glowed, electricity brightly flashing and then he felt a blow to the midsection, sending him flying passed the flag, that Barry then held. Then the Flash felt it. Barry could feel all the movement on the field, even the movement above as Carter tried to fly while Kendra beat him, Jax's heat coming towards him, the motion of the fighters on the ground, even Zatanna getting groggily to her feet. He felt the motion like it was a thick liquid, one he could draw into himself. Attempting to do just that, all the combatants on the field were surprised to see themselves slowing down in their movements. Donna who watched from the sidelines while her head injuries healed noticed it and stood by Kara quickly.

"What is going on?" she asked, disturbed seeing everyone moving as if in slow motion, looking for a new enemy.

Kara watching the field with wide eyes had no idea. She suspected though.

"I think Barry is stealing the kinetic energy of the movement around him." she whispered.

"He can do that?"

"Yesterday he couldn't but today is a new day I suppose. A year ago he couldn't circle the globe. Now, it doesn't seem to be a problem. When I first met him I could fly at Mach 2 and he could run at Mach 5. Now he has broken any measurement of speed by human description. I am still flying at Mach 2."

"You are right Kara. The readings are unbelievable. He is getting stronger, his vibrations are getting even faster while the movement of everyone around him is slowing down. I think he is drawing the kinetic energy of those around him." Cisco agreed. "But you are wrong about one thing. On your way up you were flying a lot faster than Mach 2, closer to Mach 4 when you rose and that was in a short distance. We need to get a reading on you in the next couple days. I know you used to play around and the vortex wasn't a big deal for you but you shouldn't have been able to pull that speed mirage off as easily as you did. You used to look like a circle of made four perfect images today."

"I've been out of the field for a while Cisco and had a lot of power built up. I'm good, pay attention to Barry and make sure he doesn't burn up, please?"

"This is unbelievable." Harry muttered through the com quietly, probably from behind Cisco.

Barry turned and saw all had stopped fighting or even moving, watching him, flag in hand, a blur resembling bad TV reception. He moved towards Carter quicker than any could see, he was there one second, gone the next as if teleporting. Grabbing Carter's arm, he began vibrating the man with one hand on his shoulder while the other hand phased into Hawkman and pulled the bullet out. He stretched out with his power and rapidly healed Carter's arm. It happened so quickly Carter barely had time to say ow.

"Now that the bullet is out, you think you can take out your girlfriend? She is making you look bad, man." Barry asked him.

Carter winked and lifted into the sky again, this time healthy and right into a surprised Hawkwoman's body.

Barry appeared in front of a surprised Nyssa. She had grown used to Barry's red streak and lighting trail. Oliver had told her the streak gave a seconds warning as to where he planned to strike. Today there was no lightning trail, no sonic boom, no red streak. It truly appeared as if he were teleporting.

"I have the flag. Game over." he told her.

"You are getting faster and not just at running. Excellent job Barry."

"Thanks. I'm going to take my daughter and wife home and play host to the Amazon. Again in two days time? Our ground forces need to be on one team and air force on the other. Two days should give you enough time to figure out how to beat them, correct?" he asked her playfully.

"I knew how to beat them months ago. I look forward to the challenge, provided you do not steal anyone's speed."

"How did you do that, Barry ? I felt like I was swinging through molasses." Oliver told him.

"You've swung through molasses before?"

"Uh… what? No, of course not, but…"

"Then how would you know how it feels? I honestly don't know how I did it. I grabbed the flag but even with my back to you all I could feel the movement behind me. It was like the kinetic energy was a real thing and I could grab it and bring it to myself. All I know is I felt faster and you guys were moving slower. See you all in two days."

Barry once again seemed to teleport to Kara's side, surprising Donna, though she tried to hide it.

"He is getting very, very powerful." Sara mused. No one could disagree. "How would you even begin to figure out a way to defeat him Nyssa?"

"I couldn't. Oliver couldn't, I doubt even Kara could."

"Wow."

All seemed to agree with Sara's assessment so the training session broke up, all prepared to go home. Kara had Lexie and Charlie in their seats and sat between the two in the back, continuing to feed a still hungry baby, while Barry drove with Donna seated in the front passenger seat. A year ago someone of Donna Troy's beauty and other large attributes pressed under a skin tight bodysuit would have threatened Kara, made her jealous and insecure, but those days were long gone. Barry and her shared a soul now bound by vows and the physical manifestation of their love was the beautiful blonde next to her.

Once home, Lexie, on schedule, took care of nature's call. Donna apparently had quite a bit of super senses herself, as evidenced by the wrinkling of her nose.

"Barry, would you show Donna the perfect technique for changing a diaper?"

"Be glad to. Her changing station is in the nursery. If you would accompany me, Princess Donna?"

Kara considered starting dinner, or as the rest of humanity called it, putting a couple frozen pizzas in the oven and setting the temperature to 360. She was making progress though, she hadn't just ordered delivery. Superwoman was becoming more domestic by the day. Instead she decided to wait a bit even after the oven preheated and used her X ray vision to watch the Amazon and her husband.

Watching Donna's face when hit with Lexie's true superpower as the soiled diaper was taken off was hilarious, but Kara kept her cool. She had not had much of an easier time since her powers returned, though Martin and Harry assured her they were close to replicating the bracelet, it couldn't be soon enough. Holding her daughter, while she loved it, could be nerve wracking as a new mother, wanting to be sure not to hurt the little one. Having to control her strength was a huge challenge that frightened her but nothing would stop her from holding her daughter.

Kara's ability to play it cool was gone however when Lexie made her other talent known. Donna screamed, not loudly thankfully, while Lexie lay there and smiled, a habit she was quickly forming that Kara loved.

The Amazon walked out of the room, speechless for a moment.

"She…she…"

"Peed on you? Yeah, she does that. It doesn't happen often but yeah…it happens. Bathroom is third door down the hall on the left. Towels are in the cabinet. I'll bring you some jeans and one of my,,, probably should go with one of my sleeping tee shirts since you are a bit bigger than me in… yeah."

Donna walked out of the bathroom thirty minutes later to the smell of pizza, a food she quickly fell in love with and a sight that warmed her heart. Lexie lay on a blanket on the floor, while Charlie slept next to her. The baby was awake and Kara and Barry were both laid out next to the child, talking to her softly, telling her she was loved. Kara amazed her, a woman of such power being humble and loving at the same time. Barry also intrigued her, his love for the two females apparent in his eyes. He worshipped them. Donna wondered not for the first time, what her father would have been like. Zatanna and Thea had taught her much about this culture in a short time, but it seemed Princess Diana was right. Not all men were bad. The men of this League were loyal and brave, those that had partners were obviously loyal to them. Barry and Kara noted she had came back in the room.

"Princess Alexandra gives her sincere apology." the blonde told her with a smile. Donna laughed, despite the horror she felt at another living being's urine on her hands and the idea of changing a soiled garment.

"On behalf of myself and the great Amazon nation, I accept her gracious apology. Do I smell pizza?"

"Yep, home made pizza." Kara told her.

"Kara means she heated it up in our home. Go ahead and help yourself, you two. I'm going to keep Lexie and Charlie company."

"So where ddid you get your outfit, the red one?" Kara asked, while Donna sat on the couch and Barry and her ate on the floor next to Lexie who had drifted off to sleep for a few hours. She still hadn't slept through an entire night but the little wake up calls for food bothered neither of them.

"Princess Diana provided it for me. I wanted armor but she told me the reaction to armor was a bit unsettling to the inhabitants of this world. She said the form fitting suit would give me an advantage in battles against men and some women. It is a bit uncomfortable, the tightness anyway. We wore robes, gowns, and armor on my home. But the material does well in flight so I am grateful. I suppose the advantage over men is due to the simple fact that nearly every aspect of my body leaves little to the imagination. She told me red was one of the two favorite colors of the both of you. I admire your armor, Kara. It is form fitting, snug but not overly so and the technology in it is fascinating. Thea tells me you are blessed with your power by Apollo?"

"She said that? Apollo? Because I am pretty certain Thea doesn't know anything about Apollo." Kara pointed out.

"Fine, she said sun. The speech and deities of this world are difficult to get used to."

"Believe me, I know. Even after I learned English, I would still say Thank Rao, or use Rao whenever someone from this planet used God. Talk about awkward. One time Alex told a teacher I had a mild case of tourette syndrome when I said it. I didn't find it as amusing as she did."

"Was it difficult to blend in to this culture?"

"It was extremely difficult. It was like starting over, like everything I knew had been reset and nothing I knew prior mattered. To top it off I had these powers that I had to hide or I would attract a lot of unwanted attention. I hadn't realized I already had. Sometimes I wonder if I had used them, if I could have saved Jeremiah. Oh well, whats happened… has happened. But hey, at least you know English so you have a head start on me. I'm … we are going to put our princess in bed. Barry insists on being there every time. He likes to talk in monitor and then move in here to make sure he hears his own voice. Its ridiculous because I hear every beat of her heart and breath that she takes but men do ridiculous things. You will figure that out the first time you go to a bar."

"Thank you both, all of you, your League, have been so welcoming. This would be a very strange world and I probably would have flown back to Themyscira if I had been on my own. Its ridiculous because I was born here but… regardless you have all made this a smooth transition. I almost feel bad about the beating I will give you the next time we face each other in training."

"I look forward to it. There is no shame in being defeated by an Amazon Warrior."

"I am glad you understand…"

"But it's not going to happen. Positive thinking is good for you though, so keep it up." Kara finished with a wink.

One week later Kara opened her gallery officially. Only her family and friends were there while she cut the ribbon. She had graciously turned down Iris's offer for media coverage. Kara wanted this low key, feeling that the Kara Allen Art Gallery was an art gallery, not a nightclub. Her art had been moved, several paintings filled the floor on easels and hung on the walls, a few in the windows, a small desk with a register she hoped she would need and bright lights spotlighted the artwork. Ray had done much research on the aspects of lighting artwork and wired the lights himself, not trusting others to do it. He had even shrunk and ran a scanner over every inch of wire in the walls to make sure all were rated correctly and safe.

Kara's real excitement was the back of the gallery cut off from the view of the general public. Lexie had a bed, a playpen, a changing station, a soft rug to lay on with Lexie and Kara had an easel and her paints, ready to create. Charlie had his portable bed, balls and chew toys along with new food and water bowls and all was right in the would also keep her private artwork in the back. While Lexie slept and Barry worked reluctantly during the day, Kara had been painting a portrait off a photo she had taken of Barry asleep in bed, Lexie in his arms. She would be giving it to him on his birthday.

For now it remained covered, half finished. She had not expected any sales today. Kara had forbid family and friends from buying anything and made Nyssa swear not to call her art friends. She wanted to succeed or fail on her own. So instead of buying, Eliza and Alex walked around taking hundreds of pictures of Kara everywhere in the gallery to document the day. By 2 PM no one had come in to even browse but the Superhero was not concerned. She had a great day. Lexie had been in a good mood all day, she had painted quite a bit and fed and played with her daughter quite a bit as well. She had no radio, preferring to sing to her daughter and enjoyed herself.

At 3:30 a woman, slender in her fifties, obviously of money judging by the brand of shoes, clothing and her Gucci purse, walked in, asking rather loudly if anyone worked here. Kara walked out, after requesting Charlie that he stay put, with Lexie in her arms, feeding her daughter.

"Can I help you Ma'am?"

"Is the owner here?"

"That would be me. Is there a problem?"

'No, no problem." the woman answered, surprised at seeing a young mother owning a gallery such as this. "I wanted to know who painted the piece in the window, the one of what appears to be Central City from the sky. Which artist is that and where can I find him or her?"

"Uh, all these paintings are mine."

"Yours?"

"Yes ma'am. I only sell my own work here."

'How did you do it?" she asked, a bit awed.

'Uh, with oil paint and brushes?"

"No… the view from above, I have seen photographs taken from above by helicopters and planes but the view, the way you captured the essence of the scene, it is almost like being in the sky above it. It is beautiful."

"Oh… thanks. I just saw a photo once of the scene and thought it looked too generic. Too… cold, I suppose. I would imagine a scene from above, one a person would see with their own eyes and not through a camera lens would be more personal. It's not just the tops of buildings below but the people in them and on the street. The pets and even animals who sneak into the city, the old architecture clashing with the newer buildings, the children playing in the park, the essence of all the life that is below. I guess if I could fly that is what I would see. So I painted it."

"You are new at this. Not painting but selling your work, aren't you?" the lady asked. She had been around enough artists, young and starving and famous and accomplished to recognize the look of newness. The sight of this gallery was amazing. Most young artists did not have the money to pull something like this off, working instead on the streets of large cities.

"Yeah I guess I am. This is the first day I am open. Its been pretty quiet, just me and my daughter hanging out. You are the first person who has walked in."

"How much for the painting?"

"Oh! A thousand dollars?" Kara tried. The woman smirked.

"You are new. You should value your work more. I will give you $1500 if you can have it delivered this afternoon to this address. You could have gotten me to pay three." she told Kara with a smile. "You have a great eye. Your name?"

'Kara Allen."

"I assume you take credit cards?"

"Yeah, definitely, love those credit cards. It will be at your home by 4 today. Uh… you don't know a woman named Nyssa, do you?"

"No, is she another artist?"

"Just the martial kind. Okay let me put down my daughter for a moment..,"

Kara walked quickly to the back and pulled the half drank bottle from Lexie and lay her in her bassinet.

"Just for a minute okay?"

Lexie's cry was not the answer she hoped for. Putting the bottle aside she picked the newborn up and rushed back to the register.

"Its okay baby. We will get right back to your bottle. Momma is getting paid right now." she whispered. Charlie walked to the door looking into the gallery, keeping an eye on his two charges but stayed in the back. The woman didn't smell evil so he supposed that was good enough.

As the woman, named Emily Randall according to her credit card, walked out, Kara had a phone in one hand, Lexie in her other arms and was trying to hold a bottle with her chin so the baby could drink, stopping the crying. She definitely had Kara's temper when she was hungry.

"Barry?"

"Whats wrong?" he asked, not her favorite greeting but one she could understand.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. I sold a painting! $1500 dollars! Can you believe it? She doesn't know anyone who knows me. At least when I said Nyssa's name her heartbeat didn't pick up."

"Congratulations Kara. I knew you could do it but on your first day? You are amazing. Which one was it?"

"The one I painted of the city below."

"I love that one," Barry admitted. It wasn't just her ability to fly. His wife had a unique and beautiful way of looking at the world, even after all she had gone through. He remembered her on the balcony at Catco, feeling defeated, sad but still looking out over the city with such yearning it broke his heart. "I'm so happy for you. How is the princess doing?"

"She wasn't happy with me. I had to interrupt her feeding time to make the sale. Speaking of, I need to call Carter and see if he could slip away from his job of watching Ray to make sure he isn't watching Kendra, and make a delivery for me."

"Sorry you had to deal with that. It can't be easy trying to run a business and take care of Lexie."

"No…no its fine. She was great, we are great. Why would you say that Barry?"

"I didn't mean you couldn't take care of her. I just wish I was there to help. I could be."

"I don't want you running every time a customer walks in Barry. You have a job too. I got this. The three of us have had a great day together. Charlie played, I painted, I sang to Lexie when she was up. It has been a really great day."

"I'm glad Kara. Just don't be afraid to call me when you need me or just want me there. You two…"

"Three."

"You three," he corrected, "are more important to me than this job."

"I know, baby. Just relax and do some CSI stuff. I got this. A gallery is a much better place for a baby than a murder scene, right?" Kara laughed. Barry didn't.

"I'm proud of you, but you know that. I will see you as soon as I am done here."

"I love you. Are you okay? You sound off."

"I'm great. I just miss you and my little princess. See you soon."

Barry hung up the phone and waited for the fall out. He had placed the letter on the Chief's desk while he had been at lunch. He knew the Chief had meetings this afternoon so hoped he could get out for the day and talk to Kara tonight about his decision. He knew she would support him.

"Allen!" Singh's voice broke the silence of the lab in an abrupt manner.

"Yeah?" he asked, already knowing.

"Chief wants to talk to you and so do I. Now." Singh walked out, not waiting for him. Barry walked slowly, avoiding the eyes of the officers but Joe caught him with a confused look. Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"What did you do?" Alex whispered when he waked by. Barry stopped and saw she was playing Tetris. "The Chief yelled at Cap to bring you to his office immediately."

"I turned in my notice." he told his sister in law, catching Joe's attention. He said nothing though. He had noticed how Barry had been around the office. His son had been depressed, sullen, brooding, acting as if he took no enjoyment from anything. In other words he was acting like a less violent Oliver Queen.

"You are quitting?"

"Yep." he told her firmly.

"Does Kara know?"

"Nope. I'm going to tell her tonight. By the way, Kara sold her first painting. Expect an excited call. She is organizing a delivery but I'm sure you are first on the list after that. $1500, while holding a crying Lexie. She shouldn't have to do that. I can help."

"Help? Help or protect? Or are you just missing not being around them all day? I get that you can afford not to work Barry but…"

"Already made the decision, Alex."

"Okay then… you are still going to do my paperwork, right?"

Barry shook his head and walked away from a very worried Detective Zorel. She met Joe's eyes and saw he was worried as well. She could understand the feeling. Before Lexie, Barry loved his job, but since he had returned to work the light had left his eyes.

Walking into the Chief's office he saw the rather intimidating man across from the desk, Captain Singh sitting in front of it and next to an empty chair.

"Have a seat, Allen." the Chief ordered. Barry did as he was instructed. The Chief took his resignation letter and tore it up on front of the hero.

"Uh, sir you realize that just because you tore up the letter doesn't mean…"

"Zero." the Chief said, sitting back in his chair.

"What?"

"Zero. That is the number of your cases that have been thrown out because of mistakes in evidence collecting. 183. That is the number of convictions the cases you have worked have amounted to. Okay, 176 but the other 7 perps were killed and I have faith they would have been convicted. 72. That is the number of cases detectives had absolutely nothing to go on that have led to arrest directly due to evidence you found, evidence 90% of CSIs would miss. You are obviously great at your job, even before this Flash mess you were a hell of a CSI."

"I was an assistant and my boss threatened to fire me weekly."

"Thats just the way Gerald is. He threatened to fire me once and I'm his boss. He expected a lot of you because he knew you had a lot of potential and you have lived up to that. Gerald is retiring next year and superhero stuff aside you are in line for his spot because you are the best CSI we have. Even the other CSIs agree. You are respected here, you are liked here and I know you love the job. At least you did. Since you came back from leave everyone has noticed you haven't been yourself or even close. Talk to me, Allen."

"I… I have an opportunity… I… you know how demanding the lives Kara and I lead and we have a child now. I feel like I am torn in a lot of directions and I need to choose the most important ones. It seems I can do more good as a father and the Flash instead of trying to split my time in three directions."

"Uh huh. It hurt like hell the first time I had to leave my first born and come back to work. It must be really hard for you, knowing you don't have to do this."

"Its not just that. Kara has her business that opened today. She made her first sale while holding our crying daughter."

"What time did this happen?" Singh asked.

"She just called and told me."

"And you put the letter on my desk when I was at lunch." the Chief reminded him. "Lets try again. Somebody mentioned Kara may have blown a woman through her fence last week. Any meta problems we need to know about? Anybody after the two of you or all of you?"

"No sir. That was a misunderstanding. A woman, I'm sure you will see her soon, had asked to join our team and we didn't know she was coming. She isn't from around here. She flew into the backyard and Kara had Lexie in the playpen and… reacted."

"So she protected your daughter. Any more power outages?"

"No sir. She is stronger than ever."

"Then what is the problem?" Corrigan asked.

"What if it had been more than one, or someone who was an enemy?"

"It took you what, two seconds to get home? Maybe?" Singh guessed.

"Two seconds can mean the difference in life or death." Barry reminded him.

"Barry, I get it. You got a lot of pressure on you. A lot of heroes around this town now and I am betting you and Kara are leading them, right? Probably got the government, A.R.G.U.S. interested in you? Plus it hurts like hell knowing you aren't with them. Barry you have a gift that has nothing to do with being the Flash. You always have. That gift needs to be used. You aren't going to only be some guy who runs fast. Yeah, being the Flash is a big deal. My wife has a tee shirt with that damn lighting bolt on it. Don't get excited, she only wears it around the house on weekends when she is gardening. You have too much to offer the world to stop using all you have been blessed with."

Barry took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. He understood what the Chief was saying but the man could not understand…

"Your daughter, is she gonna be like Kara or you? Or both of you?"

"We don't know for sure what she is going to be able to do or when and thats another concern. I could have a two year old trying to control laser beams from her eyes or seeing people's skeletons. It isn't fair to put that on Kara alone. She has her dream and is living it. She is going to need help."

"So I'm going to go ahead and say she will control it, whatever it is, because Kara is pretty amazing and you have some pretty smart people helping you out. You think Lexie is only going to be a superhero? What if her Mom needs protecting? What if you do? Should she not have a life, a career, because its more important for her to always be ready to battle metas?"

"Chief, it isn't that. I'm not doing it because…"

"You are doing it because you are afraid for her. I imagine Prometheus wasn't the first time you have seen her in trouble. She took a beating from that guy with the wicked looking beard. Vicious or Savage or something right? You miss your daughter, you love your family and want to devote all your time to them. I can understand that. Let me ask you something. If there was another family, a mom and dad whose kid had been taken, maybe out of his or her own little bed, and police had no leads would you want to help?"

"Of course."

"How? By running around in circles around the city looking for hiding places the kid might be? Because in a situation like that I need Barry Allen forensic scientist, not the Flash. If someone is murdered, some poor innocent person, maybe a guy wanting to get home to see his own daughter are you going to run around looking for someone who looks guilty? Because I don't need that. I need the guy that can figure out how it was done and give Joe clues so he and his partner can catch the murdering bastard. Then I need the guy who can do Detective Zorel's paperwork so the case doesn't get thrown out of court. You are a hero Barry and not just as the Flash. Yeah, you get more attention in your red suit and the city will probably never recognize you for the work you do as Barry Allen, but we do and what you do here is important." Corrigan finished and took a deep breath.

"Take the week, talk to your wife before you make any decisions like this. Have you even talked to Kara about this?"

"No sir." Barry admitted.

"Finish the week, talk to your wife. Thats a big part of marriage when it comes to important decisions. If you still want to resign next week I won't stand in your way. Just do me a favor. During the week think about that kid who got taken and needs you to use your brain and figure out where he is. Think about that Mom or Dad that is never going to see their kid again and how important it is for that kid to know the killer didn't get away. Get out of here. Go take your wife and daughter someplace nice for dinner. Leave the mutt at home or wherever she takes the fur ball when you go out."

"She actually sneaks him in her purse and slips him food while we eat, violating several health department rules." Barry told the men, neither of them surprised.

"Congratulate her on her opening day from us and ask her to come around more. The cops here want to see that beautiful baby more. Talk to her Allen. You are too good to walk away from this."

Barry nodded his head and stood, taking a look at the Captain, then walked out. He picked up his bag from the lab, deciding he had enough for the day. He wanted to be with his family. That plan was cut shirt when his phone beeped, the code that let them all know to put coms in.

"Go ahead." Barry ordered.

"We have a problem. We don't, they do, so I guess…"

"Winn, calm down man, what is going on?"

"Plane is going down. Its being diverted to Central City airport but the pilots have lost control. Kara picked one of these up one time, Alex yelled at her later for it which wasn't very cool…"

"Winn! Focus please." Alex ordered.

"Yeah it's trying to head for the bay but it is pointing nearly straight down, trying to straighten out and not holding it. If it does manse to stay straightened up its going to crash into a bridge probably. At least that is the trajectory Harry has mapped out. Fire is en route and they are evacuating the bridge, but it doesn't look good. The plane is a 757 and moving. Cisco thinks if Kara just catches the thing it could rip apart when she grabs it."

"Kara, are you listening?" Alex asked.

"Yeah."

"Suit up. I'm on my way to babysit."

"O…okay." Kara sounded nervous, not something she was used to hearing from her sister. Alex sped through the streets, reaching the gallery in five minutes. Running in she figured her sister was in the back and was not disappointed. Kara was dressed out, except for the mask, baby in her arms and a panicked look on her face.

"You lifted a million ton space prison. This isn't the first plane you have caught. You have this, now go." Alex told her calmly. Kara handed Lexie over and turned away from her to put on the mask. She didn't want to frighten her.

Taking off out of the back of the Gallery, Kara was feeling a rush of adrenalin and nervousness. Despite what people thought, catching a plane was not easy for her. The weight and speed she could handle. She could not change the fact that two small hands gripping a plane with such power could rip it apart.

"Cisco, are you on?"

"Uncle Cisco is on the job. I'm looking at rate of decent and angle. Kara, you won't be able to fly up under it and lift it. The plane is too big and will break under the strain."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Donna is on her way, maybe the two of you could take front and back, but the force in the middle would cause the cabin to bend, if there was even one small crease then, the cabin could depressurize and people start falling out."

"Still not hearing a plan, Cisco."

"The best we can do is try to level it out from the front under the cockpit and try to straighten it as it hits the water. It is traveling at 400 miles an hour."

"Great. If I level it out from the front won't it break the back end, or bend the cockpit up?"

"Donna is going to have to gently push the back end down from above. If the two of you do this at the right angle gently the plane could survive a water landing. The bridge is evacuated and the plane is six miles away and moving fast. You might be able to avoid it all together if you can get enough lift with the right amount of force. Caitlin has your suit online and can easure the force you are putting out. Relax and let us guide you."

Kara was joined by Donna in the air, who was doing a decent job of keeping up. She is faster than she thinks she is, was Kara's first thought, her second surprisingly was I can go faster than I am. She was starting to think like Barry.

The plane came into view and Kara forgot how intimidating these things could look, flying giant metal cans moving at a speed one wouldn't expect from a hunk of metal. The engines looked fine but something was wrong. It really was dropping at a steep angle. Donna landed on the tail and gently for her, pressed down. The plane started to moan loudly as if in pain. Kara shot underneath the cockpit and lifted it easily but slowly. Once it was somewhat leveled out, she could hear metal buckling.

"Walk your hands back to the middle of the plane now Kara and keep it in the air but don't stop it or lift it. Donna hold onto the tail and try to provide some drag."

"This thing feels weird in my ear." Donna said randomly.

"Okay, Cisco what about the bridge? When can I lift it over the bridge? I can see it."

"Uh… start lifting the plane Kara. You are going to just have to move fast and hope it doesn't buckle. You have about fifteen seconds, so do your best."

"Do your best?! Really? Thats what you have for me?! Thats going to look great on the news Cisco. Superwoman destroys plane and kills all passengers before the crash can."

"Cisco this is the bridge Trajectory destroyed right? Its been rebuilt?" Barry asked.

"Yeah." Cisco answered, remembering now it was a suspension bridge and would cause even more damage. Kara had no choice but to lift it over.

"Kara, let it hit the bridge. Just guide it, you and Donna try to keep it leveled out front and middle and bring it in for a water landing. Forget about the bridge." Barry told his wife.

A year ago Kara would have asked if he were crazy. But after falling in love, being married, having a baby, she didn't question him. If he said fly through the bridge then she would do it. She would trust him.

"Is he mentally incompetent?"

Donna however did not have the same faith in him.

"Just do it." Kara used her vision and saw ahead. They had twenty seconds at the most. What she saw in the bridge chilled her to the core. Barry was in the middle, looking at them.

"Strongest point on the bridge Cisco. What is it?" The Flash asked.

"Get off the bridge…" Caitlin tried.

"What is it?" he asked again.

"One of the two middle columns, probably the right one facing the side the plane is about to destroy."

Barry moved, placing his hands on the column holding the wires together, gripping a piece of steel and vibrated. What he was going to try was nuts but so was running around the globe on mostly water.

Within seconds the bridge was vibrating. He almost lost it, almost destroyed it until he felt himself connect with the molecules of iron. Controlling the vibrational frequency, the bridge stopped trying to crumple, instead moving in time with the Flash in perfect rhythm. He matched the entire structure, himself, air, the cords holding the bridge up, all of it, matching the vibrations of the air around him. He saw the plane, saw Kara's wide eyes looking at him while holding up the plane, Donna Troy in back, trying push down the tail of the giant bird. He felt the solid structure go through and screamed at the effort to make this bridge phase. The plane was not going through the bridge, the bridge was phasing through the plane. He could see that Kara had not gone through any part of the phased metal but knew she wouldn't be hurt. The bridge was not a solid structure, just a bunch of excited atoms, neutrons and electrons.

The plane cleared. Somewhere in the back, Barry heard the roar of the water as it was disturbed by a large piece of pressurized metal invading it. He couldn't look right away. If he did, if he suddenly stopped vibrating the bridge would explode or worse disintegrate. Slowing his vibrations he kept his connection with the metal until he felt each strand of steel solidify, even the pavement below, returning to its natural state, the wires of the bridge holding on. After what felt like an eternity but was actually sixty seconds, Barry stopped and turned, looking for his wife. He found her quickly, golden hair slicked back, mask still on her face, drenched cape floating behind her and a brunette in red splashing water on her face while they both laughed. The harbor patrol was racing into the area of the crash landing and the two women rose out of the water, Kara shooting to Barry's side immediately followed by a soaking wet Amazon.

"That was so freaking cool!" Kara shouted, grabbing Barry and kissing him while bystanders on both sides along with the fire department applauded the three, all of them just witnessing a feet of strength, power and the impossible in Barry's case, by the heroes.

"That was so amazing1 When did you learn to do that?" Kara asked,

"I didn't. I just it was a theory. It worked out."

Kara felt her stomach churn at the thought that he had no surety that the trick would work but did it anyway. Still, she trusted him. Barry always finds a way.

"That was so awesome! What a day! I sold a painting, we saved a whole lot of lives, Donna dropped into the scene in a big way and you… so besides being the hero of Central City how has your day been? Anything interesting happen? Because my day has been phenomenal…"

"I quit my job." Barry casually told her. Kara's expression of happiness froze and slowly gave way to confusion and anger.

"You didn't think this was something we should talk about first? You just quit your job? You love your job Barry! Serously? We are married and you didn't think this was something we should talk about together?!"

"I should be flying off now. Zatanna wanted to take me to a club tonight and… yeah, have fun you two."

Donna launched into the sky, not wanting to be involved in a fight between lovers.

"I think we need to go back to the gallery and talk about this."

"But…"

"Right now!"

"Conversation is going to have to wait Kara." Oliver's voice broke into the com.

"No, it can't."

"Yes it can. Lyla is at S.T.A.R. Dig apparently led a team of A.R.G.U.S. agents into an area that they suspected was a possible location for this N.O.W.H.E.R.E. hoping to extract Fairchild or at least gather information. The agents are dead and Dig is missing."

"We are on our way." Kara took the com out of her ear. "This isn't over."

Barry dropped his head as Kara flew towards S.T.A.R. Dig was missing. Dig was his friend and could possibly be hurt or dead. This was a big concern.

Just as big as the verbal beating he had a feeling was coming his way.

At least he hoped it was only verbal.


	50. Chapter 50

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Thanks for all the reviews as always. Is anyone else watching these previews for the fall CW shows and getting excited? I know I am. Obviously this story has gone far away from any TV universe so nothing in the new seasons will affect it. I hope you stick with me even when the real pros take the stage. I think I am most excited for Miss Martian coming on Supergirl but I saw a pic of Barry and Jay Garric side by side and Kid Flash and have heard Jessie Wells is going to be a Speedster this year, plus the mega crossover. I am pretty pumped. On with the story.

Chapter 50

"What the hell happened?" a very irritated Kara asked, sitting at the head of the round table in S.T.A.R., with the rest of the JL present. "Because I wasn't aware of Dig being a leader of an A.R.G.U.S. task force."

Lyla was stressed, worried, tired and wondering if this was Kara Zor El or J'onn Jonzz.

"Johnny volunteered. We got a report of a meta in Thailand. A man who could control water, make it hard, make ice columns, make weapons, even freeze the moisture in the air. He wasn't shy about showing off his gifts. The local police tried to bring him in for questioning in an ice related murder. They found him in an abandoned apartment building, along with three others. One of those people must have controlled the police officers vision because they immediately thought they were outside. When they came too and realized they were in the same spot in the building, the man, identified later as Klaus Kristen, was dead, and there had obviously been a fight. We thought there was a possibility that N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had attempted to either take him or recruit him and he turned them down. We sent in a team to investigate and of course found nothing except an albino corpse, but our RAD detector picked up a type of radiation our scientists had never seen before. We followed the trail which ended in Vietnam. Johnny volunteered to lead the team of A.R.G.U.S. strike force agents, highly trained former special ops soldiers, to track the radiation and investigate the area it ended. We lost contact with the team. Thinking it was a possible communications error we sent a black team in to check. All the agents were dead and John was… missing."

"Why in the hell was he leading a strike force?" Kara asked, forcefully, surprising everyone at the table. "You are the head of the biggest black ops agency in the world and you really had no one but your husband to send, alone with a group of supposedly trained soldiers against a team of metahumans? He wouldn't have been able to volunteer if you hadn't told him about it!"

"Who else was I supposed to send?! He would have gone regardless!"

"Not if you hadn't told him about it! He could have called us! He is one of us! He went back to Star City to be with Sara but he is still one of us, not A.R.G.U.S. !"

"Someone had to do something!"

"And again, out of all the people you had you let your husband go with backup that couldn't possibly take down the metas we have fought! What the hell were you thinking?"

"Kara, calm down." Alex suggested.

"I am calm. Answer the question Lyla, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking if he had a mission he wouldn't be patrolling the streets of Star City at night alone. Remember your lair, Oliver? Your million dollar lair that Palmer Tech paid for?"

"I did?" Ray asked, surprised, but was waved off by Felicity.

"What about it?" Oliver asked.

"It seemed a shame to leave it there unused. At least that is what John felt. I tried to get him to stop but he wouldn't. He felt someone needed to save the city."

"The damn city has been saved and threatened and saved a hundred times over. Since when did Oliver become its personal police force?" Kara asked. "He didn't ask Dig to go out on his own."

"No, he wouldn't because he knew Oliver wouldn't leave you!"

"If you even think of blaming Oliver for your screw up, so help me you will wish I was J'onn Jonzz." Kara threatened. Lyla looked away from the intimidating stare of the woman before her. Motherhood had definitely changed her from the sweet, awkward bride she had last seen at the wedding.

"I'm not. Someone had to do something and he volunteered. Considering what he and Oliver have faced and defeated before he was the most qualified."

"We were the most qualified." the blonde countered

"And what have you done? What have any of you done? You stay around Central City and train. Train for what?"

"Exactly. Everyone in the world knows we can be anywhere instantly and because of that you haven't had to deal with anything or anyone threatening the planet." Kara reminded her. "We train to get better but you know that. You spy on us and don't deny it. Our satellites are always in contact with us so we can have real time monitoring of our strengths, weaknesses and enemies. I asked Cisco to take a look around one day. An A.R.G.U.S. satellite was orbiting near ours, trying to hack into our feed. Felicity blocked it and I let it go because it was done, but that satellite hasn't moved, it has continued to watch us, only from above instead of hacking into our feed."

Lyla turned red quickly but shrugged it off. "What do you expect us to do?"

"Stay the hell out of our way and maybe send a Christmas card thanking us for making the rest of the bastards who want to see this world destroyed or remade too afraid to act." Kara suggested. "You should have came to us first. I told you if you needed help getting Fairchild out we would help. Fairchild had a chance and she told us no so we backed off. Barry and I made that call."

"I can understand with your child…"

"Never…ever… say a word about my child." Kara warned.

"Lyla," Barry interrupted, hoping to take over and calm the situation. Kara had been on edge since the bridge and she was close to going over the edge with the mention of their daughter, "I think what we are trying to understand is why Dig went in without a qualified back up team when he knew he could call us."

"You said it was an A.R.G.U.S. matter, Barry. Those men were qualified. They are the…"

"They are jokes. Digger Harkness would have killed you and everyone in the A.R.G.U. if Roy and I hadn't shown up. If Barry hadn't arrived I doubt we would have made it." Oliver admitted, worried about Dig but also wondering why Lyla would allow something like this to happen and not liking the conclusion he was leading to.

"Look, I need to go. I have to find my husband. I came here for help not an interrogation."

"Sit down. Your husband will be here shortly, hopefully unharmed." Kara told her. Lyla did as she was told and the rest of the League sat quietly, except for Zatanna who Lyla had just noticed wasn't present. The click of her heels walking on the S.T.A.R. lab floors was distinctive. She walked in and Lyla noted the usual smile on her face the few times she had seen the woman was gone.

"Can you do it?" Kara asked, cutting to the chase.

"I'm a bit hurt that you would even ask that. I didn't ask you if you could catch that plane this afternoon, did I?"

"I had help." Kara told her. "If not for Barry and Donna they would be fishing bodies out of the canal right now. So I guess you can?"

"Yes… but I hit a snag. I tried but was shot back by the dark energy."

"Dark energy?" Donna asked. The Amazon had learned of this. Hades was a being of dark energy. "There is a psychic vampire we are going to face? Because I can handle that. Totally in my house, right Thea?"

"Wheel house Donna, but not bad." Thea admitted. Donna spoke excellent English but the slang terms were still a work in progress.

"Who are you?" Lyla asked the woman in red with damp hair, who obviously helped Kara catch a plane of all things.

"No one you need to worry about. Are you here to get Dig back or conduct surveillance?" Kara asked. Despite Lyla never having done anything to her, she felt on edge. Before she didn't mind the woman, but she did represent the government. It seemed she allowed her husband to conduct a task surely she had employees to take care of and a large part of Kara wondered if she had done so, knowing if Dig got in trouble the Justice League would help and not counting on him actually being taken.

Barry was surprised by Kara's reaction, but had the same thoughts. Dig had said nothing before going and knew they would help him. Was Dig trying to keep the JL out of this and Lyla hoped to use his connection to bring them in? It seemed cold and not in character with what he knew about Lyla but being the head of an agency like A.R.G.U.S. can change a person, just like being a father had fundamentally changed him and being a mother made Kara much less willing to give the benefit of the doubt when it came to A.R.G.U.S.

"My apologies. I didn't realize I wasn't allowed introductions. If you cannot help get my husband back…"

"We will get Dig back, Lyla." Oliver told her, watching her closely. She had always been adamant about Dig staying out of operations until she absolutely needed Team Arrow. Now it seemed she had no problem sending him after an unknown radiation signature leading to a band of metahumans with soldiers she knew couldn't help.

"I need something that belonged to him, a physical link. He is not connected to the dark energy but it is interfering, clouding the area. Although not completely mystic in nature it does disrupt the natural order of things as it were. This is most likely emitting from the creature we encountered in Antarctica."

"We?" Ray asked to make sure. Zatanna stuck out her tongue at him but let it go.

"I have his ring." Lyla offered, pulling it out from her shirt where it hung from a necklace.

"He gave you a piece of jewelry before going on a dangerous mission he knew he may not survive. I've had that happen to me. Not cool…"

"Alex, we talked about this." Kara told her, remembering that particular conversation. The two had carried on their heart to hearts, however after Kara became pregnant and couldn't drink alcohol and Alex still could and did, the conversations became much less fun for her.

"My bad." Alex told her with a wink. "Just remember Cait, if she ever tries to give you a necklace to hold onto until she gets back, tackle her." Caitlin rolled her eyes in good humor and stood.

"I think I will go pry Lexie out of Eliza'a hands so she can finish getting whatever medical equipment we might need."

Zatanna took the offered ring and placed it on the table.

"What is she doing?" a nervous Lyla asked.

"Hopefully bringing Dig here without being possessed or having a soul sucking vampire attached to him." Kara mumbled, wanting to fly away. She loved Zatanna but the stuff she did still freaked her out. "Donna, Diana didn't seem to think your lasso was the same as hers. Can it handle this thing?"

"One way to find out." Donna pointed out.

"Not the reassurance I was looking for but I guess we hope for the best."

"Stirps raeh em, gnirb eht renwo fo siht grnir, nhoj elggid otni ruo ecneserp won!" Zatanna yelled, a bright blaze of purple light engulfing her hands and reaching for the ring, levitating it in the air.

Unlike most of her spells, nothing other than the light show occurred. Dig was not instantly brought back and the strain on Zatanna's face showed, as if she were physically pulling the man back from wherever he was. As badly as Kara wanted the man who took a bullet for her and risked his life to get Jeremiah back, they would find another way if this hurt Zatanna. She would leave her daughter for a few hours and bust down the gates of hell, let Barry run in and out and Diggle would be free, with no one harmed.

Before Kara could tell her to stop, Zatanna raised her hands, causing the the lights above to go out. Charlie ran in, took one look and ran out, his bravery only going so far. The room fell into darkness except the purple light over the table. A flare of bright yellow light lit up the room and where the ring was, it was now on the finger of a large man, they all sort of recognized as John Diggle. He had been beaten badly and his eyes were swollen.

Zatanna collapsed, Ray catching her before she hit the floor. Cisco quickly ran to the emergency lights and reset the breakers. The normal lights came on and all gasped at the sight of their friend lying on the table. Not only was his face beaten and swollen, he had gashes over his chest and a swollen wrist that appeared to be broken, plus most likely other injuries they would need Kara to find.

"Caitlin!" Kara yelled. Eliza came in, Caitlin behind her with Lexie in her arms. Barry moved quickly, taking Lexie out of Caitlin's arms and she aided Eliza and Jeremiah who had rushed in, checking over the man. Carter wheeled a stretcher from the med bay and he and Oliver helped move Dig over. Felicity and Thea, in shock from seeing their friend beaten so badly, stood there with wide eyes, both wondering if he had been stabbed or worse if they were going to see a repeat of Laurel's death.

The medical team moved quickly, Jeremiah calling Henry at home, Oliver and Lyla following while the rest stood still.

"It appears Caitlin Fairchild has made an enemy today, one with a long memory." Nyssa said quietly, but all heard and understood. Kara and Alex met her eyes and agreed. One of theirs had been hit. Where before they had been content to not start fights with Fairchild because one, it appeared she did not want help and two, none wanted a battle with Kara in a vulnerable position, that stance was finished.

"We have to take them out." Sara told the group, anger barely concealed in her voice. John Diggle was a friend of hers as well.

"Yes we do." Alex agreed.

"We don't know exactly what we are dealing with. We have seen certain metas, believe Fairchild wants to take them out from the inside, probably has friends or at least recruits who want the same but we really have no idea. Until Dig is able to tell us what he saw we aren't doing anything. Right now we have no idea how many metas there are, what their powers are, who is friendly and who isn't, how to combat dark energy that is obviously emitting a strange signature, or even who this Leash is that seems to be their personal transportation. Is Leash a meta or a magician like Zatanna? Until we have more information we aren't going to do anything. Do we understand?" Barry asked, stressing the we to make sure everyone understood.

"If Lyla will give me the readings her team picked up I can start analyzing the dark energy, if that is what it is, immediately Barry." Martin offered. Barry nodded his head. Lyla would give them what they needed or Felicity would take it.

"And as long as we are talking about we, we need to figure out why Dig is alive when the rest are dead. What did they want him alive for? Information about A.R.G.U.S.? He has obviously been tortured. Or information about us? Dig wouldn't break, I know him, but it would give us a clue who they are more interested in and if its A.R.G.U.S. we could use that to our advantage." Kara pointed out.

Nyssa said nothing, approving the new parents thought process. A year ago, Barry and Kara would have been suited up, flying and running to Vietnam to take on the world. They had grown and were getting better every day. She suspected parenthood had helped them as well. They could no longer afford to be rash and reckless and this was what kept Barry from acting out, despite becoming more powerful everyday. The two took nothing for granted.

"I need to speak to Zatanna when she is feeling well. You as well Donna. You obviously have history with these psychic vampires like the one we saw in the frozen hell Oliver dragged us to. Is Zatana okay?" Nyssa asked.

"I have experience. I have fought Hades myself. He is much the same I suspect." Donna told the team.

"Hades? Like god of death Hades? This gets better and better." Kara mused. At this rate she would be wearing garlic around her super neck. Holy water was also a possible item to carry in her purse.

"Sugar water." Ray answered, walking back in. "She is resting. Whatever that is around the place he was kept is some bad mojo. Usually when she strains herself, she takes a few minutes, maybe an hour to recover. She is wiped right now though."

"Does she need a doctor?" Superwoman asked concerned about her unlikely good friend. Despite Zatanna scaring the hell out of her she loved the woman.

"Nah, just a good nights sleep. I'll take her home."

"Home?" Kara asked, eyebrow raised.

"Not like that, Kara. She has been at my town home for over year. Its more her home than mine. Now Donna is going to be there. It's not like any of my stuff is there, everything I have is at mine and Jax's apartment."

"Wait, you and Jax have an apartment? What… what does Jax do? Does he have a job?" Kara asked, never realizing the two lived together. She assumed Jax had a job but he never talked about it and if Ray wasn't sleeping here in his lab he was at Palmer Tech working.

"He's Firestorm." Ray told her, as if that explained everything.

"He's Firestorm?" Barry repeated. "We know he is Firestorm but what does he do?"

"He's Firestorm. I pay him to be Firestorm." Ray explained, as if it should be obvious.

"You never paid me to be Superwoman." Kara reminded him.

"You were hardly ever there and when you were you didn't have much to do. What did you think I was paying you for?"

"Oh… but I was…"

"You hated that job. I diverted most of the work to Star City so you could spend most your time being Superwoman and you had a place to hang out."

"I was good at my job!"

"You hated that job, Kara! You spent most of the time in costume hanging out with cops eating donuts. You actually went on a ride along with the tubby one. Something was said about Crullers?"

"Oh… yeah. Ted loves Crullers as much as I do. But he isn't tubby, he is just big boned and sensitive about it! Besides that was a quiet day. Do you realize how many dumb comments I had to save you from?"

"And I appreciate it but you are better at art. I knew you didn't love the job, so don't act surprised. C'mon, lighten up. If it makes you feel better I've been paying Zatanna to be Zatanna, Carter to do absolutely nothing but hang around Kendra all day and I'll be paying Donna to be Wonder Girl."

"Wonder what?" Barry asked, thinking thats not going to go down well.

"Well we have seen what Wonder Woman looks like and Donna could be… I mean I wouldn't mind if she copied the armor look but c'mon, she is what 19? 20? Its Wonder Girl. Cisco already approved it."

Kara shook her head. "Ray, you do realize that she can rip you apart, literally, right?"

Ray shrugged his shoulders. "You'll protect me."

"You said I sucked at my job. You are on your own. I need to check on Dig."

Barry and Ray stood alone, Ray's mouth agape. "She's kidding right?"

"She takes pride in her work, man. If it makes you feel better I'm probably going to be sleeping on the couch if I am let in at all, so relax. By the time she is done with me she won't remember anything said here."

Ray chuckled, not imagining what could cause the golden couple to argue. "What did you do? Make some life changing decision and not talk to her about it first? That seems more like something Oliver would do." Ray stopped laughing when Barry paled and pulled at his collar, impressive since he was wearing a tee shirt, and walked off quickly, but not bothering to run. He thought the man was shaking if he didn't know better.

"I need to check on Dig and get Lexie. It's my turn to feed her… if I'm still allowed. I may be relegated to diaper duty only." he told the Atom on his way out.

Barry walked in and found the old Team Arrow, what was left of Team Arrow he supposed, sitting around an unconscious Dig on a bed. There really were no more teams. No Team Arrow or Team Flash or Team Superflash. There was just the Justice League and that was better, larger, stronger. Barry had a bad feeling every one of them would be needed before this N.O.W.H.E.R.E business was finished. Lyla was pacing by the side of the bed, looking spent and Kara stood at the foot with Caitlin, the two talking quietly.

Barry walked up behind her and to his relief she didn't jerk away when he slipped an arm around her. Eliza walked in holding her granddaughter and speaking baby talk, because both grandmother and mother had read an article highlighting the positives. Apparently babies are trying to communicate and by imitating sounds and gesture… Barry honestly couldn't remember. He just knew when he saw his daughter's face it was impossible not to coo at her.

"How is he, Caitlin?" the Flash whispered.

"Kara's vision is better than an X ray machine. Internal organs are fine, but four ribs are broken, he has a hairline fracture of the skull, his wrist is broken and his femur is cracked, but no bleeding so the bone held. He is going to need pins until it heals and a cast to make sure no further damage happens to the bone. Henry is on his way now but I suspect it is going to be a long healing process. Unless you or Zatanna?" Caitlin whispered back.

"Lyla, tommorrow when Zatanna is feeling better…" Barry started to offer.

"No magic. I think we both had enough of that with Damian Darhk and Lazarus pits and totems, to last a life time. He will heal. I'll make sure of it." she told Barry, still a bit annoyed at Kara and by extension the whole League's suspicions of her. It seemed if Kara told them the sky was pink and the ocean was red, they would slaughter anyone who disagreed with her.

"If it wasn't for magic he would still be a prisoner, but whatever. I can heal him." Barry offered. "I've done it before. Carter was shot two days ago and I got the bullet out and healed the wound in two seconds. Maybe less." The Flash also remembered he needed to have a talk with his sister in law about not actually shooting people with real bullets in training scenarios.

"You can…" Lyla shook her head. "I appreciate you all for getting him back but… I won't risk him again. He will heal and I will make sure of it. Thank you though for the offer. I need to call Sara's sitter and A.R.G.U.S. to let them know he has been recovered. We had search teams combing the area. They need to back off obviously. It's apparent that we can't handle this."

Lyla walked outside of S.T.A.R. calling Sara's sitter first to make sure she was fine. Her little girl was getting big and getting to an age when she knew something was wrong. Daddy wasn't home like he usually was and neither was Mommy. She needed reassurance. Once the two calls had been made, Lyla took a breath and tried to think and depressurize. She honestly didn't know what to do at this point. Should she continue to go after whatever organization this was, ask Barry to take over or try once again to get the two organizations to work together. Judging by the look on Oliver's face and Kara's response she doubted that was possible.

"We can handle it from here. Take care of your husband. He is one of us and he was attacked. It will be dealt with. Call your dogs off."

Lyla Diggle turned around and nearly jumped back. A fully suited Valkyrie, armed with numerous weapons, two of which she recognized as once belonging to Laurel strapped across her back, stood in front of her, the visor of her helmet covering her eyes. Lyla took in the gloves noting the raised lines going across the fingers and had an idea of what they could do.

"Any reason you are wearing your visor in the dark?"

"We just recovered a team member who was taken by an enemy force. We have no way of knowing if he can be tracked. I am searching the sky and ground with infrared, Ray is searching the other side, and Kendra and Carter are in the air. Felicity is with Martin and Harry trying to get a bead on this dark energy trail and Jax is staying by Zatanna. Donna is waiting for something or someone to beat up."

"I see. A new member not even Dig knew about. Of course he hasn't been around much. I suppose you are the new enforcer of the team."

"Dig was never our enforcer. He is a teammate. One we thought was enjoying time with his daughter, not doing your job." Alex told her.

"He wasn't doing my job. So where is your girlfriend?"

"Fiancee actually. Knowing her, she probably has an arrow aimed at you."

"You and your sister, you two really don't trust the Government do you? You are both smart so I am sure you understand this is a different universe right? Or has your Martian friend convinced you we are all bad?"

"My Martian friend…no, I tend to have a bad habit of thinking for myself. I've been conducting a little project of my own this year. My friend Winn and I have. We have been searching for General Wade Eiling. He has been off on some wild goose chase trying to find a telepathic gorilla that he will never find. Want to know what I found out?"

"The US Government has nothing to do with him. He was dishonorably discharged."

"Yeah, but he was never charged with his involvement in the death of Bette Souci, nor the attack on Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, both sanctioned by the US Government. You say he was discharged but do you know the man? I feel like I do because we found him. Winn found him but I kept pretty detailed records. For a disgraced Army General he is still traveling with a team of soldiers. The last hotel… hotel not motel… video we had showed him entering with 14 soldiers who facial recognition found no match to. Interesting isn't it? What is even more interesting is how he is paying for these hotels, food and gas for his Government issued Hummers. Credit cards, which after a few false trails lead directly to slush funds set aside by the CIA for black ops projects. He is being funded by the Government. The Government you swear we can trust is paying this lunatic. The only reason he can't come after us or any agency can for that matter is because they all know, the President, the Joint Chiefs, the CIA, all of them know that they cannot beat us. Detroit showed the world that not only can we be in two places at once, fight and win two battles at once, we can be anywhere in the world in seconds and I would bet there is a whole division of scientists trying to figure out how my sister was in two different places at the same time. Unless you told them, which you wouldn't because we can trust you, right?"

"I've told them nothing. Kara and I have an agreement. The League helps me if I need it and I keep people like that off of the League."

"Kara made an agreement to consider coming to your agency's aide if you felt it was something you couldn't handle as a favor to you, truthfully as a favor to Dig, so you wouldn't be hurt. But you didn't come to us first, making me suspicious about why? Why would you send a team of agents led by your husband after a team of very powerful metas?"

"I suppose you have a theory Agent Zorel or whatever your name was back in your universe."

"This is my universe. Theory? Maybe. Maybe I don't have the history the others have with you so I see more clearly. Maybe I think that you were hoping if there was trouble, John would call Oliver who would of course come and since Barry and Kara follow him and the rest of the League follows them you would have what you wanted. I don't think you set up your husband to be hurt Lyla. I can see you love him, I know you do. But I do think that sending him, even letting him know what was happening in the first place, may have given you a hope that we would get involved. All he had to do was ask."

"You don't get it, you know nothing."

"I know my sister was gunned down by people we both trusted. I know I am more paranoid than Oliver Queen when it comes to her and my niece's safety. I know that everyone in that building will kill for them and I know that Barry Allen can take apart the whole US military in ten minutes and that may be too slow an estimate. By take apart, I mean disassemble every tank, vehicle, ship and jet in the armed forces. I don't mind telling you how much more powerful Barry has gotten because I know you and no one else can stop him. No one can stop my sister in this universe and Donna Troy went toe to toe with her in the air and survived. Donna has some pretty powerful family members too. Don't bother looking up her history since you know her name. You won't find one. What you all should do, from whoever is pulling EIling's strings to the world leaders, is get on your knees and thank whatever God you pray to that we are trying to help the world and not take it over."

"Point taken Victory or Valkyrie, whatever pet name you have been given by Cisco. I need to get back to my husband."

"By all means Harbinger, don't let me stop you." Alex stepped aside and Lyla walked past then froze.

"What did you call me?"

"Harbinger. Isn't that the pet name A.R.G.U.S. gave you?"

"Oliver told you?"

"Nope. I told you I am more paranoid than Oliver. I trust my teammates and family. They are all I can afford to trust. I live everyday with a fear in the back of my mind. A fear that my sister and now my niece will be attacked, that someone will try to hurt them and actually succeed, someone will try and hold a loved one over her head, that someone is going to make a mistake, an arrogant mistake, and start a war they cannot win that will cost innocent soldiers their lives. I've made it my business to know everything about you. Next time you need help, ask, don't try to manipulate. We aren't stupid. Kara gives everyone the benefit of the doubt and even she knows what you did."

Lyla shook her head and walked inside, trying to control her strides and not appear to be rushing, knowing there were winged people above her and even worse an assassin who she had an iffy working relationship with, aiming an arrow at her head. She didn't want John to be healed by Barry or any magician, she just wanted to get them both out of here. Before that though she needed to have a talk with Oliver Queen. Oliver had enough sense to know she was different, that they had worked together and she was not Amanda Waller. She would not turn into that.

But a nagging part in the back of her mind had thought that John would find a lead and call Oliver. He always did. With Oliver would come Thea, Sara, Kara and Barry, which would bring Alex and by extension Nyssa. She never expected the team to be hit as soon as they were. John had promised he would call for help if anything looked dangerous. Instead they were ambushed before he got the chance and that was on her.

Her chance to explain the situation to Oliver was thwarted though. Like everyone else he was enraptured by the blonde he had an arm around, who golden locks lay on his shoulder while they watched John sleep. For once though it wasn't Felicity that had him enraptured, it was his adopted sister apparently, Kara.

Kara heard Lyla near of course but paid no mind. Oliver was upset and she knew between her and Barry, she could probably make him feel better.

"He is going to be okay. I checked him over well. Nothing life threatening. He could be healed in minutes if Lyla would let Barry handle it."

"I know. Lyla… I don't think this went the way she expected. She wanted him to call me and he should have. I could have handled it. Instead Lyla…"

"I know."

"I know you do. I guess what I told Shado was right."

"What was that?" Kara asked. Her and Oliver knew all about each other's nightmares. He had Shado and she had her mother.

"John would go out, whether I was there or not."

Kara nodded her head, understanding. She had spent at least an hour or two with Oliver everyday during her pregnancy and while he worked to make her pretty decent with a bow, they talked a lot. They talked strategy and battles lost, heartbreak and moving on. They talked a lot about the ghosts in their own minds. They were each other's therapists.

"Do you want to go back to Star City? You don't have to stay here because of us."

"I know I don't, and no, I don't want to go back. Too many bad memories there. I have done what I can, sometimes I won, sometimes I lost but I can't do it anymore. I feel better here, being a part of something better. I like it here. Besides, how am I going to be a Godfather if my Goddaughter is 600 miles away?"

"Godfather?"

"Yeah protector, whatever. I prefer Godfather. I am a member of the Russian Mafia."

"You probably aren't. You would make a horrible organized crime leader anyway. Despite your best intentions you are way too noble. I'm just saying I know despite the memories, you do love the city."

"And we will be there, all of us, if we are needed. We promised each other, Kara. You wouldn't go back to Krypton when things got rough and I wouldn't go back to the Island. Star City is just an extension of the Island. Had any bad dreams lately?"

"Nope. You?"

"No, I actually haven't. Its been… nice. So what are you going to do about Barry? He kind of shattered the Oliver principle."

"You are never going to let me live that down are you?"

"Probably not. You are mad he didn't talk to you first, right?"

"Yeah, but it will be fine. I think I know why, and why he… I know him. We just need to talk and things have been stressed lately. A good stress, but we are still trying to lean everything about being parents, and Barry loves so much, I suppose I never gave it any thought about how he would feel being away from her. It would kill me if I didn't have her with me."

"Yeah, you can go a bit overboard on shows of affection, yourself. I couldn't see you ever leaving her to go to work."

"I do not go overboard."

"You sneak your dog into restaurants so he won't feel left out and you find the term doggy bag offensive."

"I… may go overboard." Kara admitted.

"I know, its one of the things I love about you. Look, neither you or Barry are going to try and destroy a poverty stricken area of the city so it can be rebuilt to your liking. You are already a hundred times better parents than mine were."

"You are going to have to get over that one day." Kara reminded him… again.

"Already over it. I was being funny… about mass homicide my parents were involved in. Yeah, probably not the best joke."

Kara wrinkled her nose, Oliver recognizing it. Lexie needed her diaper changed

"You hear every heartbeat she has no matter where she is in the lab, don't you?"

"Of course. I can even recognize the heartbeats of those around her. Eliza is holding her now, but Barry is near. She needs a diaper change. I need to get there. She has the prettiest smile after she poops. If you take longer than five minutes to change her she cries but before that she actually smiles like she knows you have to do it and is enjoying every minute of it. She has a little Aunt Alex in her, I think."

Kara stood up and kissed Dig on the cheek. Walking out, she stopped next to Lyla. "Barry can heal him. I know you thought he would call Oliver for help and you probably didn't expect him to be attacked as quickly as he was. It was a risky move Lyla. He is your husband and you love him. Don't let your pride cause him to feel anymore pain than he has too. Barry and I will be back in the morning and I hope you will let him help. Henry has John on a sedative drip so he shouldn't wake tonight. I'll ask Cisco to bring a bed in here for you to sleep next to him. I saw Barry after an explosion one time and I thought I was going to die myself. My whole world was laid out on a table, torn to pieces. I know how you feel and I know what you were hoping would happen. Don't make it worse and let him suffer more than he needs to."

Kara walked out, leaving Lyla and Oliver to have a talk she would do her best not to listen to. She found her daughter, on a desk in Eliza's lab, being changed by her Grandmother while Barry stood near. As she suspected, Lexie was smiling.

"He is asleep for the night. Want to run to the station and get the car? I can change here and the two of us can be ready to go home when you get here. I told Lyla we would be back in the morning."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Twenty minutes later Kara and Barry lay a sleeping baby in her bed after both kissing her. Both knew they would see her in a couple hours when she woke for a one AM feeding and had that to look forward to. Luckily not needing as much sleep as normal people made the constant waking during the night less of a hassle and more time to spend with her. Not to say the couple didn't need sleep though, especially after a day like today.

Barry was on instant alert, because as soon as Kara lay Lexie down she walked towards the bedroom without a word. He knew she would never yell in front of Lexie and half expected to be marched outside forcefully. The man followed his wife hesitantly in the bedroom. Kara began undressing, probably showing him what he would not be getting to do for a while, without a word, so Barry made the first move.

"So what a day huh? You sold your first painting on your first day open. That must have felt amazing right? Then we saved a lot of people and Zatanna pulled off a light show to get Dig back and he is alive, not in danger of dying… just amazing. But the painting, I really love that painting. I … wish I could have been there to see it."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool. I think in some way I felt what Cat might have felt when she bought the Tribune. It was a feeling… its hard to explain. For the first time in my life I did something, sold something that I made. I wasn't working for anyone else, or … its hard to explain. I didn't have a lot of time for it to soak in but yeah, its unreal. She really liked it. Carter got it too her safely, he called me before the plane had trouble and that was a relief, not that I doubted him. Although I am thinking Jax needs a real job so he may be my new delivery driver. I wish you could have been there too. I can't count the times I wished I could be with you on a scene, tracking a killer down, watching you do what you love."

Kara didn't bother with a nightgown, slipping under the covers and lying on her side, her back to Barry who was quickly under the covers with her.

"I guess you want to talk about the whole me quitting my job thing, huh?"

"No." his wife told him. He was very surprised.

"You don't?"

"Why would I? It's your life, your job, your decision. You don't have to work so don't. Just because I talked to you about my idea, my dream, before we decided together that we could make it work doesn't mean you owe me anything Barry. I won't lie, it hurt that you hadn't said anything. A decision like this must have been on your mind for weeks and you never brought it up. I thought that we shared things like this, but I understand. I was wrong."

Kara reached over, flipping off her lamp, while Barry stared at her back in the little light available.

He turned his lamp on.

"Thats not fair. We should talk about this."

"No, we should have talked about this when you first started thinking about it. But we didn't. You quit so it's a little late for us to talk about something that has already happened. I'm kinda tired. Would you mind turning off your lamp?"

"Seriously, we haven't made love since a month before Lexie was born, she is asleep, we have a chance, you are naked and I know you are mad at me and you expect me to sleep?"

"Yep." Kara answered.

"You are furious."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are. Admit it!"

"Lower your voice and no I am not going to admit to being mad when I'm not. I am deeply hurt because I feel you are my soul mate and I have no secrets from you. I talk to you about everything but if you don't feel the same, I understand. It doesn't make me love you any less. Nothing could."

Barry leaned back, arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

"I miss her. I'm a little jealous, okay? You get to spend all day with her. You get to see every smile, you get to soothe her every time she cries, you get to feed her every meal. I want that. When I go to work all I deal with is death and violence. I'm sick of it. I want to be with you. If we weren't in the financial situation we were in I would work two jobs to give you what you need, to make your dream happen regardless. But when I am there all I can think about is that I don't have to be."

"If you say so." Kara mumbled.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Kara rolled over and looked at Barry then turned her lamp back on. The sheet fell from her top but he kept his eyes focused on her eyes… mostly. It had been a couple months.

"You told me that Lexie wouldn't have a choice but to be a hero because it would be who she was. You are a hero too. You love your job and you took it because you wanted to help people before any of this Flash stuff started. You are brilliant. You could have studied anything, been an expert in any field but you chose forensic science."

'Because I wanted to help my Dad."

"You could have helped you Dad without becoming a CSI. You did it because even then you were a hero, superpowers or not. It's who you are. Killers don't get away because they always leave something and you will find it. You told me that. Remember?"

"Three days after I met you, in your apartment."

"I could see the love you had, the passion for it and it kind of blew me away. What you did with your powers was amazing but even before that, you were this caring, brilliant guy who could have done anything and instead took a thankless job because you wanted to help justice prevail. I just wonder if you really hate the job now. Because it seems like its not the job, it's being away from Lexie. I understand that, I do. But if you had talked to me, maybe we could have worked something out. Its fine though. I suppose since you will be home now you will want Lexie all day while I am at the gallery?"

"What?! No, I want to be with both of you."

"I can understand that. It hurts me to be away from you, especially after these past couple months when we have had a chance to be together all day. But I could take it, because I knew you were out there, you and Alex and Joe fighting crime, catching bad guys and it had nothing to do with a red suit. I think we could have found… its my fault." Kara admitted, sighing and lying back down, her back to him once more.

Barry heard her sniff and hesitantly reached for her, rubbing her back.

"Are you crying? Why are you crying? Nothing is your fault."

"Yes it is.I used to come by the Station and have lunch with you everyday but since you have been back I haven't."

"You have been busy with…"

"Exactly. I should have brought her to you more, the four of us could have had lunch or just hung out. Its not like I can't close and open when I want to. I'm a five minute walk from the Station and I haven't even done that. Now you have quit something you love for us and you are going to resent me for it one day."

"I would never! How can you say that? Hey look at me…"

Kara rolled over, Barry noticing the one tear falling down her cheek.

"Kara, I am so sorry I didn't talk to you. Maybe we… I haven't actually quit, you know? The Chief told me to take sometime and think about it. I just… maybe thats it. I miss you and our little girl."

"Do you think it would be better if we came and saw your everyday? We could have lunch again. Or you could come to the gallery? Maybe you can run out a few times a day and visit us if there isn't a scene for you to be at. And when you are at a scene I can tell Lexie about the work her Daddy does, catching bad guys. I just want her to see there is more to the world than being a superhero. That its important to do something you feel passionate about. I am doing something I feel passionate about and I am stopping you from doing what you love to do."

"You aren't stopping me. I have been in a funk, and yeah it would be great if I could see you two… three, more during the day. I can get away as much as I want. I just… yeah I should have talked to you."

"Do you love what you do Barry? Really love it? If you don't then stop. But if you are stopping because of us, I am going to feel horrible."

"I do love what I do. I am sorry I didn't talk to you."

"Why didn't you then? I'm not going to lie Barry, that really hurt."

"I was afraid you would talk me out of it. I thought if I just did it that maybe you would be happy that I could be with you, helping you. I was wrong and it won't happen again. We are partners. Partners share everything. I promise from now on I will tell you how I am feeling."

"Thank you. For a while I thought maybe you didn't feel as close to me as you had."

"I didn't… Kara, I feel closer to you than ever. I made a mistake. Please don't ever think that."

Kara nodded her head and wrapped her arms around Barry.

"I love you so much. Just talk to me. I only want you happy."

"I will be. I am. You think we could start having lunch everyday again?"

"Of course. I miss you too. I just didn't want to bother you at work."

"You aren't a bother, never. You two…"

"Three."

"You three come first. Promise me though if it looks like she is going to do something like say a first word or crawl for the first time, let me know and no matter where I am, I will be there in a second to see it."

"I promise. Are you sure you don't want to quit? I'll understand if you do."

"No I don't. I just want to see you and Lexie more. And Charlie of course."

"And you swear to always talk to me about things like this first?"

"I swear, it will never happen again."

"Thank you. I'm going to make sure Lexie's monitor is working and grab my phone. I think I left it on the kitchen counter. I love you and I think you are making the right decision. You do so much good in the world. Text me what you want for lunch tomorrow and we will bring it to you. I'll even try to talk Lexie into a late lunch so you can feed her."

"Nah, just bring her early and I will handle it then, okay?"

"Sounds good." Kara crawled out of bed, throwing Barry's tee shirt on and walked to the kitchen. Picking up her phone she sent a group text to Joe, Alex, Captain Singh and the Chief.

/Situation handled. Central City's best CSI is back on job. No shots fired report needed./

Checking the monitor, though she could hear everything in Lexie's room regardless and petting Charlie where he lay in his bed at the foot of Lexie's baby bed, she walked back into their bedroom. Barry was sitting up with a smile on his face.

"You know I realize you just played me right?"

"I said nothing that wasn't true. If you want to…"

"I don't. I am sorry, and I know you were upset. You should also know that when you cry on command, only one eye works. A single tear means you are playing me. Oliver was the first to figure that out. I appreciate it though. I needed… I will talk to you, it won't happen again. I didn't mean to hurt you. As usual you were right. I really appreciate you not hitting me. I know Alex is fond of spousal abuse."

"I would never hurt you, Barry. So do you want to sleep or do you want to talk about Dig and Caitlin Fairchild?"

"Neither. I want you."

"I kind of destroyed my last bracelet Barry and it looks like Martin and Henry are going to be busy learning about dark energy radiation for a while."

Barry started blurring, the bed only slightly shaking.

"And I am going to prove to you that we don't need that bracelet. Think you can keep up Woman of Steel?"

Kara smiled, considering what he pulled today at the bridge if he said he could handle it, he could handle it. Barry always found a way.

"Oh, you just watch me Scarlett Speedster."

The next morning a sore but satisfied Flash and Superwoman were woken not by Lexie who had been fed on time two hours earlier, but a text alert on Kara's phone. Kara checked it over and grumbled, then rose and the both were ready in five minutes. The parents took their time dressing Lexie, of course wearing yellow to match Kara, Kara placed Charlie's yellow collar on. Tuesdays were yellow days according to Kara. To Barry, Tuesdays were Tuesdays and he wore the first thing he grabbed from his closet until Kara grabbed something else for him.

"So what is the plan?" the Flash asked his wife when they were on the road.

"First you check on Dig while I have a pointed talk with Alex. Then I will check on Dig and we will convince him how much easier it would be for everyone if he could lie still for a moment and let you heal him. Then we find out what happened and figure out what he knows, what he saw, anything he knows about possible energy fields and see if Zatanna and Donna can work together to figure out a way to defeat this shadow octopus guy that got a hold of Kal. If Dr. Stein can figure out a way to track the radiation signatures of the energy Lyla's people picked up we can try to pinpoint a location. I'm considering sending in Ray, if he can get very, very small to scout first but it is going to depend on what we find out from Dig. If they are hiding out somewhere they are obviously in communication with the outside world. Unless they are using carrier pigeons that means they are connected to a grid somehow. If they are, Winn and Felicity can hack it. Cisco, Curtis and Harry can figure out the best weapons to use because something tells me Sara's staff and Alex's tonfa and Kali sticks aren't going to cut it. Oliver is probably going to have more success with EMP arrows but I don't want our communications shut off again. Plus if Deathstroke's illegitimate daughter is with them, she will be gunning for him and Thea and they may have their hands full. Nyssa is going to need to know all of this. She can figure out how we attack. What do you think?"

Barry shook his head and looked back on the road. "I think you don't really need me to co lead. You look like you got this down."

"I always need you. I'm just brainstorming here. While this is going on we can go to work and if all goes to plan, attack, tonight or in the morning. I don't want to be gone for more than a couple hours."

"Okay then. And if we do find them, if there are a lot, how are we going to contain them?" Barry asked.

Kara looked at him and he met her eyes for a second then looked back at the road. In that second he knew, so he went ahead and said it out loud for the both of them. Best to get this out so they were on the same page.

"We help those that want out, detain those who can be detained and those who refuse to go down get taken down."

Kara nodded her head in agreement. That was exactly what she had been thinking. The two arrived at the lab, Charlie running towards the door, knowing the place as well as anyone of the regular inhabitants. He knew Cisco would have his breakfast taco ready this morning, if the man didn't want his workspace marked. Barry moved inside but Kara held back, seeing Nyssa and Alex pulling up. Handing Lexie to Barry she told him she would be inside in a minute. Kara smiled at Nyssa, who grinned back and walked inside. Alex moved to follow but Kara's hand on her shoulder stopped the woman.

"Uh, good morning, I love you but I want to see my niece. She is like a cute version of you and has grown on me so…"

"We need to talk now. Nyssa texted me more instructions this morning."

"Okay… if its too much, I can find someone else. You said as Maid of Honor you wanted to organize the whole thing. I warned you the ceremony may not be … traditional. At least any tradition we know."

"Too much Alex? Is this a wedding or some ritual sacrifice? Four King Cobras?! Two katanas from the 14th century, used in battle and spilt blood?" Fourteen camels to take the wedding party and guests to the site?"

"She said you could use six elephants with those large tent things on top instead. It's a long walk up the mountain and we didn't want the guests to be sweating by the time the ceremony is going to start."

"Six wild boar for dinner to be killed the night before the ceremony and roasted over an open fire? Really Alex? I don't want to know why a Bengal Tiger is needed and I refuse to get one. They are endangered and will make the guests endangered if he gets loose. She is playing around with me. I am trying to raise a baby and puppy and keep a husband in line while running my new business and catch planes and she is screwing with me while I am trying to help. This is important to me. I want to do this for you, not go on a scavenger hunt for whatever she thinks of next."

"Don't forget Oliver's sock." Alex reminded her.

"Oh I haven't. Why exactly do I have to ask Oliver for a single sock?"

"She has to burn something of his to symbolize the ending of their marriage. It was the sock or him."

"She isn't married to him. She never was! League disassembled, all vows released, I heard the story. I am not asking him for a sock! He will laugh at me."

"I understand. I can ask Zatanna…"

"No! I am doing this! If I have to steal a sock, I guess I will steal a sock. I'm not going to ask him for it and as far as the deadly and endangered wildlife, if anyone gets killed over this wedding that's on you. I am drawing the line at elephants though. We can take a few large helicopters and I can carry people up and down two at a time but no elephants and certainly no camels. Also the Bengal Tiger goes right back to the wild where I get him from. He will not be hurt by the cobras. They really are endangered. Promise?"

"Yes, I promise the tiger will be safe from the cobras."

Kara walked off trying to figure out how to track a tiger, where to keep him before the wedding and what to feed him. The snakes should be easy to find.

Alex watched her little sister walk off and once safely inside finally let out the laugh she had been holding in.

"Do you think she will really try and capture a Bengal Tiger?" Nyssa asked, walking silently behind Alex, who did her best not to act surprised.

"Yeah, she would. You really have got to stop screwing with her."

"I wonder how she will be able to determine if the katana actually had blood on them? Can her vision truly see that? Remarkable. I was looking forward to a caravan of camels or at least elephants but I can see that isn't happening. A pity. She would look so adorable on the back of a camel."

"One more week then you call it off. I don't want her actually catching a Bengal. If she has to leave Lexie for more than two hours to hunt game in Africa and finds out it was for your amusement I'm the one who will have to pay the price."

"Not until she steals Oliver's socks. She is lucky I didn't ask for Felicity's tablet."

"I told you that you couldn't place her in danger. Stealing Felicity's tablet would endanger her financially and I have a feeling the way she spoils her daughter and puppy they are going to need that money. Diamond necklaces and diamond collars are in Barry's future whether he likes it or not."

"A shame he quit his job."

"No, Kara took care of that last night."

"Did she hurt him?"

"Nope, he is still walking if a bit stiff. Come to think of it both seem a little stiff today. I guess even superheroes can pull muscles. I'm sure she will tell me about it later. Kara's pouting and I would guess her ability to make herself cry by thinking of dead puppies coupled with an amazing ability to make someone feel guilty goes a long way for her."

"I really do think she could have gotten my father to hug her. Astounding. I suppose we should go inside and find out about these people we have to destroy. Remember, if the shadow creature looks like he is going to attack you…"

"Throw Oliver in front of him. Got it. Lets go check on Dig."

Kara had already reached Dig, and saw his blurry form, Barry's matching form standing over him. She supposed Lyla had thought about it an agreed, probably from guilt over asking her husband to lead this suicide mission. Once the blur stopped, despite knowing what to expect, she was still surprised to see a fully healed Diggle sit up. He then promptly bent over from the table and vomited on the floor.

"I will never… what the hell was that? Wait, how the hell did I get here? Is this some…"

"Johnny, calm down. I came here to Central City asking for help. You were brought back last night." Lyla explained. Dig shook his head and then took in his surroundings seeing Oliver walk in. He smiled at his friend, for a while expecting to never see him or Felicity again. Kara was here as well, but that didn't surprise him. They had a habit of saving each other.

"Do I even want to know how I got here?" he asked, still trying to wrap his head around no longer feeling in pain as he had the last 24 hours.

"Do you feel possessed?" Kara asked him.

"No," Dig told her, confused.

"Then yeah, its probably best you don't know. Just thank Zatanna the next time you see her. Dig, what happened? We need to know so we can take care of this and make sure it doesn't happen again. Did Fairchild and her team do this to you?" Superwoman asked.

"Caitlin Fairchild saved my life. We were following that strange energy signature when this man appeared, at least we thought he was a man. I found out later he was called Warblade. He came out of nowhere. The land was fairly flat, only a few hills and calderas. He seemed normal but when we asked for ID, his hand shot out, his arm turned into some sort of metal. He stabbed Johnson through. We opened fire and his whole body was metal. He slaughtered the whole team. I was last and thought I was done for. Then a woman came from somewhere and stopped him. She told him I was obviously the leader and needed for interrogation and possibly could make a good subject for some guy named Harvest to experiment on. The metal guy knocked me out. When I woke up I was in a cell somewhere, I don't know where but I am pretty sure it was underground. I heard a lot of voices around, above, below, but I couldn't see anyone."

"What were the walls like?" Oliver asked.

"Wet rock but sound carried. It must have been some cave but we were in the volcano fields in Vietnam near Toroeng Prong when I was taken so it could have been any of the three vents. Some woman, a girl really, called herself Rose Wilson was in the cell with me. She's the one you suspect being Slade Wilson's daughter, right Oliver?"

"Yeah."

"She knew I worked with you. Wanted me to call you. Said she would let me go if I did. I refused and she kicked the crap out of me. Even used a hammer on my leg. Caitlin Fairchild stopped her."

Barry took that in. On the surface it seemed Fairchild was trying to help but it could have been a ploy to get information. "So Fairchild was trying to keep you alive. Do you think it was because she really did want this Harvest to experiment on you or maybe just information?"

"I don't think so. She told me in two days there would be something called a Culling. Said it was a death fight between 16 metahuman kids and only one would survive. She claimed to have a team of those loyal to her and would be leading a revolt when it started. I have no idea how many she had on her team, or how many this Harvest had."

Kara cringed, thinking that was exactly what they needed but not deterred. "No information on any metas besides this Warblade? Was Rose Wilson a meta?"

"No, she was just crazy." Dig told them. "I would love to get some payback. I know what to expect this time. With more people and some flame throwers for Warblade…"

"You aren't going back with an A.R.G.U.S. team. Why didn't you call me?" Oliver demanded.

"Because the League decided to stay out of this and I think it was the right call at the time." Dig admitted. :I knew if you came so would these two and everyone else would have come.

"You promised me you would call Oliver if you found signs of metas!" Lyla practically shouted.

"I didn't find a sign until one started slicing my men to pieces! We knew we were going after a meta, probably more than one considering what happened to the dead body that started all this. I thought I could handle it. I made a bad call but they don't work for you Lyla."

"You don't either anymore. I won't risk you. Sara needs her father." Lyla told him. Kara wondered why she didn't feel this way before but knew. Lyla used Dig to try to get them all there, not thinking he would actually be hurt or even captured.

"She told you this Culling is in two days?" Oliver asked, "Meaning its tomorrow if she told you yesterday. We have to find this place and help. She could be outnumbered or making a suicide bid to try and release some of these kids. We know there are dangerous people there. Did you hear anything about something or someone called Leash?"

"Nah, didn't hear much expect Rose Wilson using a hammer on me and what Fairchild told me. She promised to help me escape before she left."

Oliver looked at Barry and Kara. It was their call.

The two didn't need a long discussion or one at all.

"This is no longer an A.R.G.U.S. matter. We will take it from here. We have one day to find where they are and get there. If she is going to lead a revolt we are going to help." Kara told the group.

"Lyla was immediately angry, not used to being told what was an A.R.G.U.S. matter and what wasn't. "We can help…"

"You had your chance, Lyla." Barry told her softly. "I know you didn't expect this to happen but it is obvious we are dealing with metahumans who are very dangerous. We don't know what exactly we are going to be facing. All we know is the members we have already faced are very dangerous and some may be on our side and most won't be. We can't look out for your men, hope they don't kill the wrong meta, or get killed by Warblade or that damn shadow creature. We have this. Take Dig home…"

'No way. A.R.G.U.S. may not be involved but the last time I checked I was still a member of this club you have going on. I owe them payback."

Kara and Barry looked towards Oliver who nodded.

"Fine but we are going to have a talk about you patrolling Star City alone." The Arrow made clear. Dig looked at Lyla who shrugged her shoulders.

'Get some rest. Martin and Harry are going to figure this out. Once we find the location, you can come with us, I promise. For now let Caitlin check you out so she can make sure Barry put all your cells back in the right place and everything is healed."

"Sounds good Kara… wait, my cells? Put back in the right place? What the gel does that mean?"

Barry patted the man on the shoulder. "Relax Dig, I'm 90 percent certain I got it right… actually more like a strong 75 percent."

Barry walked off to inform the League of the situation. When they walked into the room, Kara saw Alex had wasted no time taking Lexie from Eliza who did not look happy. Kara was pretty sure her daughter would need a diaper change soon and had no doubt Lexie would be back in her Grandmother's arms soon.

She left Barry in the meeting room and continued to Martin's lab where he and Harry were writing equations on the clear board.

"Hello Kara. We think we have a clear understanding of Dark Energy in a hypothetical sense but its existence has never been proven and while it may leave a distinctive signature we aren't sure of the exact type of radiation we are dealing with. Give me three days though and I am certain Harry and I can come up…"

"Dr. Stein, Martin, I love the both of you and I would normally never do this. I don't like to ruin anyone's fun but kids lives are on the line, tomorrow. We are going to have to move."

Kara walked to the board and erased what was there.

"We can't be dealing with Dark Energy. Dark Energy causes the rapid expansion of the Universe. A being like the one who attacked the team in Antarctica has a solid form and obviously is sentient. What we need to look for is Dark Matter. It is dense enough for a meta to hold and would emit a signature similar to Dark Radiation. That is probably where these weird radioactive signatures are coming from."

'But there is no notable evidence for the existence of such radiation." Harry told her, his mind running wild.

"Maybe not any evidence that Earth has discovered but trust me, it exists. It mediates interactions between dark matter in the same way the baryonic matter scale interacts with the photons of electromagnetic radiation. Look for neutrinos in the range of 3.046. Use this equation and get it to Felicity or Winn and they can develop an algorithm then using our satellite we can focus it over the volcanic fields in Southwest Vietnam."

Kara walked to the board and began writing, Stein and Well's eyes growing larger by the second.

"The only way to defeat him is to disperse his matter or in essence destroy him. I'm not sure what if anything is underneath but that isn't our problem. He obviously has very good control over his body if he can send tendrils towards enemies harming them. I would guess and this is only a guess that the Dark Matter is radiating from him and infecting the victim with some type of interstellar gas or even the effects of a small controlled black hole. If that is the case, it could be simple for Barry to steal the Kinetic energy of his body which must be in constant state of flux due to the random and incredibly fast interactions of protons and neutrinos in his make up. Diana's lasso hurt him. She said it channeled the power of the Earth, which while is magical in nature, the fact that a rope can do that, I am guessing the that polar opposite of the energy would counteract him. His body can't compete with the Earth's magnetic field. We are going to need you and Jax to figure out if you can hit him with a radiation blast full of protons and electrons to blow a hole in his physical makeup. If you can't then Harry, you and Cisco need to develop a weapon that can emit those signatures quickly. Tonight even. If both are impossible to accomplish Barry is going to have to try and steal his kinetic energy and as a last resort Zatanna is going to charge Donna's lasso in a similar manner as Diana's. Nyssa is going to have a lot of metas to plan for. If we can take out the most dangerous one first, it will give her more time to focus on the others. We have no idea who is going to be on our side so we go in assuming they all will want to kill us except Fairchild."

"Uh… okay… what about the living metal guy?" Harry asked, staring between the board and Kara, trying to come to grips with what he was hearing and seeing.

"He's metal. I'm going to melt him." she told the men with a shrug.

"I don't exactly understand how… Kara why are you not working in science? This formula…"

"Science is boring. I prefer art." the blonde told the genius.

"But, where did you learn… this?"

"Martin, if I told you I learned it when I was four Earth years old, would it hurt your feelings?"

"Yes, I think it would." he admitted.

"Then I'm not going to tell you. Trust me, it will work. We have less than 24 hours, actually depending on what time this death match starts it could be as little as twelve. I have to collect my daughter and open my gallery. Then I promised I would have lunch with Barry. If you need any help call or text and I can close and come over. A lot of kids are depending on us tomorrow. Whoever or whatever Harvest, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and the rest are, they have to go down before anyone else dies."


	51. Chapter 51

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N Thanks for the continued favorites and reviews. If I haven't gotten back to you I apologize. I spent the weekend traveling the State ofTexas watching my daughter cheer at her high school football game then my son run a cross country meet two hours farther from home. Then as soon as I got home there were college football games to watch. Is anyone else getting excited? Flash starts tomorrow and SG next Monday. If anyone watches Once Upon a Time, I have to say two episodes in and the show is looking great. I worried after the crap last season but it has that awesome magical feel Season 2 had. Okay, on with the fight. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Chapter 51

"I won't lie to you, I won't ever lie to you. You are going to have to spend some time with Grandma, only a few hours hopefully. There are some bad men and women me and Daddy have to fight. We don't know how many, or what their powers are. Its dangerous, but we do have the element of surprise on our side. They won't expect to see us there. They won't have time to be prepared."

Lexie smiled up at her mother. She was lying on her very soft blanket on the floor as Kara lay on her side next to her and over her, looking at her daughter with adoration tinged with worry.

"I know what you are thinking, at least what you would be thinking if you understood what I was telling you. Mommy, this sounds dangerous. Yes it is. Anytime we go into a fight it is dangerous. Mommy went with Ollie, Thea and Dig to a fight once and even I was shot. Want to guess why, you little stinker? Somebody borrowed my sunlight without warning me. Thats okay, you can have it all if you want. I can see that sunlight on your face, behind your beautiful eyes. I am going to make a promise to you. I won't break any promises to you. I swear to you we are all coming back. I won't leave anyone behind and Daddy and I will make it back. I'll even keep an eye on Aunt Alex and Aunt Nyssa. They have to change your diaper at least once, right? They can't avoid it forever."

The tiny version of Kara began rocking back and forth, not close to rolling over yet but so impatient to move, then crawl, walk and then run. Soon she would be trying to go faster, just like her Daddy.

"Uncle Cisco and Aunt Caitlin are going to be listening to us so if you need to hear my voice just use your little I'm bored cry and I can talk to you. I can do that while I am fighting because I am awesome. No matter the powers, whoever is there can't possibly be ready for me and Daddy. I bet one day they won't be ready for you either."

Kara began lightly tickling her daughter's tummy trying to get more smiles until Charlie's bark alerted her to a customer up front. Her hearing picked up a heartbeat. She had been in business two days and had two customers in those two days stop by. The first had bought a painting. Perhaps she would be lucky again.

Picking up her daughter and wrapping her in light blanket, she walked to the front and saw who she assumed to be a fireman. He had black pants on a dark blue shirt adorning his upper body with the shield of Central City Fire Department on it. Kara was assured by Captain Singh that no one outside the Police Department knew her identity. If this man did, Kara swore she would start wearing glasses again.

"Good morning! How are you today?"

"Hi, I'm Steve, uh Steve Crowder. I'm a Captain at Central City Fire Department." the older man, probably in his fifties, with dark, close cut hair showing signs of graying. "I'm not really used to places like this, sorry."

"As you can see by my dog, my baby and my blue jeans, I like to keep things casual."

"Yeah, nice shirt. You don't see many people wearing a Central City PD shirt anymore. Seems superheroes are all the rage."

"My husband is a CSI there. I like to think there are a whole lot of people without super powers who are heroes, including your department."

"Huh… thanks. Is this your place?"

"Yes sir."

"Its very nice. Cute dog, beautiful girl in your arms, it seems you are doing all right for yourself. Is she a niece?"

"No, she is my daughter. She is seven weeks old."

"Wow. Not to be taken the wrong way, but you have recovered quickly from the birth."

Kara froze for a moment, the smile plastered on her face. "I didn't gain a while lot of weight during the pregnancy." she explained, hoping he would let it go.

"Good for you. It took my wife a year and she complained about it every day after our first born. I'm here because the mayor finally gave us a budget to spruce up the Main Station downtown a bit. I thought some paintings on the wall might class the place up. I don't think the things you have in here are going to be in our budget though. You paint all these?"

"Yeah, every one."

"You do beautiful work. I shouldn't waste your time. Maybe I can head to that crafts stores and get some reprints framed. Posters are good enough for firemen."

"I am negotiable." Kara told him quickly. "Why don't you look around and see if you like anything. We can talk."

"Thank you ma'am. I think I will do that." Crowder didn't expect to find anything that his five thousand dollar budget could afford, considering he also had to hire a contractor to renovate the kitchen at the Main Station. But the smile on the blonde, the baby in her arms and the cute mutt in the back, watching them both like a tiny guard dog, was too much to pass up.

Kara stood in the back, watching the man. He seemed to like what he saw, particularly one she had painted of her view of Argo City from her bedroom window. She didn't overdue the red tint, just had more coppery colors giving the whole thing the feel of Rao without focusing on it strongly. Then he stopped at one of her favorite pieces and looked at it for a long time.

Crowder was amazed by what he saw. The painting seemed to be from the vantage point of someone lying on the ground. A fireman was reaching down towards the unseen person, his hand open as if trying to help the person up. He wore turnout gear on his bottom half but his top was a dark blue shirt, similar to his, with a crescent on the chest that read Fire Department. No city was on the printed badge. The fireman was older, perhaps a Captain, and the kindness in his face struck him. He could see every crease on the man's face, the sympathy in his eyes.

"This… I've never seen anything like this. The vantage point is from someone lying on the ground."

"Yes it is. It was me." Kara told him, walking towards one of her favorite paintings she had ever done.

"You?"

"I moved here almost two years ago. Before that, shortly after I met my husband, I was in a park. A powerline fell and shocked me. I was near it, though it didn't touch me. I suppose the ground was wet because I was knocked unconscious. I understand while I was out, quite a few people in the park came to my aid. But once my head cleared and my vision returned completely the first thing I saw was this fireman reaching down to help me up. The kindness in his eyes, the love, is something I will never forget as long as I live. I was in a very low place in my life and he helped give me back hope from such a simple gesture, more than he will ever realize. I will never forget him as long as I live."

"Well, it is beautiful. The detail… amazing. I wish I could afford it but $3500 would blow my budget."

"I actually priced it that high because I didn't want to sell it. Its one of my favorites." Kara admitted. "But I never expected a Fire Department to be interested. I'll make you a deal, you bring me a Central City Fire Department T shirt and its yours."

"What? I can't do that. This is…"

"He would like it, knowing that his act of kindness is living on for others to see. You and your men are heroes. It can be easy to fight crime and save people from burning buildings when you have superpowers. What your men and women do takes a lot more bravery."

"I don't know about that. What Superwoman, the Flash and whoever this new girl is did with that plane yesterday was pretty amazing. Flying it through a bridge like that was something else. Saved over two hundred lives. Never seen anything like it and never would have believed it before yesterday."

"Yeah and it was your department who evacuated that bridge knowing a plane was flying towards them. I insist. Just don't forget to bring me my t shirt by the end of the week."

"Thanks… really. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Kara took the painting from the wall and handed it to the man. "Let your people know I do family portraits as well. Usually $500 hundred depending on size but I can work out a discount for the Central City's bravest. I'm sure my husband's boss has already told the City's finest that I offer discounts as well."

"Who is your husband?"

"Barry Allen."

"Oh, that CSI. I should have out it together, name of the place and everything. I heard his wife was like a ray of sunshine. It fits you. Thank you Kara."

"Thank you. I couldn't imagine it having a better home. By the way, his name was Steve also."

"His name? Whose name?"

"The firefighter. I can't remember his last name but I know he introduced himself as Steve. He really helped me, more than he will ever realize. Have a good day, Captain."

Kara watched one of her favorite memories of National City walk out in the Fireman's arms. She could paint another but that one would be just for her, so one day she could tell her daughter the story of how her mother and father were saved by firefighters, despite her father's confidence that they could have won.

"We are going to count that as a sell, okay? Two for two. At this rate I may be able to pay for your first two weeks of college without touching Daddy's money. We gave it to him because that man and his firemen and the people in that park saved my life in more ways than one. Daddy thought we had it but neither of us were that smart at the time when it came to plans. Daddy thought he would beat King Shark too but Mommy had to save his bootie. Speaking of over overconfident Daddy, you ready to have lunch? We have to see Daddy a lot now because he is feeling left out. Charlie is about to get mad because he is going to have to travel in Mommy's purse or on a leash because of those stupid leash laws which is ironic because Mommy is about to lay down the law on something or someone called Leash. I hope if it's a he or she, he or she isn't slimy. You can't imagine how icky it is to fight someone who is slimy. Hopefully me and you are the only aliens that will ever wind up on Earth in this universe, because meta's aren't generally slimy… wow, I just said that. Pretty much guaranteed to be fighting alien prison escapees now. Oh well, I'll kick their butts too. We can send them back into space with mean old Wizard man. I'll tell you that story when you are older. A whole building fell on me and it wasn't my fault, but I still get picked on about it. Do you know why? Because when anything goes wrong they blame the blonde girl, guaranteed and we are the only blonde's on the team beside Sara. They won't blame Sara because they know she will hurt them badly."

The three moved down the sidewalk enjoying the cooling but still warm temperatures. Lexie was cuddled up in a blanket in her arms because Lexie cried when Kara started preparing the stroller and Charlie in her backpack because he barked when she brought out the leash. Kara never could deny her babies. On her other shoulder she had the diaper bag complete with formula filled bottles that would be heated by her vision as soon as she was in Barry's lab.

Walking into the station she was attacked by a herd of police officers, Joe being the first, practically grabbing her daughter out of her hands. Charlie barked at the attack and tried to jump out of the pack, before the blonde swung it around and caught him, preventing a far drop to the ground. Because of her twisting, the diaper bag dropped from her shoulder but she twisted and grabbed it before it hit the ground. She must have been a blur as she moved because once it was settled the group of officers were looking at her.

"That is so freaking cool." a patrol man named Tony commented, a round of agreements from those around.

"A little warning, Grandpa?" Kara asked, faking annoyance at her daughter's sudden abduction by one of her three grandfathers.

"Sorry, Kara," Joe told her, not really sorry. "you looked tired or something."

"I am not tired!"

Joe didn't bother responding because Lexie was smiling. Kara nearly jumped when Barry appeared beside her. She used to be able to see him clearly no matter how fast he moved. Now she couldn't even track him with her eyesight at times. Giving her a deep kiss that was unnoticed by the inhabitants, due to the Princess of Central City being present, Kara was glad to see he looked much better today. His smile was back and the gleam in his eyes she used to see was back a bit but the apprehension was there. She knew he was thinking about their hopefully soon trip to Vietnam.

Alex had joined the group worship of the child, pushing her way through the front of the crowd and being threatened by Joe if she took the girl. Joe reached out and practically demanded a bottle. Kara was worried about Lexie being frightened but she seemed to be loving the attention, smiling at the gathered police department, giving her the attention she felt she deserved.

"Actually Barry was going to feed her."

"It's okay Kara." he assured her, loving to see Joe with his grandchild.

"Okay, I need to go heat it up."

"Just do it here!" one of the officers encouraged. They did love to see her heat vision.

"No." she replied immediately. There was absolutely no telling who could walk in to the crowded police station.

"She can't do that idiot! Anyone can walk in!" another officer concurred with her thoughts.

Kara walked to Barry's lab, heated the bottle quickly and moved back down, handing the bottle to Joe. Barry held her from behind and they enjoyed the moment, as Joe finished and then handed her to Alex to be burped. Kara was secretly excited as it appeared in the bustle to get her hands on her niece, her sister had forgotten to put a rag over her shoulders. A minute later, Lexie performed as expected, Alex's black shirt decorated in white formula that Lexie decided she didn't need. The look on her face made the whole trip worth it.

"Wow, white looks good on you, Alex." Barry commented, as the full smell of the mini vomit hit her.

Barry, Kara and Alex's phones went off. All knew what that meant. Handing the baby back to Joe, Alex checked her phone.

"Looks like I am changing clothes anyway. Felicity found them."

"Found who? Whats going on? We under attack?" Singh asked immediately.

"Nope, we are going to Vietnam." Barry answered, looking at his daughter.

"You are about fifty years too late." Singh reminded the three.

"Remember the team we fought in Keystone? We found out that its an organization that has been kidnapping teenage metahumans and making them fight to the death. One of ours was taken yesterday and the pig lady got him back. We just found the location." Zatanna was not as catchy as the pig lady among local PD.

"How many metahumans? Do you know?" Joe asked, the station quiet, knowing this was one fight they couldn't help in.

"No." was Kara's simple answer.

"And you all have to go?" Stacy McGee asked, looking at Lexie and then the two parents.

"This is what we do. We will be back in a couple hours. Beat the bad guys, rescue the kids and back in time for dinner. No worries." Kara assured all of them confidently.

Barry tossed the keys to the Volvo on Joe's desk. "Can you take her to S.T.A.R.? Eliza is there."

Joe nodded. "Please be careful."

Kara shook her head."Careful would be not going but that isn't an option. If it was Iris you would want us to get her back, right? Nobody else can or will. A lot of parents and kids are scared right now. Its time to make sure this never happens again. We got this. Back for her feeding in three hours, I promise."

Barry moved to his lab, grabbed his suit and was back in a blink, still surprising the officers. Both the mother and father kissed Lexie followed by Alex and the three took off, Kara changing quickly into her outfit hidden in the diaper bag and Alex running to her Porsche.

Five minutes later, Alex ran in, moving to the locker room and changing. When she walked out, she saw the rest of the League already assembled and was grateful to see Zatana was at least wearing jeans and a pair of hiking boots, no doubt designer. She briefly wondered how much of Ray's money she spent on clothes and if Ray even noticed. Then she saw her fiancee black robe over her red top that also served as light weight body armor. The familiar scarf completed her outfit, leaving only her eyes visible. The quiver on her back held many arrows, none of them trick arrows and she had an extra quiver and bow. She walked up to Alex, handing her the bow and quiver. Unknown to the others Nyssa had worked with Alex on archery and she was quite good.

"Stars on your wrists, good, handguns, take the tonfa off. Tonfas are for street fighting. This requires blood."

Alex reluctantly took of the tonfas handing them to her mother. Joe walked in with his granddaughter in his arms, Eliza taking the girl immediately.

While the interactions were going on Barry and Kara were standing over Felicity looking at the Tororeng Prong volcano.

"Three vents, a wireless signal coming from the east vent. The volcano has never shown any signs of eruption or even earthquakes but it is a volcano. There is a crater lake nearby and the cone has an entrance. The cone is deep, probably five hundred feet but cloud cover is making it difficult to see how many are inside or how many layers there are."

"I can't teleport us there if I don't know exactly where it is." Zatanna too told the group.

"Can you teleport us and charge Donna's lasso?" Nyssa asked her, planning for a war in her head.

"I can… I'm not sure. I've gotten more powerful. Caitlin has helped me… I will be ready."

"And until I hear confidence in your voice we will not count on you. Dr. Stein, can you do it?" Nyssa did not have to say what it was. She wanted the Firestorm matrix to destroy this creature.

"I am not sure. We can flood him with protons but I cannot guarantee it will be enough. Harry has developed a weapon that we believe will counteract the dark matter but until it is tested or we know the concentration of matter we cannot be sure."

"Give me the gun." Carter ordered, taking the offered rifle from Harry. Cisco walked in with his visor on.

"What are you doing?" Kara asked immediately.

"You wanted me to get better. I've been working with Harry and can use the vibrational blast when I want."

"And you expect to come with us after not working with us?" Barry asked. "Can you knock that coffee mug off the desk?" he asked.

Cisco raised his hands before Barry stopped him. "Can you do it without destroying the wall?"

The shorter man's head dropped.

"Keep working on it. We are going to be in an enclosed rock structure. We can't take a chance of you bringing the thing down on us. I'm sorry man, but we need you here this time."

Kara breathed a sigh of relief at Cicso's acceptance. She didn't want him to feel less but she didn't want him to die either or worse for him, living with the guilt of causing someone else's death.

Barry took a deep breath and looked over the team.

"This is what we have been training for. We apprehend those we can, we free those who want to be free and we take down the rest by any means necessary. I don't like the idea but we won't lose anyone today. When we get there, we will be in the middle of the this death match arena. If Fairchild makes a move she will be close to the arena which I am betting is at the bottom. Kara and I will go first. We can be there in ten minutes. We scope it out and go in. As soon as five minutes are up, Zatanna teleport the League to where Kara is."

"Where we are." the blonde corrected.

"Ray, make sure Zatanna finds cover and do not let her be injured. We are going to need her to charge Donna's lasso if the weapon doesn't work. Once we are all together in the pit, Nyssa takes the lead. Do as she says. If she orders a kill, then kill, do not hesitate. If she orders us not to go after someone who runs, don't go after them. If she goes down, guard her and Oliver takes the lead in the field. Everyone understand?"

"Why Oliver?" Alex asked immediately, irritated.

"Because you are going to have your mind on and be protecting Nyssa." Kara told her sister, who suddenly understood. If Nyssa went down there was no way she could be impartial. Most of this team had followed Oliver at some point and trusted his instructions. Alex defending Nyssa would be a mess of rage. If Alex went down, Kara could protect her while Nyssa remained cool. She had the ability to block out everything when directing a battle, knowing winning the battle quickly was the only true way to help Alex. Alex had not developed that yet, especially when it came to Kara or Nyssa.

"Carter, give me the rifle. I'm a better shot." Alex demanded, doing her best to sound as if it was a request.

Carter thought of arguing then considered the bullets he had taken from the short haired woman Nodding, he handed over the rifle.

"How am I going to make it there in five minutes?" Kara asked.

"I won't ask if you trust me, I know you do. Just fly above me, stay as close to the ground above me and we have this, okay?"

Superwoman nodded, wondering what he planned but not asking now.

Before the assembled League prepared to watch their leaders depart, Jeremiah called Alex and Kara over.

The two daughters noted both parent looked extremely worried, Eliza holding Lexie tightly in her arms.

"I won't try to talk the two out of going." Jeremiah started, "But please promise us you are both coming back. Kara don't act like you are invincible and Alex, I know you have taken on aliens but you have to assume there could be fifty or more of these. If whoever is in charge wants these kids to fight to the death they are obviously dangerous. Bring each other back to us."

Both daughters nodded and hugged the man, Kara running her fingers through the little light blonde hair Lexie had on her and smiled.

"We have to go to work. We will be back in time for dinner, promise." Kara told them, then walked to Barry.

"You ready for this?" he asked, not really needing too.

"I've never left her. Charlie is in Joe's car still. I hope he remembered to bring him inside."

"He will. Lets go."

A moment later, Central City heard a sonic boom, all the citizens recognizing the noise. Superwoman and the Flash were moving fast, meaning danger was coming or they were going to stop danger somewhere. Many of them sent a silent prayer in their direction and moved on with their lives. The heroes would be back. They always were.

Kara meanwhile was feeling faster and stranger than she ever had in the air. She was keeping pace with Barry but he did not appear to be in cruising mode. Instead he was glowing.

Barry for his part felt everything around him. Reaching out he felt the kinetic energy of the city, cars moving, people walking, a traffic copter flying. This time he grabbed onto the feeling as he did in training and redirected it, sending it to his wife above him, wrapping her in the Speedforce and essentially letting her borrow speed. It should have slowed him down and it did to a degree but not enough to make a difference. As long as she was skirting no more than fifty feet above him, he knew both were fast enough, reaching Mach 20 with no problem.

"Barry, what are you doing?" his wife asked over the wind shear but Barry did not hear her, instead focusing on what was in front of him, deciding when to phase and when to solidify. Despite the tremendous resistance of the wind, Kara's suit did not rip nor did the wind slow her down. She was wrapped in whatever Barry had around him, invisible but there.

Back at S.T.A.R. the brains support team and the muscle watched, amazed.

"I get Barry but how in the hell is Kara flying that fast? She has never flown over Mach 2." Cisco muttered but all heard. "Caitlin?"

Dr. Snow activated Kara's suit, bypassing the normal vitals which were perfect and checked her cellular structure. She had planned to watch Kara closely, making sure she had no power outages. Instead she had a surprise. Kara was nowhere close to running out of power and Cait wondered if she ever would again.

"She is altered. I mean her cells… I've been checking Lexie's but not Kara's since the birth. Lexie's cells are a mix of Kara's solar absorbing power along with an empty area we believe could compensate for the power of the Speedforce like Barry's. Kara's are exactly the same."

"So she could be as fast as Barry?" Wells asked.

"I doubt it. His cells are completely open to his power and are always fully charged, emitting an electric signature that has never been seen, I would imagine only speedsters would have it. We know his DNA is altered but I am betting Kara's is as well now, probably something Lexie shared inside the womb. I never thought to recheck her DNA."

"So suddenly she is this fast?" Alex asked, wondering if she had to worry about her sister burning up along with her brother in law.

"No," Harry told her, taking an educated guess. "He's figured it out. He is a genius. The other day he stole kinetic energy from the battlefield. This time he is reversing the effect. He has her wrapped in the Speedforce. He is sharing speed."

"Is there anything he can't do?" Cisco asked proudly, his disappointment at being unable to go into battle momentarily forgotten watching the super powered couple moving together over the Pacific and then onto mainland Vietnam.

The two heroes stopped at the shore.

"Go and I will follow. I got us here but I'm not exactly sure where this Volcano is. Can you see it?"

Kara looked over the Southeast range of the jungle country. Using her telescopic vision, it wasn't hard to pick out, the mountain ranges in the jungle land, towering over the trees.

"I'll fly a quarter mile ahead so you don't have to watch me constantly and can avoid crashing into trees." she told him, fifty feet above and then shot up into the sky, immediately sensing the loss of speed and the weird feeling of having kinetic energy wrapped around her. The two arrived halfway up the cone when Kara landed.

"Wow! That was amazing! How did you do that? You are so getting lucky when Lexie goes to sleep. That felt soooo good."

"I shared my speed with you. I figured out when I stole kinetic energy during training. As long as you stayed close I could send it towards you." Barry explained as if this was an everyday occurrence. "We can work more on it later. What do you see inside?"

Kara used her X ray vision, looking down.

"Not much unfortunately. There is a lot of lead in the makeup of this cone. I can see activity at the very bottom. It looks like a lot of people in a circle and… Fairchild and I think the team she led in Keystone are in the middle. This isn't good. We need to get down there now."

Down below, Caitlin Fairchild was feeling a few emotions but the main one was disgust at herself. She had failed. The disappearance of Oliver Queen's friend from his cell caused Harvest to order Lilith to examine everyone in the Colony, Ravagers and metas destined for the Culling. Although Fairchild's team of Ridge, Thunder and Lightning and Terra were good at hiding their thoughts, Garfield Logan, the one meta abductee Fairchild believe she could trust and would be valuable in the revolt was not. Only 16, he had been very frightened by Shadow Walker and didn't need to talk. Lilith, as poor a telepath as she was, saw everything. They were taken in their sleep and woke up in the crucible, surrounded by the young metas already brainwashed by Leash, prepared to fight to the death. Leash had them attached to his psionic wires, the blue skinned man dressed in his trademark purple outfit and the helmet Harvest had developed to help him focus and project his powers. He was the transportation for the Ravagers but also the slave owner. His wires could influence minds, which is why her team was unable to fight and the innocent metas around them were ready to kill.

A large part of Fairchild was nervous that her team would have to fight these innocents until Harvest, Shadow Walker and Warblade stepped up. She understood then, this was an execution.

"Too bad Fairchild. You had a great body, we could have had quite a bit of fun." Warblade told her, looking her up and down for the last time. Leash had forced her into her normal form and the way he was gazing at her made the woman sick.

Taking off his shirt, his upper body turned to metal and his arm changed into a spear. He jabbed the blade towards her chest and struck home.

Only it was the wrong chest. Standing in front of him was a woman he had seen news feed of. Superwoman. His sharp tipped metal arm hit her in the chest but went no farther. Instead he just heard a crack and the sizzle of electricity.

"You jerk!" Kara shouted. "You destroyed my chest piece!"

Grabbing the metal spear she twisted sending the man to the ground, then with a kick, sent him flying into the creature that must have been the shadow thing the rest saw at the South Pole. Kara was pleased to see the black creature fly back, telling her he did have a solid form.

"Wow, Fairchild, you are a lot smaller than the last time I saw you. Feel like bulking up?"

"I can't. The creature on the second level is controlling us. It's Leash. He has the metas surrounding us brainwashed to attack. They are innocents."

"The Flash is near!" Harvest told his Ravagers, backing up and drawing Kara's attention. She took him in, armor remaining stainless steel but obviously lighter since it did not slow him down, or he was incredibly strong. She noted the metal wings on his back and wondered if they were for decoration or functional. Then she took in his head, the metal covering everything but his mouth…

"You are so Voldemort! Can you see out of that thing? How do you smell? You have to be a mouth breather right?"

"Would you focus?! Leash! Second level." Fairchild reminded her.

"Yeah, I know. Why do you think I am distracting him?"

Kara knew, she could feel something moving down, some sort of energy and prepared to move if she had to, but she doubted she would. Movement in the air and a thunderous clap characterizing someone being hit with the force of a tomahawk missile told her Barry had found Leash. Immediately, Fairchild and her team were free and she bullked up, Ridge flexing the muscles under his rock exterior.

"He is on our side, right?" Kara asked to make sure.

"Yes I am." a deep voice told her.

"You can talk? That would have been helpful in Keystone City." Kara informed him. Barry blurred to her side.

"So the Flash was around. Did you kill my Leash?" Harvest asked.

"He really does looks like Voldemort." Barry agreed with Kara, ignoring Harvest and looking around. "So this looks like a lot of metas." The Flash took in the dazed teens behind glass walls.

"Most are innocent but a few are very aggressive naturally. They have been brainwashed and until it wears off they won't be very nice." Fairchild mentioned.

"Templar, release the metahumans, let the Culling…" Harvest order was cut short when he was hit from behind by the Flash, then the front again, almost falling when he spun, only to be hit again. None of the Ravagers had even seen Barry move. He was much faster than the last time they had encountered him.

"Who is Templar?" Superwoman asked, not sure if she wanted the answer.

"He is the director, second in command." The girl Cisco had dubbed as Lightning told them. Before Barry could let that sink in however, Shadow Walker and Warblade were up. The Flash took them both in, then noticed the glass walls were down, the metas moving slowly towards them.

"They are the most dangerous." Barry guessed thinking of Shadow Walker and Warblade. Harvest got to his knees and was hit by Barry again. "Him, not so much."

Kara used a heat blast on Warblade knocking the man back while Barry and Lightning tossed lighting bolts into Shadow Walker, who seemed to be affected but was not thrown back. The two continued, not stopping when a bright light behind them announced the arrival of the rest of the Justice League.

"Don't kill the metas unless you have to. They are brainwashed." Barry's vibrating voice told them. Kara ignored them, focusing on Warblade who was becoming very hot. She then switched to freeze breath, causing him to harden instantly and struck the man in his chest, her fist breaking through. Unfortunately the metal his body was composed of, recovered quickly and wrapped around her arm like puddy she couldn't shake.

"Flash, forget that creature! Take as many of these metas out as you can. All of them, put them to sleep. Firestorm attack, Atom protect Zatanna." Nyssa ordered.

"Keystone City team is on our side!" Kara told them, swinging her arm back and forth into the ground, the floor making a crater with Warblade's body. Her arm may have been stuck in him but that meant he was stuck to a much stronger Superwoman. Barry made a circle as the teen metas seemed to gain even more awareness and move towards the middle. All dropped quickly when the vibrating fist struck their jaws.

"Bring my true Ravagers!" Harvest yelled. The League and Fairchild's team stopped, all caught up in darkness. Lilith Clay had stepped onto a ledge above and exhibited her true power, the casting of illusions, and this one was simple, complete darkness. Seeing Clay above, and Shadow Walker reaching out for her, Kara shot into the sky, carrying the metal blob with ease. Omen seemed surprised to find Superwoman immune to her ability but didn't have time to dwell on it, because Kara swung an arm covered with a metal body at the woman, not only knocking her out but cracking her skull. The rest of the League recovered and took in the surroundings. Some of the stronger metas were standing up, only to be knocked down by Barry once again. Ridge was held back by Fairchild from attacking Shadow Walker knowing he could not handle the deadly creature.

"Valkyrie! Firestorm!" Nyssa commanded. Both stepped up immediately, Alex fired Harry's weapon along with Firestorm, trying to send a blast of pure protons into the creature. He was knocked back and Alex fired again, only to have the gun fizzle and spark. She dropped it just as it exploded on the ground.

Donna had wrapped her lasso around her fist and flew towards the creature, striking him in it's face. She had little affect and the group for the first time heard him laugh, a deep dark sound that did not resemble a human.

Harvest took advantage of the momentary distraction and lifted off. Before anyone could give chase, more meta's dropped from above. These were those like Shadow Walker loyal to Harvest.

John Diggle looked around for Wilson but did not see the little bitch. He opened fire on a huge metahuman, one who appeared Japanese only at least 9 foot tall with a large amount of fat on him. Beside him was an equally large man, only muscular and carrying a large hammer in one hand, neither wearing anything other than a large robe around their massive waists.

"Arrow, Valkyrie, Canary, Spartan, join me in taking down these two. Speedy, Rose Wilson is yours. Find her." Nyssa ordered.

"She is mine!" Diggle disagreed immediately.

"Wilson's father killed her mother. She owes him a blood debt and killing his daughter justifies it, not your brief torture. Pay attention to the giants! Fairchild please make your team useful or run."

Fairchild with a look at Ridge attacked Fuji and Hammersmith, Thunder using a sonic boom to bring the meta known as Windshear crashing to the ground before he could fly through the heroes with the two blades in his hand. Lightning continued to send blasts of electricity into Shadow Walker, holding him at bay but not defeating him. Donna dodged a tendril of dark matter and sent her lasso wrapping around the creature, Zatanna seeing an opportunity, reaching out with a spell and channelling the power of the Earth into Donna's lasso and her. The creature held, so Donna made contact with the ground with her bare hand and began channeling the power of Gaia herself, a technique she used for healing herself that she would never normally employ in a fight but the darkness radiating off this creature was greater than Hades. She needed more power.

Terra looked around and lifted the ground up, a column shooting under her feet straight into the sky, up through the cone and once at the top she ran. The teen only wanted to escape this hell and saw a chance.

"Hawkman, Hawkwoman, bring the Harry Potter villain back to us. I want him questioned." Nyssa ordered, questioned being her favorite term for tortured and/ or killed. Alex took advantage of the muscular giant's distraction by the Canary Cry Sara unleashed and powered up her glove to full power, Jumping onto the enormous sumo wrestler with one foot, pushing off and striking the enormous body builder in the side of the head. The shock sent him to the ground, and Alex flying in the opposite direction only to be caught by Ray and sat on the ground. Fuji moved towards her until an arrow hit his eye, causing the man to stop, and scream in pain. Nyssa slid between his legs, swords in both hands slicing the oversized tendons in his knees. Though not cut the creatures weakened tendons could not hold the weight and cracked, sending him to the ground. Sara landed on his face, driving the arrow home with her foot, deeper into the man's skull.

While the non metahumans were battling the giants and bringing them down, Kara was dealing with a metal blob that was slowly crawling its way around her body.

"Alright enough." she whispered and unleashed her heat vision at full power, The metal heated, the suit fabric on her arm not able to stand the temperature of metal that hot burned up. Warblade's head appeared from the mass of molten metal and screamed. He tried to back off her but it was too late. Kara screamed, more power than she had ever exhibited, wanting to get back to her daughter, the temperature so great that everyone in the crucible covered their faces except Barry who never took his eyes off of her. His retinas burned and healed in milliseconds. Warblade was bright red, no metal present only resembling molten lava and slid off her body. Still she did not stop and the man spread out, flattening on the ground, no longer resembling anything human. Stopping the vision but still feeling very strong she looked up at a scream. Carter and Kendra were both being thrown off the ledge they and chased Harvest onto.

Flying up quickly, she saw an energy wall present, a male on the other side smiling, obviously thinking he could not be touched. She swung and was instantly blasted back. Behind him stood Harvest and a man she guessed would be Templar, an older gentleman in a suit, not resembling Voldemort at all.

"Flash! Have a meta up here with some sort of energy barrier. I need to get through!"

Barry moved quickly, phasing through the energy field with ease. The meta did not have time to be surprised because a blow he could not see hit his jaw, sending him down. Fairchild and Ridge continued to fight Hammersmith, Ridge destroying the hammer and the rest JL and Ravagers pounded on the one giant left standing. Alex lowered her power but continued sending electrically charged blasts in the downed giant's eyes. Sara and Oliver continued to cut at the man's knees, Dig fired into the massive chest at point blank range and Nyssa stepped back to survey the scene. Most of the young metas were down but a few were coming too. If Leash were dead, she guessed the hold on them would be broken much like the paralyzing affect was broken on Fairchild's team.

Carter and Kendra were unconscious, from whatever happened above. Thea was searching for Wilson. Looking at Clay, Nyssa suspected Kara had cracked her skull and the young psychic wouldn't be using her ability any longer. Donna, the girl who threw lightning, Firestorm and Ray were holding the dark creature but making no progress on killing it. Zatanna was constantly throwing spells Nyssa could not understand but the dark matter did not disperse. The killing machine Kara had melted was cooled into a pool of red metal and showed no signs of reforming. She suspected his atomic structure was destroyed and the man who was metal was dead. Once again someone had left Kara with no other option and once again she had done what needed to be done.

Thea had climbed a rock wall looking for a hallway of some sort. She ran up the shaft she guessed must lead to the top, looking for Rose Wilson. She was not disappointed and had no trouble finding her quarry. Wilson was waiting for her, dressed in a skin tight yellow and blue body suit, katana in hand and face covered by a mask resembling the one her father wore in the uprising.

"I had hoped it would be your brother but I suppose I can start with you."

"For someone who hates her father and calls him a fool you sure do have an obsession about dressing like him and going after his enemies. Do you have any life of your own?" Speedy asked, dropping her quiver and bow and pulling the katana from her back. The two faced off, Wilson moving much faster than Speedy expected.

"You should know I killed your father, as well. I have his other hand if you are interested in seeing it before you join him." she told Thea while the two pressed blades.

"Damn, now I really want to thank you instead of kill you. I guess since you are determined to die today I should say thank you now." Speedy pushed back and landed a roadhouse kick and another roundhouse to the stunned Wilson. Rose flipped back to her feet quickly and the battle continued.

Above Kara and Barry looked at Harvest and Templar trying to decide what to do.

"We don't need him." Kara pointed to Templar. Before she took a breath Templar was unconscious.

"You truly are anomaly on the time line. Rip Hunter must hate you. Somehow you have made the Flash faster as well. I am impressed. I am also thankful. I have been doing much experimentation on young metas and had the opportunity to perfect cloning. You Superwoman have been an inspiration to me. I even made a man, a boy really, just like you. Your powers are so fun to copy. The strength was built in him five years ago but the laser vision was not as easy to replicate, but once I saw you I knew he had to have it. He is only five, just a child really, but I think you will find him quite the opponent. I even named him after you. Superboy is near."

The two heard two screams below, sounding like Jax and Donna.

"Go take out this Leash and whatever that thing is. They can't do it or would have by now. Be careful. Here, take him with you. I'm going to find this experiment."

Kara grabbed Harvest by the top of his chest plate and threw him behind her, sending him to the ground below with a crunch. Barry hesitantly did as she asked, running down, up again to Leash's unconscious body and tossing it to the ground. The metas around were awakening but it would be up to Nyssa to decide what to do with him. He appeared to be just a thin man, bald, in his forties only with blue skin. As soon as he hit the ground, Oliver jammed an arrow into his back. The man never moved again. The hold over the young metas was broken and in their place stood 16 confused teenagers.

The entire Justice League was concerned after Firestorm and Donna had been knocked back by the Shadow creature. Ray did his best but had to shrink to avoid a tendril of dark energy. Sara tried a Cry but it had no effect. The dark monster began moving towards the group, Alex and Dig trying bullets before being ordered to stop by Nyssa.

"Fairchild, what can stop this thing?"

"No one has ever figured it out." the red head admitted. Even Ridge and Thunder backed away, obviously frightened. Dig began pulling Kendra and Carter back as they lay unconscious. Tendrils of darkness rose from the man, at least ten and shot towards the group. The tendrils were stopped when Barry Allen ran into the monster.

Inside, Barry vibrating faster than he ever had before looked around, taking in the strange matter and make up. This thing was death, perhaps a man before whatever happened to him but now was solely the opposite of life. The neutrinos and electrons reminded him of a theory he read once on Anti matter. The darkness attempted to take over Barry, but was unable, the sheer speed he was moving at could not compete. Barry moved even faster, causing static electricity to build up and allowed it to explode.

The Justice League and Ravager members in the crucible, along with several of the young metas including Garfield Logan watched the feared creature known as Shadow Walker begin to shake, a light beginning to seep forth through his hide. A rumble and shockwave knocked all back to the ground as Shadow Walker exploded, his darkness dissipating and a blurry red form standing in his place, yellow lighting swirling around his body. Barry slowed down, and was soon clear to his teammate's vision.

Zipping over to Harvest he lifted the man to his feet and ripped the mask off.

"Wow, I really should have kept that on." he muttered, taking in the man's burnt face. Whatever had happened to this man had been horrible, perhaps horrible enough to drive him insane.

"Where are Speedy and Superwoman?" Olive asked immediately.

"Speedy is taking care of a blood debt. Where is Superwoman?" Nyssa asked the Flash.

"Looking for some clone project Harvest made. Supposedly inspired by her."

"Oh don't worry, he will find her." Harvest's raspy voice told them. "I made him myself, accelerated his growth for the past five years as well as his powers. The strength was a given but your girlfriend's other gifts gave me inspiration. Albeit he can't fly on his own, the anti gravity suit he has is more than capable. He is more powerful than she is."

"I doubt that." Barry told the mad scientist.

"Max Lord did it once. We need to find her." Alex told him, worry in her voice, thinking of Bizarro. She had a feeling Max had nothing on this bastard. Before Barry could agree they all heard an explosion up above. Kara had been knocked into the cone but remained in the air. A man, a teenage boy really, with dark black hair and a muscular body stepped out. His black suit showed his strength but the red glowing lines running along it most likely provided the anti gravity suit. The boy jumped out, grabbing Kara by the throat and both flew high out of the cone and out of sight.

"Kara!" Barry screamed and moved, running up the wall reaching the top and not seeing her. Then a boom above and he made out their small forms, high in the sky.

"We need to get out of here. Fairchild can you get these metas out of here? We can arrange transportation…" Alex offered.

"There are escape pods programmed two days ago by me to take all to various areas of the Earth in an attempt to confuse Leash. We will leave, those that wish to do so."

"Come back to Central…"

"No. A.R.G.U.S. must be watching you and I won't be involved with them again nor will the ones I have deemed to take care of. Go."

"Not without Speedy. The rest of you go and I will find her." Oliver told them.

"I'm right here." Thea walked out of a back entrance none had noticed before, blood covering her face. Judging by her smile and the body she was dragging by the foot, it wasn't her blood. "This woman is going to require medical attention."

"You didn't kill her?" Sara asked, surprised but pleased, as pleased as Nyssa was annoyed.

"Nah, she can share a cell next to her daddy. I'm not going to kill, even if she is a mass murderer. We are better than that. What happened to these guys?"

"We killed them," five voices spoke at once.

"Oh… okay… cool. So where is Supes?" Thea asked, checking out the giant bodies and the really blue dead man. The old man seemed to be still alive along with the flying Voldemort.

"She is up." Alex told her worriedly. "Way up."

A rumbling was heard in the walls, the floor shaking.

"Thought this place wasn't due for an eruption?" Jax asked, Martin confirming in his mind.

"We need to get up top. You stay put, we will be right back." Oliver told Harvest lying on the ground before firing two arrows into the man's knees. The armor wasn't as strong as it looked. Donna turned him over and ripped off his wings.

"Can't have you flying off while we take care of business. Whoever can't fly, grab a hold of my lasso."

Leaving the prisoners behind, Fairchild hustling off metas to escape pods, the JL went up top and landed at the bottom of the cone to find Kara and see what was causing the rumbling. If lava was flowing from one of the vents it would be bad, especially for the nearby villages. On solid ground, Donna saw Kara engaged in battle.

A battle of heat vision.

On top of the cone was a terrified and angry Terra, her hands raised and the rock around the cone trembling around her.

"Stop!" Alex yelled, an eye on her but continuing to look at her sister. Barry was trying to find a way to her, judging by the lightning in the trees going up, jumping in the sky and falling down again.

Her and Diggle knew the girl was trying to cave the cone in and raced towards her, slowly due to running up a large mountain. Alex fired an arrow at the girl's leg, missing the slim target. Carter and Kendra would have been faster, but instead they along with Ray, Firestorm and Donna shot skyward towards Kara.

Kara did not see the fastest man alive trying to learn to fly. The boy before her was making sure of it. He was strong, he was fast and his heat vision was nearly as powerful as hers. She hadn't seen anything else resembling her gifts and X ray vision showed her the suit was most likely the tech that gave him flight. He was a danger to her teammates even if he couldn't overpower her. She overpowered his heat vision, not blinding or killing him but knocking him back in the air, tumbling yards away.

"Stop this! There is no need for it. Whatever he did to you, he is done. He won't hurt anyone again. There is no need for us to fight."

Unlike Bizzaro this boy did not seem to have any understanding. He didn't respond and his face showed no emotion, nor any expression. It was as if the life wasn't there.

"He is a clone." Donna told her, flying up and joined by Firestorm, Ray and the Hawks. "He can't be reasoned with. There is nothing to reason. His brain has been grown to battle. I would guess there is no emotion in him. He doesn't have a soul Kara. He is a biological weapon."

"He is alive. There was something in him, he has… he is alive." Kara argued, struck by how similar this boy looked to pictures she had seen of a certain teenage Kansas farm boy she had been sent to protect. They weren't exactly the same but the similarities caused her to pause.

The boy attacked, not going to Kara this time, instead flying right in Jax, knocking him to the ground where the Flash jumped from a tree, caught him and ran him down before he caused a crater in the ground. Donna threw her lasso but the kid was to fast, dodging it. Ray fired but the blast had no effect, instead the returned heat vision fried his suit and sent him falling, his controls gone.

"Kendra, catch him. Carter stay back, do not attack. You either Donna. Go to the ground. I can handle this." Carter reluctantly obeyed his team leader, but Donna didn't move.

"We are comrades." Donna told her, flying up beside her. "Sisters do leave each others side in battle. I can take whatever he has. He isn't as powerful as you. Is he really a clone or perhaps from your former home?"

"No, I can see through him. He isn't Kryptonian. His powers are hardwired somehow into his DNA. Harvest is smarter than Max Lord. He didn't even need a comatose girl to turn into a monster. He just grew his own. I'm going to grab him, you rope the both us and take us to the ground. Barry can put him to sleep painlessly. He is fast enough and can vibrate into his brachial artery. If we can keep him asleep then…"

"There is no him Kara, but go ahead. Do what you must."

Kara moved, flying under a heat blast and grabbing the boy from behind, using her strength to hold him. Donna's lasso wrapped around both and she pulled but the strain was considerable. The three began lowering to the ground very slowly.

On the bottom, Flash ran up to Carter, while Zatanna tried to figure out a way to fix Ray's armor and was failing. She couldn't pronounce half the words Ray was telling her normally, much less backwards.

"Ray speak like you are speaking to the rest of us. Nobody knows what a damn data quantum processor is and she can't pronounce it backwards!" Jax scolded. Barry appeared before Carter.

"Get me up there!"

"To do what? I can't hold you if you are vibrating and you can't fly. Trust her. Her and Donna have this."

The rumbling caught all their attentions and they saw Alex and Dig had made it half way to the top. Oliver and Thea fired arrows that fell short of Terra. Alex fired her gun at the girl who saw the tranq dart coming and lifted a column of earth to block it.

"You don't have to do this? Its over!" Alex pleaded.

"He has experiments, he is still alive, Templar is still alive. It isn't over. They all have to be buried!" Terra shouted back. The ground under her erupted, the cone caving in, carrying her with it. Alex saw Terra trip, being to slide down, her arms waving but unable to control the onslaught of rocks around her. She heard her scream but could do nothing because the volcanic dome cracked. She saw several small metal pods in the distance launching from the other side of the cone, no doubt from the vent Fairchild talked about. But that was not chiefly on her mind. She and Dig were falling, the entire side collapsing. Before she could fall a foot, she found herself at the base of the cone then Diggle next to her, Barry's arms wrapped around the larger man.

Kara was having a difficult time, as the one Harvest dubbed Superboy began to head butt her from behind, busting her lip and nose.

"Donna hurry up and throw us to the ground!"

Donna pulled with every bit of strength Zeus gave her, sending the Kryptonian and the super powered clone to the ground, causing a huge crater. Donna landed next to it, her lasso loose but not able to see due to the dust scattered. The boy stood up first but was hit by an uppercut. The Flash ran towards him and hit him, swinging faster than he he ver had, and nearly knocking the clone unconscious. Barry made for another run but ran straight into a blast of heat vision, burning his shoulder, dropping him to the ground. Kara screamed and jumped the boy from behind, an arm around his neck. Donna tried to move in and hit him in the gut but his heat vision turned on her and she barely blocked it in time with her bracelets. Then the heat vision turned towards Kara's friends, her teammates, her family that were still standing.

She tried to stop his head from moving, the Hawks and Ray were trying to lift Zatanna, Thea and Alex, Donna torn between helping fly others away or helping Kara.

Nyssa ordered Alex to grab onto Carter's hand as she, Oliver and Thea prepared to attempt to fire arrows into the boys eyes. Dig fired but the bullets bounced off of the clone. Alex ran towards Kara, gloves turned on, prepared to fry the monster her sister was holding.

Superwoman saw her sister running, the beam of light slowly traveling towards her and the Justice League.

"Please don't make me do this. Somebody has to be in there." she whispered in the boy's ear. It was too late though, She couldn't stop the head from turning, the heat from the vision was affecting her as well and Barry had a hole in his shoulder he was vibrating to heal and she knew the moment it did he would rush into the laser again, probably try to phase through it. Alex was getting closer, planning to beat him in typical Alex fashion despite what the kid had shown in power. Kara moved her leg inside the boy's leg, tilted his head up, sending his heat vision up, then leaned back, flipping him face first on the ground. Both arms wrapped around him she twisted hard. The sound of his neck breaking was one she would never forget as long as she lived.

Kara slumped over the body, the area suddenly quiet. The cone had caved, crushing all those and all Harvest's work beneath it. Fairchild and her metas had gone somewhere, hiding most likely, maybe to start new lives, though Kara had no doubt they would see her again. Her family was alive. That was what mattered.

Her body shook with sobbing, her back to the Justice League, hoping to keep it unnoticed. All of them saw the rise and fall of her shoulders and gave her space except for Barry. He walked up to her slowly and pulled her off the boy. Looking at her he saw she had a lip busted in two places, a bruised jaw, her forehead was red and her nose was probably broken. Her teeth were covered in blood but none were knocked out.

"I could have killed him at anytime. I didn't want to." she whispered.

"I know. Kara he wasn't a person, he was an experiment that Harvest grew. He told us so."

"I saw pictures."

"What?"

"I saw pictures, Kal, he showed me pictures of him growing up once. When he was a teen, this boy… he could have been him. I killed him, just like Kal had to kill Zod. He was just a kid."

"He was a killing machine made in a lab."

"He was a person. He breathed, he had blood pumping through his veins and he had a chance. He could have had a chance."

"He never would have, baby. I know it hurts right now but…"

"I've never killed a person with my hands before. Not like that. His neck… it doesn't matter. He had no choice, no control, he was never given a chance and I had no choice." Kara sniffed once more through her bloody nose and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her suit that hadn't been burned off by the metal blob that used to be called Warblade.

"That bastard I melted, he didn't seem real to me, like some extra from a Terminator movie. This kid had all this power and no direction except the one given to him by a mad man. I had no choice."

Kara moved to the team who had been watching her. She took in the cone which had collapsed.

Looking at Nyssa, she asked for a report.

"Harvest and all the prisoners in the cone are dead, along with the girl who ran and caused the cave in. Fairchild most likely got all the young meta humans out. We won."

"Okay…"

"But we have much room for improvement. Frankly we need better weapons, stronger weapons. All our planning against the shadow creature and nothing worked."

"How …is it gone?"

"I destroyed it. I went inside it and destroyed the dark energy with my own." her husband explained.

"We need better weapons. Kendra and mine, our weapons are strong but not strong enough sometimes. The psionic wall we encountered knocked the hell out of us. My head is still hurting."

"Mine is too Prince Khufu." Kara agreed, trying to forget the sound and feel of snapping necks and focusing on being a leader. "Maybe we can work on something to counter that if we come across it again. We have room for improvement, we didn't have the prisoners we wanted but that was on the girl. We went in, saved a bunch of kids who escaped and defeated the mad man behind this. That is what matters. That and the most important thing, we are still alive. Good job everybody."

The teams reflection was cut short by the sound of choppers.

"Vietnamese?" Barry asked. Kara looked with her telescopic vision and sighed.

"Worse, A.R.G.U.S. Dig they are beginning to be a problem."

"They won't be. I promise Kara."

Firestorm walked up to the dead body of the clone, following the instructions of Dr. Stein. Standing over the body he unleashed fire, hot enough it affected everyone standing thirty feet away. Within moments the body was gone, even the bones dust. When the League looked at him questioningly he shrugged his shoulders.

"Grey's idea and he had a good point. We can't leave anything for A.R.G.U.S. to find that can hurt us. Since he is dead he should burn easier and as you can see, he has. If they got a hold of that body they would try to reverse engineer it. We don't need any other mindless creatures with super powers running around, especially being weapons for them."

"They wouldn't do that." Dig told him quickly.

"Wouldn't they? Your wife set you up hoping to get us involved. Guess what, she got what she wanted and you almost got killed in the process." Jax argued. Dig moved closer even though the man was on fire until Oliver held him back.

"Not the time Dig. Yo want to come back with us or wait for Lyla to land?"

Dig met Oliver's eyes and then looked at the ground. "I can't guarantee what she… they would do. I'm going back with you guys, heading back to Star City and having a very pointed discussion with my wife."

"Zatanna, you good?" Barry asked.

"Yeah." she answered tiredly. "Ekat su ot rats."

Just like that the League appeared in ST.A.R. labs. Firestorm split, Rays' suit was torn and practically fell off, Alex had a bruised jaw and a swollen wrist from hitting the giant at full power, then using a bow and handgun, Thea had a cut from a katana on her shoulder. Donna held her ribs but stood tall. The rest seemed okay except for Kara. Alex and Barry grabbed her arms.

"We need to get you under some sun lamps but get cleaned up first okay?" Alex suggested, Cait running up, trying to shine a pen light in her best friend's eyes.

"No, I want to see my daughter. Then I will get cleaned up."

Kara walked over to her mother and gently took the girl from her arms. Lexie smiled. Somehow that made it all better. Kara had to be strong. At the Volcano after killing the boy she lost it for a moment but pulled it together because she had to. She remembered Nyssa's words. A hero has to make the tough call sometimes. She made it today and faced with the same situation she probably would have killed him sooner rather than letting the others be endangered and Barry to get burnt. He was healed but the hole in the shoulder of his suit was obvious, as Jeremiah asked to look at it since Eliza was taking care of Kara. Finally Harry asked the question all wanted to know.

"We kind of lost contact when you were all in the volcano but heard a bit when you exited. It sounded like a war. How did it go?"

Kara looked up from her daughter pulling her closely to her and smiled through bloody teeth at Harry.

"We won. We saved a lot of lives and we survived. We weren't able to save the people who were responsible for this but we tried. We had to kill some of them before they killed anyone else. The main thing is we came back alive and now we are home. Thats a win. Mom, take her. I need to get cleaned up. She shouldn't see me and Daddy looking like a mess."

Kara and Barry walked hand in hand towards the locker room. Her powers weren't gone, she felt as powerful as ever and could feel her wounds healing. She would lay under the lamps for a while to make everyone happy, let Caitlin scan her body and ensure all was right with her, then she would go home, with her husband and daughter and dog and focus on what was important in life. She made the call, would live with it and not fret over it. That's what heroes had to do sometimes and if nothing else, being a mother had made her strong enough to keep going. If she had to explain this to her daughter one day, she wouldn't be ashamed. This was the price you sometimes had to pay when you put on the cape.


	52. Chapter 52

Do not own CW or DC characters.

A/N- Thanks as always for the reviews and favorites! I am beginning to get an idea of what is going to happen in each chapter and know it will go no farther than Chapter 60. I already have my next story worked out, a hopefully much smaller Supergirl story and an AU focusing on what would have happened if Karaand baby Kal El had traveled in the same pod and reached Earth after the Phantom Zone. The Danvers, evil Hank Henshaw, J'onn Jonzz and young Alex and Kara sharing adventures and bonding. It should be fun and since it will be set way before any of these shows started it won't interfere with the current seasons. The first Arrow and Flash I thought were awesome. Arrow is going back to its roots and I love it. Flash, well I am glad Flashpoint as far as the world ended in the first episode and the ramifications will be dealt with plus Dr. Alchemy! I'm pretty excited for LOT also. The extended trailer looked awesome and the four way crossover looks to be guy who created the SG show said Kara will be traveling dimensions quite a bit this year so it should be a blast. Okay, on with the story.

Chapter 52

"He was from the future." Kara told the gathered League the next morning. "He said I was an anomaly in the time line. He mentioned Rip Hunter. He also seemed to think I made the Flash faster but I don't know what that could mean. Maybe he knew Barry in the future or read about Barry. He obviously had tech that was not developed yet."

"Either way he is dead." Oliver pointed out. "And technically it is true. If you hadn't shown up in Barry's life he never would have had the reason to work as hard as he has to get as fast as he has."

"It's too bad that girl went nuts and caved in the dome. Fairchild is in the wind with a lot of metas and everyone else who could have told us anything about this guy or his organization is under a couple thousand tons of rock." Diggle said, sounding disappointed.

"Too bad? I hated to see her die but she saved us a whole lot of trouble. That guy had experiments and if any one of them were as strong or even half as strong as the one Kara fought, who knows what kind of hell would have been unleashed." Oliver reminded him. Diggle didn't seem to agree.

"We aren't a hit squad Oliver. We would have taken them in."

"Is that what you wanted to do to Wilson, John? I had a feeling your desire to find her was of a more personal nature, one would think it was a vendetta." Nyssa offered, agreeing with Oliver. The metas were deadly, the two giants, the shadow creature, the flying man with two swords in his hands. Had Barry not been able to do what he did, Nyssa believed they would all be dead or still fighting that thing. Had the so called Ravagers of Harvest been left alive she would have killed them herself. "I seem to have heard tales of you killing in revenge." John flinched at that and looked away, not wanting to think of his little brother and knowing Nyssa would be the only one to bring it up and not give a damn. At least unlike Oliver, Thea and Felicity she was not afraid to bring it up even if it hurt.

"That wasn't a hit squad, John, that was a rescue operation. He was willing to let a bunch of kids kill each other for the right to stay alive and serve him. We knew going in that they wouldn't just give up. We knew they would fight and some would die, either us or them. It wasn't murder, it was self defense." Sara reasoned.

"Thats why you stomped on that arrow, driving it further into that giant's brain after he was down? Self defense?"

"Thats exactly why." Sara confirmed.

"What about you, Oliver? That Leash guy had been thrown off a ledge. He wasn't on the ground for two seconds before you stabbed an arrow into him. I thought we didn't do that?"

"We don't. I did what was necessary. He had a psychic link to Fairchild, her team and the young kids around. Strong enough that he could brainwash them. The only way those kids could be free of him forever was to make sure he was dead." Oliver told him, rubbing his forehead, feet kicked back. Though you wouldn't know it, all of them were hurting. Kara of course healed and the hole in Barry's shoulder blurred away but the rest were hurting. Even Jax seemed to be tired this morning. Ray had taken quite a few hits and Carter and Kendra were still walking stiffly from the energy wall they had crashed into. Sara, Alex, Nyssa and Oliver were bruised all over their torsos, Alex's wrist was sprained from the highly powerful punch she landed in the giant that sent them both to the ground. Thea needed stitches in her shoulder and thigh from her fight with Rose Wilson. Zatanna could barely keep her eyes open and Kara had asked her twice to go back home and sleep but she refused. Donna was fine, of course, but Oliver suspected the power of dragging that clone to the ground and fighting the Shadow Walker had her worn down as well. They all needed a day off or a long weekend. Barry though physically healed, looked tense, holding his daughter, and Kara had that look on her face that Oliver recognized well. Guilt.

She seemed relaxed, smiling at Lexie, cooing at her while she lay in Barry's arms, but her eyes when she looked away, no one else caught it but he bet Alex and Barry did. He did. He had that same look the first time he broke someone's neck. Killing in battle is different in that it is usually done with swords, or arrows, or in a meta's case, powers. But the feel of causing death with your bare hands, feeling the bones break is more impactful, deeper, more disturbing. He suspected it was also the first time Kara had been in a battle with someone she really did not want to hurt and it showed. All of them knew that yes, the clone was strong, he had powerful heat vision and some suit that made him fly but they also knew Kara could have crushed him if she wanted. She could have blasted his own beams back into his eyes instead of stopping short and stunning him. Kara really did not want to hurt that clone, a kid in her mind.

And she was of course, forced to kill him before they were all killed. He never wanted that for her but her decisions were based on two things now, protecting her family and staying alive. She was good at both and he was impressed with the show she was putting on. Those who didn't know her as well as he or Alex or Barry did would think she was unaffected.

She wasn't.

And now Dig decided to Friday morning quarterback.

"I can understand that but it took you…"

"Shut up." Barry told him quietly, surprising everyone. His voice never rose because he was holding Lexie but Oliver suspected it would have if the baby had not been here.

"Excuse me?"

"Instead of second guessing us taking out a group of people who killed the entire squad your wife got you to lead, why don't you explain to us why A.R.G.U.S. helicopters were on scene almost the second the battle was over? Felicity is the one who found the signal and I know she didn't call Lyla. Why were they there? Vietnam is a little out of their jurisdiction. We got you back when she asked, We agreed to get Fairchild out and save those kids so they could live and no more A.R.G.U.S. employees had to die. We told her we would handle it and we did. Why were they there?"

"I don't know Barry. I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet. She probably wanted to help. As far as finding out where, she knew the volcano we were close to when I was taken and I would imagine a dome caving in on itself gave her a clue."

"Still doesn't explain why she was there. Of course I bet from what she knew, an organization like hers would be very interested in what is buried under that rubble. Tell her not to bother. If our satellite picks up either Vietnamese or A.R.G.U.S. trying to retrieve experiments or intel on metas I will be there in seconds and make sure none of them succeed."

"So you are the police force for the world now?" Dig asked, leaning forward on the table.

"I'm just the one telling you the fact. When you have your conversation with your wife you may want to mention that."

"Now wait a damn minute…"

"Let's all calm down. We could use some coffee." Oliver suggested. The scientists who had been trying to appear casual as they listened in and Winn, Felicity and Curtis who did not bother trying to appear casual were all relieved. Despite the win, there was tension in the air and the majority of it was between the League and the man they saved. It started when those helicopters arrived on scene.

The group broke up, some heading to the coffee pots and others just walking around slowly, trying to focus their thoughts. Oliver and Nyssa however were not. Instead they walked to a corner of the room. Barry tried his best to get Alex to change a diaper and she ran, laughing, knowing he couldn't chase her with Lexie in his arms.

"You know what you have to do." Nyssa whispered to Oliver. Unusually for her, she was dressed very casual today, seeming out of place in yoga pants and a simple white tee. That was all the testament anyone needed to show how tired they all were.

"Sara, Felicity, Thea, could you three come here for a minute?" Oliver asked.

The three women were apprehensive, Oliver's tone was that of the kind hearted big brother, the caring friend, the persona that hid the hero to some and killer to others.

The Arrow checked to make sure Dig had left the room, knowing that his good friend, his best friend before he moved to Central City had walked outside to cool off. Oliver realized thinking about him that Dig probably wasn't his best friend any longer. He still loved the man as a brother but wondered if he had a choice between losing Barry and Kara's friendship or his, who he would decide between. Oliver knew though, and that was one of the problems.

He told the three gathered women, all friends of Dig, all part of Team Arrow at one point or another, his thoughts on one of the three original members of Team Arrow. Oliver had been to hell and back with Dig, they had saved each other's lives countless times and Dig and Felicity were his only friends after Tommy died and Laurel had tried to drive everyone away from her, friends and family.

"Ollie…" Sara started, then stopped, looking at the floor, wondering when life had become so complicated…" do… do what you think is best."

"He will hate us." Thea told her brother.

"He will hate me. He has hated me before."

"He is going to hate us." Thea told him again.

"So you say no?"

'No I'm not saying no. Lyla… Lyla is under some intense pressure. She has to be, especially since it is probably widely known by the Government already that we attacked a volcano filled with metahumans. They are going to want information, want an in and she is going to try to use him again. She won't have a choice and she will be telling herself that it is for his own good but he is going to be torn apart. Its better if he is getting pulled in two directions that the one he goes towards is his wife and daughter."

Oliver took a look at Felicity and saw what he could have sworn was relief. "Do what you have to do. I back you. I always will, you know that."

"Not a hard decision was it? I thought you two were the closest?" Nyssa asked, already knowing Felicity's mind. After Nyssa's father's death, Diggle held a grudge against Oliver for what he done to all of them. Felicity had every right to hold a grudge as well but instead she left with Oliver, moved to the suburbs, lived the American dream. No matter what he did or became, where the Arrow went, Overwatch would follow.

"He was the reason… I mean his brother… I just…I can't, I'm sorry." Felicity walked off quickly, the others in the room noticing and some wondering what Oliver had done this time. Holding her daughter now, Kara met his eyes across the room. She knew, she heard and she understood. The woman never would have brought it up to Oliver and was secretly glad she didn't have to. He winked at her and faked a smile, then walked towards the front of the lab, where he suspected Diggle was. He found he was correct, Dig pacing in the parking lot.

"Hey man. I've been trying to call Lyla but the cell reception, she cuts in and out. Why the hell is Barry acting like that?"

"He isn't acting any different than if you were concerned about Sara. You would react the same way. I seem to remember a time when you hated A.R.G.U.S. too."

"I hated Waller."

"You didn't even know Waller. You didn't have enough history with the woman to hate her. You hated A.R.G.U.S. the shadowy black ops organization that did whatever it took to get what it wanted, no matter how many innocent lives were destroyed. Your wife isn't an organization, she is the head of that organization, meaning she is part of it. She set you up, she followed us, hoping to take any tech they could find, maybe interrogate this Harvest guy and claim it was for the greater good."

"As opposed to killing him? For a guy who swore a vow never to kill again, you have been breaking that vow quite a lot Oliver. I thought this club was supposed to be about justice?"

"My vow… I've broken vows before. Every time I have told myself I would never do something again even if it meant I died, that survival instinct set in. I used to be haunted by the lives I took. Now I am haunted by the lives I didn't. How many has Slade Wilson killed because I let him live? How many lives did Merlyn take? How many lives did Darhk take?"

Oliver looked the man in the eye when he mentioned the last. Diggle blamed himself for Laurel's death and though Oliver didn't, he knew he would have to use it.

"So what, you are just going to start killing again? Is that was this is turning into?"

"We didn't kill everyone Dig. We could have killed Harvest and Wilson, Clay, Templar, but we didn't. We had every intention of taking them in, probably to A.R.G.U.S. because as much as I hate to admit it, I don't know who else could have kept them. But we didn't get the chance. That wasn't us. Barry didn't have a choice to kill that shadow meta. Guess what? It was a monster but it was still a human of a sort. Is it for you to decide if that monster should live or die but the monster that started all this should live?"

"Apparently it is Nyssa's decision. When the hell did you two become so chummy? You used to tolerate each other. Barry and Kara may be the supposed leaders but you two are calling the shots. Whose idea was it to put the assassin on the team in charge of deciding rules of combat?"

"Barry's. It was his idea, and he was right. She is impartial. She was also right, you did want to kill…"

"I wanted payback! I didn't want to kill her."

Oliver saw the flinch and knew that Dig was lying to himself.

"Nyssa and I do not call any shots. We didn't make the decision to stay away from A.R.G.U.S., Barry and Kara did."

"Yeah and Lyla said you obviously approved. That was before you threatened to kill her if she talked about where Kara was from right? I love the girl too! She wouldn't do that!"

"Lyla can't be trusted." Oliver told him bluntly. Dig was surprised.

"You are telling me I can't trust my wife? You? You know how many reasons I have not to trust you and I have let those go!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have. Thats not the point right now, is it? She set you up to get us involved. Maybe she told herself that wasn't what she was doing but it was what she did. She was waiting for us after the battle and if Firestorm hadn't burned that clone you can bet she would have had that thing in a lab before Zatanna could get us home."

Dig took in Oliver, his face, his mannerisms. He thought he knew everything about the man but was beginning to wonder.

"She wouldn't do that. I trust my wife."

There is was. The target. Dig had held it up himself with a very big bullseye on it. All the Arrow had to do was fire.

"John, you have trusted family before." he told him gently, knowing it would hurt the same but he couldn't be more direct. "I think you shouldn't be involved with us."

Diggle stepped back in shock, but staying quiet as he usually did.

"Dig, Lyla is going to want you to give her information on us. You are going to be torn between your family and the League. While you may trust her, after the last couple days I guarantee not one person in there trusts her."

"Oh yeah? What about Felicity? Thea?"

"Yeah, they don't either John. They love you so I would appreciate you just taking my word for it but if you have to ask feel free."

The large man's shoulders slumped. "They blame me, don't they?"

"No they don't."

"Yeah Oliver, they do. Felicity hasn't looked at me the same, Thea is better at hiding it but… Andy didn't just get Laurel killed, I… we kind of ended that night, didn't we?"

Oliver tried to control his emotions but unable, turned his back to his friend so he wouldn't see the red in his eyes.

"Dig, one day you may have to choose, your family or us. The choice will always be your family. I think it is better if you make that choice now and go to them."

Dig nodded his head, looking at the ground. "I know why you are doing this. I get it Oliver. I know Felicity and Thea blame me for Laurel's death, I blame myself and I know you blame yourself because its what you do. But… we would have maybe not moved past it but learned to live with it, learned to live with each other. But I get it."

"Dig…"

"I love you Oliver. I know you love me. Brothers right?"

"Yeah." Oliver whispered sadly.

"But that little bundle of joy in there, you may have broken some oaths before but protecting that girl is one you will never break. The biggest threat you see to her is A.R.G.U.S. I think you are right. I appreciate you not,,, saying what you could have said."

"I wouldn't, or at least I couldn't."

"I'm uh… tell everybody I had to get back to Star City, pick up Sara. Call me every now and then, okay? No shop talk, I just want to know you are okay."

"Count on it." Oliver told him, pulling him in for a hug.

"Hey, Kara and Barry, just don't let them…"

"It's too late. They already are. I thought I could protect them, do the things that needed to be done so they wouldn't have to. That ended though. It ended when she became pregnant. The first time they heard her heartbeat, the first sonogram, the first kick and holding her for the first time. They will never like killing but they will do it in an instant if it is necessary. John, please, talk to Lyla, do what you can to keep her away from the League. Get her to convince the President that a war would only end badly for them. Tell her how fast Barry has gotten. Its okay because you aren't giving up a secret. They need to know that those two couldn't be beat on their own much less with the team we have. Any attempt to interfere… It wouldn't end well."

"I know. Take care."

Oliver watched the man he had fought countless battles with, who had saved his life more than once, who had drank with him and given him advice when he needed it. Who while judging, never interfered, letting him make his own dumb mistakes, walk out of his life, for all intents and purposes. They would still talk, call on holidays but the days of fighting side by side, taking on the world, were over and it killed him.

"You didn't have to. I know why you did and I know it hurts you. It hurts me. The man saved my life. He fought for my family. We could make it work. Maybe we can talk to Lyla…" Kara offered, meeting Oliver in the parking lot. She had tears in her eyes but they wouldn't fall. She had to be stronger than that.

"Lyla Diggle, nor any other member of the Government are to ever become involved with us. Too much is at stake. I used to be a killer. Then maybe I became somewhat of a hero and a killer. But now, I am a protector. Remember? Protection isn't always physical, Kara. All it would take is one of those agents or even Lyla to find one strand of her hair that may drop off and have a DNA analysis. Felicity owns their system. Her and Curtis have started a cyber attack A.R.G.U.S. doesn't even realize is happening. Everyday she is learning about more A.R.G.U.S. hideouts, mission reports, labs, experiments, prisons and different servers they keep the secrets they really don't want getting out. We do this to stay ahead. We do this to avoid a war and we do this to protect your daughter. I love Dig but he was a threat and he knew it, even if he didn't mean to be. It's done. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I hate that you just lost a friend and…"

"Kara? This is me. How are you?"

"I'll never forget the sound of his neck breaking." she admitted. "He was innocent. But I did it. He didn't leave me with a choice. If it had been the two of us, I could have wrestled him, knocked him out eventually, but when he used his heat vision on the ground, too many people could have been hurt. I had to do it and I would do it again."

"Good. You made the right call. You also were merciful, whether you want to admit it or not."

"Merciful? Snapping his neck was merciful? At least the metal guy was a person who could think for himself. He knew what he was doing and asked for it. This kid…"

"He was a clone. He had no mind of his own. Everything about him was preprogrammed. That's no way to live. Did I ever tell you about the first time I broke a neck?"

"No." Kara admitted, giving it some thought for a second. She was one of the few who knew most of Oliver's history but could not think of that one.

"It was on the island of course. I hate to admit this to you of all people, but I killed a bird."

"You bastard!" Kara told him, only half kidding. She loved birds.

"I knew that would be your response. I kill hundreds and we are good. I kill a bird…"

"I'm kidding Oliver… sort of. Why did you kill the bird? This better be good. The bird had better have been carrying a machine gun or something."

"No, no machine gun. I told you that Yao Fei took me under his protection, literally kept me alive. He taught me a lot but the most important thing he taught me was killing that bird. I was starving. I had just seen Sara die, my father murder a man and kill himself. I washed up on that hell and after burying my father took an arrow to the shoulder. When I woke I was so hungry I thought I would die. Keep in mind till that point in my life, if I didn't feel like getting out of bed for breakfast, I had it brought to me. I still can't believe I lived through the island. Anyway, Yao Fei had caught a bird. He was already eating one, having roasted it over a fire and even as small as it was, it smelt like the best food I… there was one more in the cage. He kept pointing to it and saying shengcun. I didn't understand what that meant and he wasn't volunteering. He hadn't even spoke English to that point. I begged him for food and he kept saying shengcun. It took me a while but I realized he wanted me to kill the bird myself. So I did. I still remember the feeling, the blood and feathers on my hands, staring at them. I had never killed anything in my life. Yao told me shengcun meant survive. It wouldn't be the last thing I had to kill if I was to survive the island. He was very, very correct. That is the situation you are going to find yourself in Kara, on occasion. I know you would kill for your family and you have. But there are times you are going to have to kill an enemy to survive because you have to be there for your daughter. Never hesitate, never second guess yourself. Shengcun."

Kara thought of what he said for a moment.

"Oliver? Have you ever thought of writing children's books? Because if you have, please don't."

Oliver laughed and punched her on the shoulder, the two going back in. The League had lost a member. Oliver would get Felicity to change the codes on the doors to the lair and fry the systems remotely. Everything he needed from there was here now and they wouldn't be going back. He hoped John stayed out of trouble or had the sense to ask him for help and not A.R.G.U.S. but it was not his decision any longer. The Arrow knew, come what may, if nothing else, he wouldn't die alone in some underground lair. That would be enough.

Before the meeting broke up and all retired for some much deserved rest except the two new parents, who had work and a business to open plus a little girl who demanded attention. Kara also noticed Charlie had not been licking her face as much. She knew he was annoyed he had been left behind and wasn't happy with her appearance the night before. Superwoman admitted she looked a bit like a horror movie extra and wished she hadn't let Lexie see her like that, but she needed to hold her daughter.

Before the entire lab emptied, she made sure Alex had left and then grabbed Sara.

"Hey can I talk to you?" Kara whispered, making sure neither Nyssa or Alex had doubled back.

"I don't care what Alex says, I am not quitting." Sara told her immediately. Kara shook her head.

"Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't let you. We are sisters in battle. Donna has taught me those are few and far between. You and Alex are as well and whether either of you like to admit it you like each other. I need information. You know about ancient ceremonies, ninja stuff from the Panda land…"

"Nanda Parbat."

"Yeah, thats the one. Have you ever heard about a ceremony involving King Cobras, a Bengal Tiger and a stolen sock?"

Sara dropped her head.

"Nyssa right?"

"Yeah, she has been giving me instructions. I told Alex I wanted to organize the wedding and I do but all I am getting is these weird requirements. I'm beginning to think they are screwing with me."

"No Kara, I don't know of any wedding ceremonies or ceremonies at all for that matter that require a Bengal Tiger and King Cobras. I would have definitely heard about that."

"And no divorce proceeding that require a sock from the ex to be burned?"

Sara couldn't hold in her laughter any longer. Kara's face turned red.

"I should have let you hit her in the head with the staff. This will not go unanswered."

"Oh yeah? I like it. I probably shouldn't get involved though. Mine and Alex's cease fire is tenuous at best."

"And yet the two of you work so well together in fights. Face it, you both like each other and are too stubborn to admit it. But I understand. This is… yeah, this may be Ray's building now and the Justice League's headquarters but its still Team Superflashes house and nobody messes with our house."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure but it sounds good. I heard the nobody messes with our house thing on a commercial. Football players were involved so it sounded violent. Thanks for the info Sara. I got this."

Later that night, after a long day of visiting the station and watching the officers watch the news about the geological event in Vietnam and being besieged by a thousand questions, along with a grumpy Lexie and a day of painting but no customers which she told herself didn't bother her, Barry and Kara sat with Caitlin and Cisco in their living room. Barry barely held in a smile as Kara explained the grave grievances she had suffered.

"Stop smiling Barry, this isn't funny. My days of playing the dumb blonde are over. They started a war. I took down Ray Palmer and I will take down the great Nyssa and her sidekick Valkyrie."

"Side kick?"

"Yes Cisco, side kick. That is the politest thing I can think of to call her right now. In the past, in my younger days…"

"You are 26." Caitlin reminded her.

"My younger days, I would have simply called Eliza. Eliza would sit Alex down and lecture her while I listened with satisfaction from the bedroom and then swore to Alex I had no idea how Eliza found out. But I have grown, learned. My daughter will learn to handle these things on her own and I will be the example. So what are we going to do?"

The three looked at each other.

"You don't have a plan?" Cait asked.

"Uh, we are Team Superflash. Me and Barry do the fighting, you guys do the thinking."

"You wrote an equation on dark matter that Harry and Martin are still trying to figure out." Cisco reminded her.

"Thinking about my childhood lessons brings me unimaginable pain." Kara tried, playing that card again.

Cisco wasn't buying it. "You are so full of…"

"Hey!" Barry spoke up quietly, Lexie nearly asleep in his arms. "No bad language around my daughter. She is right guys, we are a team. We need a plan. One that ends this in one single stroke. Nyssa is a master tactician. We cannot give any room for retaliation."

"Give her what she wants." Caitlin told the three.

"I am not flying to India or Egypt or anywhere else to grab giant extremely poisonous snakes or a Tiger or stealing one of Oliver's socks."

"Maybe not but we can make them think you did." Cisco realized, a grin on his face. "I like where you are going with this Dr. Snow. We are going to need some cameras, small ones so we can enjoy the show. I can build the toys tonight but to make it life like we are going to need some sound gifs, Caitlin. How much can you learn about the movements and sounds of poisonous reptiles?"

"As much as I need to by tomorrow afternoon."

"Caitlin and I will take Alex and Nyssa out tomorrow night for dinner to talk about the wedding." Kara decided. "I will bow out at the last minute. Their security is going to be a problem."

Cisco laughed. "Please, I think I can hack a security system or better reboot the thing. Since my boy here has gotten fast enough to phase objects through walls getting a couple big crates shouldn't be a problem. A few seconds is all he needs. The system will take thirty seconds to reboot."

"Cool, its on then. You can make it life like Cisco?"

"Yeah… but to really make it move, if you want to use a sack we could use a couple million nano bots."

"Got it." Kara picked up the phone and Ray answered immediately.

"Whats up? Fight? Farichild? Harvest not dead? I am down with it, where is the battle? I can be there in…"

"Ray! Calm down. Cisco is going to ask you for some equipment tomorrow, Be at the lab at 6 AM and he can let you know what he needs."

"Uh… what kind of equipment?"

"The kind needed for a practical joke. It will be great. We will let you see the video when we are done. We just need a couple million of your prototype mini robots you got from the Bee lady."

"A couple million? Those things aren't cheap. Not that cheap anyway. Besides we are prank enemies, Kara. You painted my suit pink."

"You said you didn't mind."

"I lied. Why should I help you?"

"Because you use a really nice cologne. A unique one, I am betting very expensive. You are probably the only one who wears it in Central City. I have a nose for these things."

"Your point?"

"My point is you give us what we want and I won't mention to Oliver that I have smelt that cologne all over Thea for the past six months usually in the morning."

Ray said nothing, frozen in place, then looking back at Thea who was already in bed, looking quite annoyed that he had taken the call.

"Look Ray, I know Thea isn't a kid. She is an adult and can do whatever she wants. But after sleeping with Felicity in the past and now his little sister… I haven't said anything because I know what Oliver would do. We both know Oliver has his limits and while he wouldn't kill you he would severely injure you. Your face would end up with more scars than his torso. But I am starting to feel guilty about keeping this little secret from Oliver. You know we are close. I might feel less guilty if you give us what we want."

"I'll be at the lab at 5:45 AM. I wasn't planning on sleeping tonight anyway."

"I bet not."

"That isn't what I meant!" Ray denied, knowing that was exactly what he meant and hung up the phone.

"Okay, so that is taken care of. Who wants to watch a movie?"

"Ray and Thea?" Caitlin asked. Kara shrugged. The mission was a go. Team Superflash was back in action and Team Vigilante would regret the day they tried to play her for a fool.

The next night, Alex and Nyssa sat with Caitlin at Big Belly Burger to Nyssa's great displeasure. The taste and smell of french fries dipped in malts was as great temptation she would not give into.

"Uh, wasn't Kara coming? She is the one who called and asked us to be here." Alex griped.

"Yeah she called me too, "Caitlin confirmed "but then she texted and said she had some important deliveries come in at the docks."

"Deliveries? What kind of deliveries? A golden baby bed or a golden doggy bed?" Alex asked humorously. Cait laughed as well. Her phone buzzed and she saw a text from Kara that mission was in progress.

"Wow, I guess she got her deliveries. So lets talk about the wedding. Kara has mentioned some quite eccentric requirements? Maybe if you two could give me run down of the ceremony I could help her out with the planning. She won't admit it but I have seen her at the Gallery a few times this week. Between painting and taking care of Lexie and trying to manage a business I think she is really stressed out about not coming through. She looked pretty depressed, at least as depressed as Kara can. I think she is afraid of letting you down, Alex."

"She is?"

"Yeah, she just wants everything to be perfect, the way hers was. I've tried to talk to her but you know your sister. Always keeping the pain and the worry on the inside. She doesn't want to let you down. I know the , was it snakes? Yes the poisonous snakes are very difficult to get through customs. She said she had one option left and if it didn't pan out she would have to leave Lexie and the gallery for a day and fly to India. Walking through the forests and trying to track them down shouldn't be a problem. Her biggest concern is flying them back home. They will have to be in a bag of course and she can't fly very fast. It will probably take her all day. Did you know those snakes can be up to five and a half feet long and are one of the most venomous snakes in the world? I'm trying to develop a faster acting antidote, just in case one gets loose and bites a guest. The poison is a neurotoxin…"

"I know what it is Cait." Alex chuckled nervously. She had been certain Kara would steal one of Oliver's socks first. The wedding was six weeks away. Why in the hell was she worried about getting these creatures first?

The three chatted while eating, Alex and Nyssa doing their best to avoid giving a general idea of a ceremony they had not decided on yet, while Alex did her best to ignore the troubled feeling she was getting about Kara's absence. What could be so important at the docks that Kara would stand her up for a dinner she invited her to and not even be with Lexie? She bet that damn mutt was with her, probably wearing a mask. Her worries were allayed when she received a call from her little sister.

"Where are you?" Alex greeted.

"Hello to you too. Sorry I missed dinner but it was really important! The guy I contacted came through!"

"Barry?"

"No, a friend of Oliver's. I needed some things that were hard to get and Oliver knows people who know people. Not rich people like the ones Nyssa knows but more of the criminal sort. Its kind of weird that he knows so many criminals when you think about what he does now. Anyway, I had to come home to put Lexie and Charlie to bed. Barry is great at putting Lexie to bed but I like to kiss her and try to get one more smile before she goes to sleep. Plus Barry refuses to fluff Charlie's pillow."

"Kara! What was so important that you had to get at this time of night?"

'It's a surprise. I took it to your apartment. For some reason your security system wasn't set which worked out for me. I picked the lock but I did it just like you taught me and there is absolutely no damage to it. I think there was a power outage in the building. You may want to check when you get home. I'm home now, tell Caitlin I will call her after I put Lexie to bed. Love you sis."

Alex looked at her phone, then at the two women, obviously expecting an explanation as to Superwoman's whereabouts.

"Everything okay?" Nyssa asked, recognizing the worried look on Alex's face. Although Kara was practically invincible she also seemed to be the one who found the most trouble.

"We need to go home now. Uh… Cait, Kara said she would call you when she gets Lexie to bed and fluffs something on Charlie."

Alex drove quickly to their apartment, not answering any of Nyssa's questions because she didn't have answers. All she knew was Kara got in when the security system was down and left a surprise she had to pick up from a ship in their home.

Unlocking the door, Alex was relieved to see the security system was on and the system did not appear to have any damage. Strangely the dead bolt was locked and she wasn't quite sure how that was picked because the tumblers were double protected. It shouldn't have been able to be picked.

Her worries over the dead bolt were forgotten when Nyssa sucked in a breath, surprised. Not much surprised Nyssa.

In the middle of their spacious living room was a green box five foot high and six foot long. The box had small two inch size holes surrounding the top. In front of the green box was a large grey burlap sack.

The sack was moving. Alex could also hear something moving in the wooden box as it shook from side to side.

"There is hissing coming from the sack." Nyssa whispered.

"Okay… what do you think is in the box?"

"Get your gun and your sister on your phone. Use a silencer, we don't want to wake the neighbors. I will arm myself accordingly."

"According to what?"

"Just get your sister on the phone and find out!"

As Nyssa raised her voice a low roar was heard in the box and it shook harder, the lock on the front nearly cracking off the wood box. Alex hit the number in contacts quickly.

"Kara!"

"Hey Alex. Are you home already?"

"Yes! What did you do?!"

"What did I do? I'm confused. I thought you would be happy. I got you King Cobras, they are in the bag, nasty things, mean disposition. I figured you could pick the ones you like and dontate the other two to a zoo. They can't stay in the bag so I would recommend putting them in a bath tub. The tiger, I would just keep him in the box and feed him through the air holes."

"Kara," Alex started, trying to stay calm, "why are their cobras and a live tiger in my living room? The wedding isn't for another six weeks and… and…and…"

"Alex, these creatures are difficult to get through customs. A lot of bribes had to be paid and it was a small window of opportunity. I couldn't just leave my baby to fly overseas."

"Why here?!"

"Uh, that cat in the box is one of nature's most efficient killing machines. Those four snakes are on Discovery Channel all the time and it isn't because they are soft and cuddly. Lexie is not invincible Alex. Maybe she will be one day but I can't have her or my Charlie getting eaten or bit. I would expect you to realize that. You said these were necessary and important and I am doing my best to make you happy! When will it be enough for you? Aren't you happy? I thought this was what you wanted?"

"No… no sweetie calm down. It's… it's fine. I do like them. It means a lot to me that you got them but I'm just not sure what to do with them. The building has a strict no deadly or endangered predators policy."

"Nyssa owns the building, tell her to change the policy. I will help you find a place for them tommorrow. For now just leave them alone. The tiger should calm down once he gets used to the new surroundings and the snakes, just make sure the bag stays tied up and it won't be a problem. I'm glad you are happy. I'm trying to do the best I can for you. I really want this to be perfect. I love you Alex."

"Yeah… yeah love you too. Good… good night."

Alex walked back into the living room, gun in hand, screwing a silencer on. Nyssa had two very large swords.

"Are those…"

"Yep, four of them." Alex could hear the hissing. The movement of the snakes was obvious even though covered by the bag, natural, crawling and wrapping around each other. Nyssa and Alex side stepped the bag and both peered into one of the small air holes on top of the wooden crate. A tiger's eye met theres and a large roar shook the wood. Both heard a crack at the front. Alex saw the top where the lock was had been cracked, the enormous beast pressing against it. She threw her back against he door and planted her feet.

"Get over here and help me! The crate is giving out!"

Nyssa ran to her side and pressed then jumped back when the sack of snakes moved closer.

"Get over here!"

"No… those… let the tiger go. I will kill him, you handle the snakes."

"Why me? The snakes are fine. Its the tiger that is about to make us dinner!"

"I… I don't like snakes." Nyssa admitted.

"You don't like snakes? Wasn't one of the preferred poisons of the League, pit viper venom?"

"Yes it was. I didn't collect it myself. I can't stand the slimy, evil, disgusting, hissing creatures. They remind me of my father and Malcolm Merlyn."

"You are scared of snakes." A sweating Alex realized. "Unbelievable."

"I am not scared of snakes! I just don't like… uh oh."

"Uh oh? What uh oh?"

"The bag isn't tied very well. I think… one of them… she really did get cobras. What is wrong with her!?"

"You told her too!"

"I didn't think she would do it!" The bag opened and two snake heads appeared slithering out the long bodies following.

"Let the damn tiger go and kill these things. Shoot them! I'll behead the tiger when he comes out behind you!"

"No! You have the swords, kill them before they bite me and help me hold this tiger back or you … ow!" Alex shouted as the tiger hit the door once more, trying to force its way out. "just kill them already!"

"No, my swords… they aren't the right type. Jump onto the box and let the tiger kill them. I will join you as soon as he is free."

"I'm not jumping on the box! He could turn around and jump on the box. He is a tiger! They jump!"

Alex's concerns over strategy ended with one hard hit, sending her to the ground her face next to the snakes. She rolled away brining her gun up and firing into the box. Nyssa closed her eyes and swung down on the snakes, over and over again, not stopping, figuring even with her eyes closed nothing could survive her sharp onslaught of strikes.

"Nyssa stop swinging." Alex told her, anger and disgust in her voice. Nyssa opened one eye and saw a shower of sparks. In between the shredded bag pieces and the floor were parts of mechanical snakes. On close inspection one could tell they were not real. But the likeness from five feet away was amazing. Even the movements were fluid. Alex picked up a piece and looked inside, shaking her head.

"Nano bots. The thing is filled with them at the joints. They are dead now. I guess you hacked the power source."

"The tiger?"

"Take a look."

Nyssa peered into the cage, seeing a mechanical creature, mostly a steel exoskeleton with a furry life like tiger's head. The creature's skeleton was attached to the four corners and a column pushed against the front of the box, obviously controlled by remote. The tiger's head had four bullet holes in it, a credit to Alex.

"I… she… Kara… that little bit…"

Nyssa's curse was cut short by the ringtone that belonged only to Kara.

Alex answered but said nothing, putting it on speaker phone instead.

"I'm assuming I am on speakerphone. When you two are ready to talk about planning an actual wedding, let me know and I will make it perfect. By the way, Felicity gave me one of Oliver's used socks that hadn't gone into the washer yet. I put it in the top drawer of your dresser. I'm not sure if you call it your panty drawer or rope drawer, freaks. Lexie says good night."

The call ended leaving the two lovers alone in the silence, staring at each other.

"That… that was frightening. I admit I was a bit shook up. Do you think she really put a used sock in our rope… our top drawer?" Nyssa asked, guessing that she had. Alex shook her head. They would be shopping for new undergarments tomorrow.

"This wasn't just her. The dead bolt was set and she couldn't have picked it. Barry had to phase through and open it from inside so she could carry the boxes in or maybe he just phased them through. Those creatures, the detail, the sounds, that has Caitlin and Cisco written all over it. Knowing Kara she probably stole them or blackmailed Ray into giving them to Cisco."

"What are we going to do about this?"

"Nothing!" Alex answered quickly. "They… if we escalate… Kara has this way, she can make everybody do what she wants. Its one of her evil superpowers. She has… for all we know she could bring a crocodile in here. I guarantee she wasn't lying about the sock. The nano bots… she has something over Ray. If Felicity is involved… no we are going to let this go."

"I will not! I will hold her dog hostage until she apologizes."

"No you will not. That whole vendetta thing you grew up with is gone. Just… let it go."

"Alex…"

"She really will bring a crocodile in here! You didn't grow up with her. You have no idea what she is capable of! I taught her every underhanded move she knows! If we take Charlie, some sonic bomb is going to go off and Sara Lance will swing through the window with her staff and rescue the mutt. You know her and Kara have been talking and that woman would do anything to help her get back at us. Oliver Queen, he will give her whatever used laundry she wants. Barry… no security system can stop him. This cannot end well and honestly if you take her dog she will tear the wall out of our apartment to get him back, probably with glowing eyes and that damn black bodysuit You don't want to see that. Central City PD will arrest us for dog napping! Its over Nyssa. Everyone does what she wants! If she faked a tear thinking about dead puppies you would even hug her and you know you would. No, we are going to apologize, chalk it up to lesson learned."

"Everyone has a weakness. That dog is her most vulnerable spot."

"She killed her uncle and lifted a hundred million ton prison into space! She has no limits and she doesn't lose. Just drop it okay? We need to take the rop,,,top drawer out and burn the contents until we can shop in the morning. Then we need to decide on an actual ceremony. Me and my mother may have a great relationship now but if Kara has one conversation with a dose of puppy dog eyes and we are both called in for a lecture."

"Fine, but I will keep any eye out. She has made a prank enemy this day. One with a long memory."

"Yeah, like Oliver made an enemy of you and the two of you are besties now. Lets go to bed, hold each other under the covers with the lights on and forget this night ever happened."

The next three weeks were uneventful, other than Kara selling four more paintings and being commissioned to paint two family portraits. She continued to work on the actual wedding ceremony Nyssa and Alex had decided on and Barry's birthday party a week after the wedding as well as the fifth portrait she had painted of Barry holding Lexie, wanting to get it perfect. Alex did not have as easy a time at work. Central City had two gang related homicides she and Joe both caught along with Barry, who was much happier now that he saw Kara and Lexie at least once a day during work hours. The problem Alex had was not the work but the work place and Cisco.

Kara had told Alex and Nyssa the day after the wildlife incident where the hidden cameras had been and though she had no proof who did it, she suspected Cisco had leaked the video into a mass email sent to every officer in Central City. The three weeks had been filled with tiger dolls and fake rubber snakes left on her desk, every time she returned to work. Valkyrie had established quite the collection of toys.

At nine weeks old and nothing going on in the meta human world or the constant surveillance of A.R.G.U.S. Barry and Kara's world, as always, was focused on Lexie. She had developed a love for rattles and actually listening to sounds, becoming excited by them and trying to babble back when spoken to. Jeremiah and Eliza were actually allowed to watch the baby one night as Kara and Barry attempted to have a night out. Instead the two stayed outside mostly, leaving the movie and restaurants multiple times to run back to Kara's parents condo, staying outside using Kara's X ray vision to check on the baby and her ever faithful guard dog.

A week before the wedding of the ex secret agent and the ex assassin, the League was once again training at the police bomb disposal range. This time a crowd had gathered. The police had access to the site of course and since the training had been hard to ignore because of the constant sonic booms emitted from the area, they often gathered to watch. Carter and Alex still fought often and while Alex had stopped using live rounds, Carter had been put to sleep often and Alex still continued to have problems ducking mace blows. Cisco actually knocked Barry down once, using vibrational blasts but before he could repeat the powerful action, Barry had been up and cuffed Vibe with a BOOT.

Now the gathered audience were watching the showdown all had come to enjoy. Kara still had the advantage over Donna in the air and Wonder Girl and Superwoman still traded blows and practiced new strikes and holds on the ground, Donna once wrapping Kara's head with her cape, and pounding the woman of steel from behind. Now the two were fighting with swords that Donna had brought back from Themyscira, guaranteed not to shatter and as Kara learned, like Savage's staff, capable of hurting her. Magic was her new Kryptonite. The two still enjoyed the battles, Donna getting better at aerial combat and both improving at hand to hand.

A crater was formed when both women slammed each other to the ground, causing all the spectators to back up, except for Barry, prepared to break up a real fight if tempers actually exploded, not that they ever did. Like always, Kara and Donna climbed out of the crater, laughing, covered in dirt.

"Aren't you two cute?"

The voice came from above, no one having noticed the woman flying in and landing, being distracted by Donna and Kara's battlle.

Both women froze, eyes wide and Donna actually gulping.

Diana Prince stood in front of the women, taking them both in. She was covered in her minuscule armor, sword in one hand, shield in the other and the glowing lasso clipped to her side.

"How… how did you get here?" Kara asked, struck by the sight of the beautiful woman as were the police officers who had never seen her before.

"I'm a Demi Goddess. You didn't think I would figure out a way to travel between worlds? I had to see how the most powerful woman in the Universe and my little sister from another world are faring. Since this is training, your entire league is welcome to take me on but first lets see what you two have to offer. I hope you can put up a better fight than your baby cousin, Kara. Kal El seems to always fall for my tricks, still preferring brute strength to tactics. So, are you two ready for a real fight?"

Kara and Donna looked at each other.

"Why do I have the feeling we are about to get our butts kicked?" the blonde asked.

Donna sighed.

"Because we are."

 **A/N Next chapter, the Superwoman, Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman battle I have been waiting to write since the wedding. We will also have Alex and Nyssa's wedding and Barry's birthday plus catch up with our Earth three friends and their hunt for the Order. See you then!**


	53. Chapter 53

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N as always thanks for all the reviews and favorites. I have liked the first episodes of the new seasons so far and look forward to LOT tommorrow. I never watched much of it but the idea of the JSA being involved is too good to miss. I didn't get all I wanted in this chapter because Diana and Kara kinda hogged the whole chapter. The next chapter will be Alex and Nyssa's wedding and only Alex and Nyssa's wedding weekend. This one we also catch up with Earth three briefly. To the guests who have said I have glossed over the bet Barry and kara had, I have not, Kara has not forgotten but is waiting for the perfect time. It will happen. Also to those who are concerned about Barry and Kara being overpowered as hell I get that. Comic book Barry is pretty damn powerful. Its what he is supposed to be and judging by the seasons of the Flash he has gotten more powerful every year. But there is also a reason why I have made them this way. By the end of the story Barry and Kara will need very bit of power they can find to win.I had so much fun with this chapter I might put my SG story idea on hold and write a Wonder Woman, Supergirl story. That would be a blast. In Batman and Superman Apokalypse (sp?) the story was basically about SG landing on Earth as a teenager and Wonder Woman capturing her and taking her to Themyscira to learn to control her power. It wouldn't be like that at all but the idea of these two is so fun I'm sure I could come up with something. Alex and Kara on Themyscira fighting the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus? Sounds like fun right? Okay on with the chapter.

Chapter 53

"So… Princess Diana. Nice… nice to see you. Glad you figured out a way to… find us." Kara greeted her, faking a smile. "I'm sure, you probably want to relax from your trip…however the hell you got here. Why don't you come over to our house? I'm actually going to cook, like a real dinner tonight…I mean Barry is. He is a lot better than me. Donna! Donna was just talking yesterday about how much she wanted to see you, catch up and chat, that sort of thing. I'm betting that armor is cold, not being much of it and pretty cold out."

"It's 78 degrees. I feel fine but thank you for your concern." Diana told her, stepping closer. Kara took a look around quickly, her entire team, her parents, the twenty or so cops, even Joe and Henry had to show up today. Why today?

"Oh…okay. Do you need to stretch or… no, probably not a good idea for you to stretch."

"Kara, if you need time to prepare take the day. I am in no hurry. I'm sure all your enemies give you time to prepare for an attack. Perhaps you and Princess Donna could go shopping? Maybe get a manicure before we battle?"

Kara's worry took a back seat to her annoyance. This was her world, not some immortal Amazon's. Yes, this woman had seen many battles and wars but Kara was no stranger to either herself.

"May I have a moment please?"

Without waiting for an answer, she zipped over to Lexie in Barry's arms.

"Hold her up so she can see this." Kara told Barry. "Momma is about to take a demi goddess to school."

"Kara, maybe this isn't a good idea right now." Barry suggested. "We can all take her together. Maybe… probably?"

"I doubt it," Nyssa added, walking up with Alex and Oliver beside her. "She is strong, brave, incredibly smart and is probably the best melee fighter in any universe. The weapons she has, she could take us all out, use us against each other. We might win with planning but… it wouldn't be easy."

"Any idea you three?" the Blonde asked her three mentors in battle tactics.

"You can fly faster than she can." Alex reminded her.

"So use my speed in the air to take her? How?"

"I was suggesting flying away as fast as you can." Alex admitted, not filling her sister with hope.

"Lexie pay attention. Mommy is going to show you how its done."

Kara zipped back over to Donna who was still in a staring contest with her rival. Alex whispered to Lexie.

"Yep, you are about to see how its done. Just don't worry about Mommy. She is indestructible… I hope."

"You ready for this?" Superwoman asked her comrade.

"Yes. My mother will not hear that I was defeated by this woman. Diana acts like my mother is her mother and Mom loves it. I don't like it."

"Good. Motivation is good. Jealousy is good motivation. Just don't lose your temper."

"I have it under control."

The two women shot into the air and flew back a half mile, to give space between the adversary and the crowd. Diana followed, sword on her back, shield covering it. A look from Donna to Kara indicated the play. Donna flew in a wide arc, floating behind the one called Wonder Woman, according to Cat Grant, which was another irritation for the one called Wonder Girl by Cisco Ramon and all of Central City now.

Kara fired her heat vision towards the Amazon, who blocked as she expected. Keeping the power focused on her gauntlets gave Donna the chance she was looking for. Flying straight for the enemies back she was surprised when Diana broke away, Kara's heat vision striking Donna in the chest. Kara immediately stopped the blast but it was too late. Checking to see if Donna was okay, knowing there was a smoking hole in her suit, she didn't catch sight of Diana until it was too late. A fist in the jaw sent her flying through the air, end over end. It took a few seconds before she could right herself and when she did, Diana was on her again, a sidekick striking her head before Kara could duck. Another kick coming towards her gut was caught, Kara tossing the woman over her head by her leg then turning to track her. Diana righted herself, then felt a blast, not of heat but a blue streak landing a shoulder into her gut and titling her down, both crashing into the Earth, exploding the ground beneath them. Kara lifted Diana by the hair and tossed her up, Donna flying over head and catching Wonder Woman in the head with a fist.

Kara jumped from the crater and stood by Donna.

"Nice one." Kara admitted.

"Nice set up. Think she is done?"

Diana Prince stood up, wiped her mouth and smiled.

"You two are as fun as I thought you would be."

"Nah, I don't think she is done." Kara mumbled, not liking the smile on the armored woman's face.

Diana Prince raised her arms and slammed her gauntlets together. The blast shocked both women, Kara feeling like she had been caught in a nuclear explosion. Both of their visions were blocked out and both hit the ground hard, sliding half a mile.

"What the hell was that?!" Kara asked, as both stood unsteadily to their feet.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? How do you not know? Is that an Earth 3 Amazon thing? Their bracelets turn into concussion bombs?"

"I don't… look out!"

Donna grabbed Kara and threw them both to the side, a second before Diana's sword landed where they had been.

"Swords! Lets get the swords!" Kara shouted.

"You want to sword fight with her?! Are you nuts?"

"Kara, fight her in hand to hand." she heard Nyssa's voice from a mile away. "She fights like a Greek Warrior, fight like an assassin."

Kara took a look at the grinning Amazon and beat the ground, finding the bedrock, twisting and throwing a chunk of granite towards her, Diana did not dodge, thinking the toss was off until it hit her wrist holding her sword. The sword dropped and Kara was on her.

Diana was impressed. The two worked together somewhat well, Kara obviously stronger and faster than Donna, but Donna was much improved. She had hoped Donna would follow Kara's suggestion, looking forward to battling them both with swords but this was much better.

Kara for her part, used the fighting style Nyssa and Oliver had taught her. The hours she spent early in her pregnancy, practicing strikes and blocks on the wooden dummy, the Kali stick fighting, the quicker reflexes she gained without power translated to better technique fully powered. Instead of strength she used speed and a mix of martial arts that all the League had eventually gained, due to their constant training with each other. Superwoman landed shots to the woman's shin bones with her feet and though the armor hurt, she could tell the power was effecting the warrior on the ground. Following it up with blocks and blows to the head, both women stood their ground, Donna in the back, having a hard time keeping up with the blur of both women, Kara using the same techniques as Oliver Queen while Diana blocked. Kara saw an opening and swung as hard as she could, not a round house but a straight jab, into Diana's chest. Diana turned her back quickly though. Instead of her chest, Kara's fist hit the shield formerly belonging to Ares, cracking the bones in her hand. A quick turn by Diana and a lift of her shield and Kara was thrown back into Donna. Both woman stood up slowly, trying to shake the haziness from their vision.

Donna hurt. She had not taken near the strikes Kara had and felt beaten, the burn of Superwoman's heat vision very, very painful. Kara hurt as well. She had never had a broken bone when fully powered and felt it now. Her hand was healing but not fast enough. Diana stood in front of the two, no longer smiling, just staring with an unreadable expression. The blonde heard the crowd, now a mile away. She heard her mother tell Alex to stop this, she heard Nyssa and Oliver telling her to get up. Jax burst into flames, the familiar sound filling her ears. Wings flapping meant Carter and Kendra were preparing for war. She even heard the low buzz associated with Barry's blurring.

Some of the off duty officers were pulling weapons. Donna's lip was busted and bleeding.

Kara reached to her ear and opened the com.

"Nobody gets involved. This is my fight." she told the team. "Cisco, light me up."

Immediately her suit's solar panels activated. She looked at her hand, the broken fingers, cramping and misshapen. Without even thinking about it, her hand blurred, the bones mending in a second.

"I've had enough of this." Kara hissed. Donna had never seen this look in her eyes. She doubted anyone but Non ever had.

"You told me to never lose my temper." Wonder Girl reminded her.

"That was good advice… for you."

Only Diana saw the change in Kara. It wasn't the obvious rise in power she felt from the woman, soaking up the Sun's rays, powering her just as Apollo powered himself. That was not what had her worried.

It was the lightning that just flashed in her eyes. Deciding to control the woman before she went berserk, Diana tossed her lasso wrapping it around the blonde. Donna tossed hers at Diana, wrapping the unbreakable lasso around their adversary as well. Wonder Girl was surprised when Kara took her lasso and pulled Diana towards her. Both Wonder Woman and Superwoman wrapped the lassos around each other. Kara not being bothered by the pure energy of the rope trying to burn, tied the two together, face to face and head butted the Amazon, then shot into the air, Diana with her. Thinking the Kryptonian wanted to fight in the air once again, Diana did not resist, not even bothering to try and break the rope, letting Kara lead the way.

Until the air thinned.

Kara, knowing exactly where the edge of the atmosphere was, planned to test the Amazon's ability to breath in thin air and head butted her once more, dipping her forehead into Diana's nose, cracking it.

Diana in all her centuries had never flown this high before. She never had a reason. Kara's hand smashed onto Diana's wrist, causing her to loosen her grip on the lasso. Twisting out quickly but still holding Donna's she pulled the Amazon towards her placing her in a choke hold making it further difficult to breathe. Closer to the sun, solar panels active, Kara felt more powerful than ever.

"You are much smarter than your cousin." Diana gasped. "Quicker, better at hand to hand combat and much, much stronger. You still have a weakness."

"You think so? Because right now I am trying to decide if I should go to the ground and bury your unconscious body into the core of the Earth or toss you up so you can say hi to an old friend of mine."

Diana's head flew back into Kara's. She grabbed the blonde's arms and tossed her over and off her. Taking a much needed deep breath and realizing it wasn't possible because of the thin air, she kicked her armored boot out, catching the floating super heroine.

"You, me, Donna, everyone who flies without wings or power from heat like Firestorm, we generate our own gravitational field. You float in the air and when you hit you use the power of your arm instead of your whole body like you strike on the ground. Learn to make the air under you solid, densify and increase the gravity so you feel as if you are on solid ground. Then you can use the power of your hips in your swing. Like this."

True to her word, Diana planted her feet into nothing, the air feeling as hard as granite under her. She swung, starting at her feet, exploding her hips inward and the full force of her body was delivered into one strike, catching Kara and sending her higher. Kara felt the air grow thinner, the sky darken and wondered if she would float away and lose all gravity until a lasso caught her foot and brought her back down.

She shook her head, her vision cleared and saw Diana was floating in front of her, smiling.

"Can't have you floating off. I don't think your League would like me very much and it would put a damper on our friendship. Do you know how I did that?"

Kara looked down and noted with some alarm that she could see the curvature of the Earth. A voice was screaming in her ear. Caitlin.

"I'm fine Caitlin. Tell Donna to heal herself. Diana and I will be down in a moment."

"You are 60 miles above Earth right at the Karman Line! You didn't go this high tossing Savage! Get down here now! Two more miles and you are in space… again!"

"Wow. That is high. Tell Cisco to turn off the reflectors. I am fine. We both are."

To Kara's annoyance the reflectors did not turn off.

"I see your friends don't take orders. They are looking out for you. Thats good."

"How did you do that? It was like you were standing on solid ground."

"What do you feel? When you fly, what is it you feel?"

"The wind currents, the temperature of the air…"

"Do you feel gravity?"

"No. I know I generate my own gravitational field but have never felt it."

"Because your mind controls it subconsciously. If you can grasp onto it, you will fly even faster, using it for more thrust. How long can you hold your breath?"

"Uh… I don't know?"

"Learn. Learn to consciously control your gravitational field, wrap it around you, feel solid ground beneath you and throw your entire body into your strikes. There should be no floating after you hit someone, never any flying back from the force of your own strikes. Once you figure out how to use your gravitational field for thrust, no matter the situation, and how long you can hold your breath, you can fly in space until you need a breath."

"Really?"

"In theory. I wouldn't do it for fun. I have never tried it, but we are not manipulating the Earth's gravity, we are making our own. There is gravity in space, only very weak. If not for gravity the Earth and planets would not revolve around the sun."

"I thought you were all about magic?" Kara asked.

"I have lived a long time. I know and have seen magic. I have seen incredible feats of science in the makeup of metahumans. I have seen metahumans who have mastered magic, style themselves gods and goddesses and seek glory for themselves. Both have a place in this universe. I am both magical and metaphysical. The armor and gauntlets I wear, this lasso, this sword and shield, they are magic and magic is strong as I am sure your sorceress has shown you. Physical attributes are strong. A combination of both can be difficult to defeat. Donna's power has grown. The two of you have worked well against each other. A lack of opponents have not given the two of you the chance to fight as a team as often as you should but you both did well. The bond of sisters in battle is obvious. Again, I have to ask you, when you have the chance, spend a day at Themyscira. That is the only place on this Earth you will find those who can give the two of you a challenge, one where you are forced to work as a team."

"I will. I will find a day, one day. But my daughter… she has not…"

"She has not come into her powers. This Speedforce your husband controls, she has the potential in her body, doesn't she?"

"Yes."

"When her powers inherent to your DNA emerge, the potential she has to develop your husband's will activate. At least that is my theory."

"Yeah, I'm afraid so. I hope she is older, much older. Much, much older."

"When you have blown out your powers before, Kal tells me it usually takes a shock or surprise for them to fully return?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't let her be surprised and try to keep her calm. The terrible twos I understand are a particularly stressful time. Also be aware of the pain associated with teething. It could be something severe, or it could be something small, a tooth ache, a stubbed toe, A sudden move."

"Kara? Baby, can you have the Superhero bonding session closer to the Earth? Even Donna is starting to freak out about you being so high. I heard what she just said but trying to fly in space right now probably isn't the best idea." Barry told her.

"I'll kill your dog if you try it again." Alex added. "I don't have a space ship to pull your spoiled butt down this time."

"Be down in a minute." Kara turned her com off.

"Use your cape and wipe your nose. You are bleeding."

"You are too." Kara pointed out.

"Exactly. I can bleed. Your team will back you no matter what, but the officers below cannot see you lose. They have to see that you are the most powerful woman in the universe. They can never lose confidence. So that is what they will see. I am going to beat the hell out of you on the way down. Once we are near the ground you will be given one opportunity, one opening to grab me and toss me to the ground hard. Take it and the officers and your family will see you victorious. Miss it and it will be quite embarrassing for you."

"So you are going to let me win?"

"They shouldn't see you lose."

"Then why are you going to beat the hell out of me on the way down?"

'Because I can and you need to understand what it is to feel pummeled by a superior opponent and still keep your wits about you.

"They have to think I won? And you are going to purposely let me win. So what is this? Like a draw?"

Diana actually laughed. "You are adorable." Diana swung, hitting Kara in the jaw and grabbing her, unwrapping both lassos and clipping them to her belt. Before Kara regained her senses, Diana had her by the throat and began beating her face with punch after punch.

Kara lost her equilibrium. She knew she was taking strikes, her face felt like it would cave in and she felt she was in a free fall. Trying to focus all she could see was Diana's smiling face, feel a knee to her gut and knew she was seconds from being driven head first into the ground. She struggled to keep her senses and then saw it. Diana took a half second longer to swing, telegraphing her move by pulling her fist back further. Kara grabbed it and turned, flipping right side up and sending the Amazon hurtling to the ground.

While the two female warriors had been having a nice conversation at the edge of the atmosphere, the rest of the League, family and Central City officers wondered what was happening. Donna ,in disgust, was pacing, twirling a sword in her hand and waiting for her Amazon 'sister' to return to Earth so she could continue the battle. She had tried to fly higher but the thin air slowed her and eventually she had to stop, unable to force herself to go higher. Caitlin Snow had informed all of them that Kara was fine and would be back down in a moment and had also turned off her com, leaving them all to wonder what was going on.

"It will be okay, baby. Mommy never loses. She will be back." Barry whispered to his daughter, who was wide awake, eyes searching the sky as if she knew her mother was up there somewhere.

"I'm going up. I can use my wings to push up through the stratosphere." Kendra offered, Carter grabbing his mace, silently agreeing.

"There won't be enough air for you to push that high, Kendra." Cisco told her. The worries were somewhat allayed when the gathered crowd saw a comet streaking down, moving so fast it appeared as a blue blur. Because of the speed, no one could tell if Kara was being thrown or driving her opponent to the ground until she stopped a hundred feet above the Earth on a dime and slung her arm down, tossing Diana into the hole her and Donna had made earlier. Donna moved, sword in hand, jumping towards the hole until Kara stopped her.

"It's over. It's fine." the blonde told her. Diana stepped out of the hole, the gathered crowd seeing her bloodied face but still smiling.

"Now that was a blast. Tomorrow ladies?"

The armored woman walked past the League to a truck where two officers had been sitting. Reaching into the cooler in the back, she pulled out a beer.

"I prefer wine but ale does have a certain appeal after a fight. The Vikings got one thing right, even if the beards were an unfortunate fashion choice. The men didn't look much better from what my mother told me. So you said something about Barry cooking tonight, Kara?"

Everyone looked at the nonchalant armored warrior in awe, leaned back and chugging a beer after being tossed into the ground by Superwoman from the Stratosphere.

"I think I just developed my first girl crush." Kara admitted to Donna.

Donna was not amused. She had not expected to defeat the demi goddess but hoped for a better showing, to at least be with Kara during the entire battle. With her eyesight she saw the beating Kara took on the way down and she also knew Diana let herself be tossed at the last moment.

Kara had planned to encourage Donna until she heard a familiar cry. Barry walked over with Lexie in his arms.

"You okay?"

"Of course. I won." Kara lied, wondering how much blood was on her face.

"Yeah, I was worried for a moment but you did great."

"She let me win."

"I figured. I think our little girl was worried. She wouldn't stop watching the sky."

"She was probably fascinated by the lights. How are you baby? Mommy is fine. Just a little roughhousing with a friend. Diana is cool."

Taking Lexie in her arms, the girl immediately calmed down. Officers walked over, patting Kara on the back and congratulating her, at least the officers who weren't staring at Diana. Diana, deciding to perhaps leave and dress more conservatively so the men and a few women would stop drooling, walked over to the happy couple, hoping to perhaps hold the little girl.

"Would you mind?" she asked, opening her arms.

"Of course not." Kara turned towards the Princess, and Lexie met her eyes. At just over three months, Lexie had developed as a normal child. She was discovering the world, able to hold her head up a bit at a time and recognized some of those around her, especially voices. She knew Aunt Alex and Grandma and Grandpa, though not exactly who they were to her. She knew to cry when hungry or sleepy and dirty diapers had been a given since birth. She did recognize, understood and needed two individuals and though she hadn't said the words mommy and daddy yet, she knew she needed the blonde woman and dark haired man who fed her, for life and warmth and a feeling she hadn't recognized as love yet, but was. Her eyes clear, somewhere in her developing mind, she recognized the woman who had hit her mother in the sky and cried.

Despite the violence of the event not a word was said or a sound made, besides Diana hissing, not daring to block the beams for fear of hitting the gathered crowd or worse the child herself. Instead she stood there, taking the twin beams in her chest above the armor line, feeling the heat and gritting her teeth, hoping someone would figure out a way to stop this. Regardless she could take the pain and heal later.

Kara and Barry froze, watching the screaming child staring at Wonder Woman, twin beams flashing from her beautiful eyes. No one knew what to do or even had time to think about it. Alex was the first to recover her senses, rushing to the Porsche and grabbing the tiny silver bracelet with a red heart on top. She pressed it against Lexie's little wrist and the beams stopped immediately.

Silence reigned.

"Owwww."

Diana's simple statement broke the trance.

"We have to… Caitlin!" Kara said, voice trembling and cradling Lexie to her chest, praying to whatever god there was that her daughter's eyes were okay and she wouldn't burn anyone.

Twenty minutes later a sleeping Alexandra was in the red sun room in Kara's arms, Caitlin setting up multiple machines, Barry had given his phone to Cisco to field calls from worried co workers and the rest of the League were in the meeting room along with Diana.

Eliza and Alex ran inside, Jeremiah and Henry following.

"How are her eyes?" Jeremiah asked, pulling out a pen light.

"Don't! I don't want her to wake."

"Here eyes could be burned, Kara. Is the rest of her… can she…"

"She feels a pinch. Caitlin had to do it when we got here. She jerked but didn't wake. Her skin isn't impenetrable. Her grip, she was grabbing onto me and it felt normal. She isn't strong."

Kara had tears flowing down her face, not crying loudly but unable to stop them.

"I shouldn't have let her be there. I shouldn't have told Barry to let her watch. Her eyesight isn't supposed to be that good! She shouldn't have been able to see us or… damn it!"

"Kara, this isn't your fault." Barry whispered, holding her from behind. "She is going to be fine. Nothing ever happened to your eyes after you used your powers."

"She has to wear the bracelet. She will be handcuffed. She is three months old and has to be handcuffed."

"We don't know that. This could have been a one time thing. She was surprised and saw her mother, the one she relies on for life and who is with her all day and night, hurt."

"She was scared. I should have fought Diana farther away. I didn't judge it right. I thought we would land a mile away and instead we were closer, too close, obviously close enough for her to see."

"She will be fine, but I have to open her eye and check her cornea and pupil." Cait told her. Kara lay Lexie on the soft pillow on the exam table while Caitlin gently pulled the sleeping child's eyelid open. Jeremiah shined a light and both looked.

"Henry will you take a look? Eyes aren't exactly my specialty." Jeremiah asked. Henry stepped up and looked at his squirming granddaughter.

"They aren't mine either but I can tell from an emergency medicine standpoint her eye looks fine."

Lexie let out a cry and her eyes searched. She found her Daddy first then her Mommy and stopped.

"Looks like her sight is fine." Eliza said with relief, as Barry and Kara both picked her up and held her between them.

"Lets turn down the lights and take the bracelet off." Caitlin suggested.

"What? No! It could happen again." Kara argued.

"I don't think it will. She fell asleep almost immediately afterward. Lets see what happens."

"Everybody out. Kara and I will handle this." Barry told the gathered family.

"I'm not going anywhere." Caitlin argued. Alex agreed. Jeremiah pulled Eliza out and Henry followed, the three of them watching from the door and refusing to go farther.

The red sun rays were turned off, the room bathed in normal UVs. Kara gently unclasped the bracelet.

"She is so small, Barry. She isn't strong enough for this. She can't even say a word or roll over on her own."

Alex walked up behind the two and pinched Lexie on her forearm. The child immediately began crying but nothing happened, no twin beams of light, just an annoyed baby.

"It could be because they are holding her. She recognizes her parents scents. Let me take her." Caitlin offered, gently taking the girl. Lexie started to cry from being handled but to Caitlin's credit, she didn't flinch, instead watching for a glowing of the girls eyes. Seeing none, she relaxed.

"One more test. Ask Diana to come in." Alex suggested. Barry and Kara looked at each other and let out a breath.

"As long as you two stay behind us."

Eliza walked into the meeting room where Zatanna had used magic to heal Diana faster than she would have on her own.

"Diana… would you mind coming into the room with her?"

"Of course. I would love to hold her."

"You would?"

"She is a goddess who defended her mother by natural instinct alone. I don't want to be on her bad side. I have to make friends."

Diana walked into the room, feeling terrible about the sight of the two young worried parents and wishing she hadn't come. She never expected this. The pain she felt was no problem. She had felt much more pain before. She was impressed by the heat. While not her mother's laser beams, the power was impressive for one so small. The girl would be phenomenal.

"Do you mind?" Kara asked hesitantly.

"Of course not. I told you I wanted to hold her." Diana walked slowly up to the grumpy baby, who looked right at her. The Amazon reached her arms out as non threateningly and slowly as possible. Gently taking the child and cradling her head, she looked her in the eyes and was taken by her beauty. Just like her mother in appearance with her mother and father's heart. What more could the world ask for in a champion?

"Hi there beautiful. You are pretty. Are you ticklish?" Diana put a finger on the child's belly button and lightly circled around it. Lexie smiled.

"I seem to be forgiven. I am so…"

"It's not your fault. Its mine…"

"Kara stop. It is not your fault. I am the one who showed up uninvited and challenged the two of you. I should probably talk to Donna. I am sensing some tension. I would like to ease her worries. She is important to me though I am a stranger to her. I am no scientist but we talked about this, higher than I was comfortable with. The relationship between parents and a child at this age is primal to a baby. She reacted to what she perceived as danger to her mother. It is natural. It took an extreme event to cause this. So long as she doesn't see you battle any longer and doesn't perceive a threat to you or her father I don't believe you will see a repeat of this."

"I agree. She just has to have a calm atmosphere. It was a one off occurrence. Keep her away from training, keep a bracelet nearby and I think we are okay Kara." Caitlin concurred.

"Hope for the best, you mean?"

"You of all people should know about the power of hope. Take her home, feed her and watch her. Do you want me to stay over tonight?"

"No thank you Caitlin. Go home, Winn looked worried. If we need you I will call. It is better not to have anyone who can be… hurt, over for a few nights. I will stay home the next couple of days and watch. Barry can be home in seconds if I need him."

"May… since she doesn't seem to hold any further grudges, would you mind if I stayed with you two? For a few days, no training, just hanging out. I would… its been a while since I have been around a baby or ever spent any real time around one. I would love to unless you think its a bad idea. I don't want to be an imposition. I can go back tonight…"

"Diana, I think Lexie is good with you now. We would love to have you with us… do you need any… clothes?" Barry asked. While he did wish she wore a bit more to fit in at least, he admitted he would love to ask Cisco to make Kara a suit like that, if Kara wouldn't kill him for asking.

The thought of Jeremiah's reaction shut that thought down.

"I actually left a bag on top of the Central City PD on my way in. I can meet you three there?"

"Yeah… Alex, can you take Charlie for tonight? I don't want him to accidentally get… burned."

"No, Lexie wouldn't do that Kara. He will be fine. She would probably be more upset if he wasn't in her room at night." Barry assured her. Kara smiled but still worried. She had seen laser beams shoot out of her daughters eyes at another person. If it hadn't been Diana, if it had been someone human, they would have died and the thought nearly made her vomit. She had prepared for this but the reality of it ensured she wouldn't sleep for nights.

After Barry and Kara tucked their baby in for the next few hours, Barry opened the front to invite Diana in, while Kara stayed in the room, looking at her daughter and stroking her cheek softly.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wish I was normal. I put this on you but I will make it up to you I promise. No more being around Mommy when she is fighting. I didn't think you would understand what was happening so soon but I should have known you would be smarter than the average baby."

Kara took a deep breath and focused on controlling the shaking of her body.

"I love you. I love you so much, more than I ever thought I could love someone. We will get through this. If you and me and Daddy have to move to some deserted tropical island we will. We will give you the quietest places to play and keep any kind of violence away from you. I'm going to make you happy. I know you won't be around other kids but they can be mean anyway. I'm pretty fun and know a lot of games. We can set chunks of lead all over the island and play hide and seek, or tag… maybe not tag. Bad idea. But we can have fun. I'll make it up to you. Charlie can play with us and the two of you can box…maybe not box." A vision of Charlie being hit and flying a mile away killed that idea.

Kara sighed, tired beyond belief, feeling a multitude of emotions, worry being the biggest. Lexie wasn't invulnerable. What if she caught her bed on fire and burned herself? How could Kara sleep?

"You can't do it."

Diana walked into the room, so quietly Kara hadn't heard her.

"Barry has started cooking but said if you need him or anything looks weird all…"

"I have to do is say his name and he is standing beside me immediately. I know. He has gotten so fast even I can't keep up. I think he was beginning to relax a bit but this is going to have him so on edge. He will probably want to quit his job again."

"He won't. You really can't do what you were talking about. My mother… she kept me from the world of men for a very, very long time. She didn't want me hurt. She knew that they couldn't physically hurt me, she was worried about how cruel the world was. It didn't matter to me because Themyscira was my whole world. I had everything I could want. I learned to fight, I learned to fly, I learned about war. I saw the so called gods of Olympus and I saw them fall. The world evolved around us but we stayed the same. When I finally came to the world of man… sorry, this world, I know it is yours too, I was amazed at all I had missed. The cars, the ability to speak through machines over long distances, the weapons, the cruelty yes but I also saw heroism. I learned that not all people were bad, some were actually great. Your cousin, you, Bruce Wayne, Arthur Curry, are but a few I have had the privilege of battling by their sides. I realized how much I had been missing. After my first foray to this world, I retreated back to my home, the petty violence of this war, shocking me. We had fought wars but gas, barbwire, fox holes, starvation, even guns, there was no honor there in my mind. But I was wrong. The methods were wrong but good people stood against evil and that is all the world can ask for.

Being hidden away did me no good. I know right now you want to hide with her, stay somewhere she will be safe and no one will be accidentally hurt by her and no one can hurt her but you just can't. It wouldn't be fair to her."

"And when she burns my mother? You think she is going to want to grow up knowing that, even though now she is too young to understand or remember? Or being lied to about it?"

'It won't happen. I believe in you and I believe in your husband. You Kara, know what it is like, alone, powerful, lost. She will never be alone and you won't let her get lost. You can handle this. Perhaps she wears this bracelet every now and then. Perhaps accidents happen but you can handle it. One thing you cannot do is lose faith in yourself. The Fates would not have given you and Barry this gift if the two of you were not worthy."

"What if I'm not enough?"

"You are. You are more than enough. Five thousand years have made me a good judge of character. You have amazed me since I first saw you, a short trip to the States and I saw a flying girl on TV dressed in normal, everyday clothes, catch a plane. I watched you, I mourned when I thought you dead. My whole nation did. The Amazons knew of you and your heroics. There was a great celebration when your message to the President was shown and the world knew you still was one of the reasons I was so anxious to meet you. You inspired and impressed my mother and that is not easy to do. You can handle this. You both will and you will be amazing."

Barry sped in, barely seen of course, with a ladder. He quietly began working quickly, unscrewing the light fixture in Lexie's room. Once the bulb had been removed only the light from her two night lights lit up the room.

"Does he always move like this?"

"Yep." Kara answered, wondering what her husband was doing now. She figured it out when he returned, a red light bulb in hand and slowly screwed it into the ceiling socket.

"Going to turn her room into a red sun room. The lights will work. They aren't as bright as the ones in S.T.A.R. so it shouldn't keep her from sleeping." Barry explained then closed the door. He walked up to Kara and rubbed her forearm, pleased to see it turning red.

"Looks like it works. She won't have to wear a bracelet at night and we won't worry about her having bad dreams and setting the house on fire. Pretty genius right?" he asked humorously, but Kara saw the worry in his eyes.

"I think its a great idea. Have you started cooking yet?"

"Yeah, come to the living room. She will be fine. We will hear if she wakes up. Please Kara?"

Kara who had planned on sleeping on the floor in Lexie's room agreed and followed Barry and a jumping Charlie out, Diana behind her.

"I'm really glad you are here." she told the Amazon. "I invited Donna over as well. I think she feels a bit inadequate in her mother's affections when you are around. I thought you two could spend some time together. Also, I don't know how long you can stay but Nyssa and my sister are getting married this weekend. I hope…"

"I would love to. Thank you for the honor."

"Of course… Diana, how did you get here?"

"I told you science was strong but magic is strong as well. I had to use the services of a demi goddess but she owed me a favor. I will visit as often as I can. We need to figure out how the both of you can learn to master the gravitational fields you emit and you have some other things to figure out that I would imagine Caitlin can help with."

"Like what?"

"Like when you broke your hand on my shield, it vibrated and was healed in less than a second. Your cousin is nowhere near that fast and doesn't vibrate. Before you took me into near space you also had sparks dance across your eyes. I mean that literally, just as your husband does before he runs. Your daughter altered your DNA just as you altered hers. I doubt you will ever be as fast as your husband or daughter but Kara, you are much, much faster."

"Oh… cool. Lets eat. I am starving. Fighting an immortal Amazon Princess to a draw leaves me famished."

"Like I said, you are adorable. Lead the way."

The next day Alex had taken the day off and paced in front of Nyssa who was on the couch, a little amused but too afraid to show it for fear of angering her fiancee further.

"You wanted one Bridesmaid…"

"Witness."

"Tell that to Kara. You wanted one witness and I said fine. I have Kara, you have no one! I have been on you to pick someone since we started… since Kara started planning this wedding. Now we are less than a week away, and you have picked no one. Find someone and ask already!"

"You won't like who I choose."

Alex froze. "Explain?"

"The person must be someone I have gone to battle with, someone who has fought by my side, someone…"

"If you say…"

"No. I realize that would be pushing it. I had someone else in mind, someone I have gone through much with and despite his idiotic actions and general lack of a brain at times, I know that if I had an enemy the enemy would be his as well."

"His? Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"Oh this ought to be good. Just make sure you record it when you ask him."

"I'm not asking him. I'm telling him."

While Nyssa informed Alex of the final piece of the wedding puzzle, Kara had kissed Barry goodbye and made a large breakfast of microwave sausage biscuits for her and her guest. Feeding Lexie, she was relieved that her daughter seemed to be in a good mood and didn't feel like she would need to be protected from herself today.

Her and Diana talked about the hunt for the Order, Cadmus and the confusing trail of money left behind. Their conversation was cut off by a knock on the door. Kara handed Lexie over to a delighted Diana who got to feed a baby for the first time. She opened the door to find Oliver.

"Hey. I… were we going to practice archery today or are you here to just hang out? Because that would be cool. We still have three more episodes of Scandal to finish Season 2. Diana is here and is telling me about Cadmus…"

"I need the keys to the gallery."

"Excuse me?"

"I need the keys to the gallery. I assume you won't be working for a few days so I am going to open up."

"Why… why would you do that?"

"Because its a business and it needs to be open and… Felicity says I need a job. Apparently training all day is not a job. She probably has a point, it has been a while. I owned a club as cover for the lair but Tommy actually ran it, I really didn't do anything and… I really can't remember if I ever had a real job. I don't think I have. Working for A.R.G.U.S. under threat of my family's death didn't count. I suppose being an enforcer and then Captain in the Bratva could count but I can't exactly put it on a resume. I was only CEO of my father's company because I needed a cover job and honestly don't think I made one board meeting. I did go to a stock holders meeting… I think. There was a lot going on at the time, Slade Wilson… anyway I need a job. So I figured I would work for you. I can handle customers, gives you more time to paint and play with Lexie and your furry friend. So give me the keys and I will go open up."

"Uh, Ollie I don't think I make enough money to have an employee. Honestly if we didn't own the building outright I don't think I could pay a mortgage on it. No, I know I couldn't. I've sold less than ten paintings and I gave one of those away."

"I'll work for 5%. Whatever I sell I get 5% of. I don't need dental or medical, I already have my retirement set, considering I will probably be dead long before retirement age. It works for both of us. Felicity gets off my back about finding a job, you get cheap labor."

"Uh huh. Why don't you come in and we can talk about this."

"Talk?"

"You want to work for me, you have to have an interview. Kind of like when you had to get beaten to be allowed into the Bratva only without the beating."

"You are really going to make me interview for this?"

"Yeah, its kinda how this job stuff works. Have a seat on the couch Mr. Queen and we can discuss this proposal." Kara told him seriously, dying inside. This was too good. She admitted when Oliver was playing normal human he could be very charming and could sell to a certain female demographic very well.

"Fine Kara, what do you want to know?"

"What do you know about art?"

"What?"

"Art. I'm an artist, I sell art, you want to sell my art, I need to know what you know. Do you know anything about the art world?"

"Sure, I know a lot. My family had one of the best private collections of art in the world. That's what Thea said anyway."

"Uh huh. And what artists and pieces were in this collection?"

"Uh… There was one of a boat, I really didn't like to look at it when I returned from the island. A… duck! I seem to remember a duck. There was also some guy who looked… mad? I can fly to Lian Yu. Slade probably knows them all since Thea won't tell me and Slade hid cameras on the frames to spy on my family."

Kara barely held in a laugh, keeping a business like demeanor.

"And artists?"

"I know a lot about artists. There was the guy who wrote that code, right?"

"Davinci. Great movie."

"Yeah, I watched it a year or so ago. I could have gotten that information out of the old guy in ten minutes and wouldn't have had to travel the world to get it. Plus the albino?"

"Creepy wasn't he?"

"Big time. I would love to put an arrow in him. Of course considering he had a thing for whipping himself he probably would have liked it."

"Who else?"

"Monat?"

"Monet?"

"If you say so. Uh Sistine?"

"Sistine? You mean the Sistine Chapel?"

"I didn't know he owned the thing but okay, we can go with that. I also took art history at Princeton… or maybe Brown… I'm not sure which college it was."

"You majored in art history?" Kara asked doubtfully.

"God no. I took it because I figured how hard could it be? Pretty damn hard as it turned out so I dropped it three weeks in. But I did have the text book. I never sold it back…"

"Oliver, do you know anything about art?"

"Nothing besides the guy who wrote the code and had the albino chasing him." Oliver admitted.

"Well I know next to nothing about running a business so I guess you are hired. Let me get the keys and then I need to make sure Diana hasn't put Lexie in a strapless, armored onesie."

"I heard that." Diana told the woman from the kitchen. "She just threw up on me."

"Yeah, let me check on the immortal Princess and I will be right back with the keys."

While Oliver waited, wondering how the hell he would actually talk to someone who knew about art, Nyssa walked in without knocking.

"Hi. Kara is getting the keys to the gallery so I can open up."

"Why would you open up her gallery?"

"I'm working for her now."

"I'm sure that won't be a disaster. I actually came to talk to you. Felicity told me you would be here."

"League business?"

'No, more of a personal nature. I have to have a witness stand with me at our wedding. I realize this is short notice but I need you to be my witness."

Oliver sat looking at the woman, mouth open.

"You… you want me to be your… brides maid?"

"Witness! I do not… Kara is a bridesmaid, maid of honor, whatever title she has bestowed upon herself this week. I need a warrior who has fought by my side. Someone admittedly close to my skill level."

"Close?"

"Yes, close. We have a history, a mutual respect…"

"Would this be the history where you shot my quiver off my back after we fired about forty arrows at each other?"

"You should have been faster."

"Or the history where Sara begged me not to kill you?"

"I don't fight well when I am emotional."

"What about the history where I kidnapped you and brought you back to your father by force?"

"You were lucky and I was emotionally distraught at the time. Father daughter relationships are often full of difficulties."

"What about the time I was planning to fight your father and you told me you envied me because I would see Sara sooner than you?"

"I admit it wasn't the best pep talk I could have given but I was cheering for you inside."

"And when you hit me because I wouldn't kill Malcolm Merlyn?"

"He did kill Sara technically, so I was right and you admitted you probably deserved that."

"What about the time you tried to blackmail me into fighting Merlyn or else you wouldn't give me what I needed to save Thea?"

"Stop being a baby. I gave it to you, didn't I? What about the time you kept me in a cage in that smelly basement you called a headquarters?"

"You tried to kill me, me, not your father, but me during a marriage ceremony I didn't want either."

"I knew you would stop me. I was just making a statement."

"A statement? By cutting my throat?"

"It may have been a bit over the top." Nyssa admitted. "But the situation called for a bit of drama. We have had some fun moments that did not involve the two of us trying to kill each other."

'True. You did kill everyone on board the plane while your father was beating me… again. You did kill Isabella, something I now admit was the right move. You did kill most of Murmur's men."

"I will admit I did that as a favor for Laurel but I will take your thanks if you wish to give it."

"You did fight the Mira…"

"That was for Sara. I really didn't think you or your short sidekick would survive that whole mess."

"Okay…you did save my ass in Antarctica. And you could have killed me a few times that I like to think you held back because I had kind of grown on you."

"Life is certainly more entertaining watching you bumble through it than if you were dead." Nyssa admitted.

Oliver shook his head. "I would be proud to be your maid of honor. What color is the dress? Something tells me it isn't green."

"Your ceremonial wear will be at the wedding. Just be on time."

"I wouldn't miss it. By the way I like you too."

"Of course. Who doesn't?"

The next few days leading to the wedding were uneventful for everyone accept Kara, who traveled with Diana and Lexie constantly, checking with caterers, checking the location, checking the flower arrangements, contacting this Tatsu who would be officiating or initiating or something along those lines. It wouldn't be quite the traditional wedding but the woman did agree at Oliver's request to leave her self imposed exile to perform the ceremony and while her and Nyssa did not know each other well they did try to kill each other once with swords which impressed Nyssa to the point she considered the woman a friend. Nyssa was… different.

Plus Tatsu had traveled to a nearby city and taken an online ministers test so the whole thing would be legal. She hoped.

Barry had texted her, asking if she could bring Lexie by the station. Kara had not seen any of the officers since Lexie had her mishap and was a bit worried about their reaction. Leaving Charlie with Diana, hating to leave her dog but wanting both hands free in case anything went wrong, she placed the heart shaped bracelet over her daughters tiny wrist. Lexie immediately tried to pull it off, irritated at having something on her arms which were starting to move quite a bit.

"I know baby, but we can't have any accidents. We are going to be around a lot of people and you could get irritated, plus it is a police station, so there might be drunk people causing trouble. Just trust me. I don't like it any better than you, but it is one of those things you are going to have to live with because of me."

The two walked in, Barry greeting them at the door and reaching for a bottle in the diaper bag.

"I already fed her Barry. I'm sorry but I didn't want to her to be grumpy." she explained. "Do… the other officers know she is coming today?"

"I've had worried co workers wanting to see her all week. A lot of them were worried something was wrong when you haven't shown up this week. I told them you were busy with the wedding but I think they weren't buying it."

"So they aren't… scared?"

"Why don't you come inside and find out for yourself?"

Knowing the bracelet was secure on her little girl's arm the two walked in to a silent station. No prisoners were being processed and Kara had never heard the place so quiet. She cursed Barry in her head for letting them come here.

Captain Singh walked up to the couple.

"We understand she needs a quiet place and we can keep it as quiet as possible. We won't attack you or her Daddy. But she is going to be helping us out quite a bit in eighteen years and we want her to feel comfortable here. Don't keep her away Kara. We aren't scared."

"And if she catches the building on fire?"

"We have fire extinguishers."

"And if she burns one of you?"

"We are cops, we can take it. And we have fire extinguishers."

"Now give me my granddaughter since I have been banned from the house all week." Joe ordered, walking up and taking the girl from her mother, sitting at his desk. Lexie swung her arm up.

"You don't like that, do you? You are too young to be wearing jewelry." he told his granddaughter. He unclasped the bracelet. Kara moved, until Barry whispered in her ear.

"It will be fine Kara. She is calm. As long as no Amazons are attacking you she is good."

True to Barry's word the officers began a slow procession of officers walked towards the little girl who smiled and tried her best to wave. Kara began to slowly relax, seeing the officers, people she considered friends, not frightened of her daughter. She couldn't fully relax but Barry was confident so she would be too. Diana had played with her all week and Lexie seemed fine. Perhaps it would be okay.

"Could you take off early? I want to get things ready for the party tonight, make sure all the last minute details are set."

"Yeah, or Eliza could watch her. I know Jeremiah has wanted to spend more than a couple minutes with her or see her in red light."

Kara silently agreed, figuring if she wasn't going to handcuff her daughter she had to let her live life. She hated to leave tonight but she had a party to host for her sister and Nyssa and like everything else this weekend, it would be perfect, if it killed her and everyone around her.

"You didn't get any blonde strippers for this party did you?" Barry whispered.

"Of course… not. Why? Do you think they would be… that would be a bad idea of course."

"Yeah, probably so." Barry agreed.

"Keep an eye on her. I need to go to or lab and make a call."

 **Earth 3 Watchtower**

"I found them."

Bruce Wayne's simple statement sent a shudder of excitement through out the gathered League.

"Where?" Kal El asked immediately, ready to fly.

"The lead on Dabney Donovan played out. The trail of money led to a connection with two other individuals, Reginald Augustine and Thomas Thompkins. Donovan has not been seen in months but facial recognition placed Thompkins in Metropolis. I talked to some people on the street near his last known location and they had seen him entering an abandoned Aquaduct. I did a bit of exploration on my own…"

"Why were you one your own?" Victor asked.

"Because by talking to people I meant I scared the hell out of them until they talked. I didn't want to waste an opportunity to at least find out of it was credible. It was. I didn't enter far but I didn't have to. I found the first security camera before it caught me but could see enough. I scanned the aqueduct floor with a portable radar and found a huge series of caverns below. I was not able to get a perfect outline so I backed off. Kal, if you could fly overhead, there is a possibility you can get a layout of the place. Unless the entire structure has been covered in lead which I doubt, we can form a plan of attack and take over the base. The Order could have dozens of labs and strongholds all over the country. If we hit hard and fast we can get their databanks before they erase everything."

"No." Hank decided. "Diana hasn't come back from Themyscira yet and Cisco Ramon is opening a breach in your cave tomorrow for Alex's wedding. The base has been there for a long time. It will be there when we return Sunday."

"And how many experiments will be conducted on innocents while we take the weekend off?" the Batman asked.

"I am sorry but we have searched for over a year. If Kal El can fly over tonight and provide us with an actual map of these caverns we can plan an attack. I believe we remember what happened the last time we tried to take a Cadmus base head on. We were lucky to get out of there without losing anyone. I am not missing this wedding and we are not going in with less than a complete team. If Diana returns I am sure she will wish to go and Kal is coming to the wedding as well. Let Kal see what he can find, study any maps of cave systems nearby that may give us a backdoor entrance and do not go in alone, Bruce."

Bruce looked at the red eyes of the Manhunter. He would not miss this wedding and did have a point about planning. Bruce was usually the cautious one but he wanted this organization very badly and had spent a great deal of time investigating them. He also believed he had linked several missing persons cases with suspected nearby Cadmus activities across the nation. Despite the raid on the government facility and the destruction of the secondary location, the private part of Cadmus appeared to be moving forward unimpeded.

"Fine, we go in as a whole unit. I will try to get in touch with Diana though she hasn't been answering all week. I will gather the rest. Arthur should be here as well. He has been spoiling for a fight."

"Don't go alone and don't send your team down alone Bruce. Promise me. Plan and we attack at dawn on Monday." Kal told him, leaving no room for discussion.

"I have no desire to have any of my team killed. I will wait. Get me schematics and I will have a plan by your return. I don't want Barbara hacking their system. She is the best but if they even catch scent of an intruder of any type, even cyber, they could erase everything and run. Donovan isn't exactly a public figure. He could disappear overseas for years. Thompkins is connected with arms dealers all over Europe, and next to nothing is known about Augustine. That could be an alias or one of several aliases. Did Cisco mention any trouble we would be needed for? At least for the wedding?"

"No, when I talked to him he said things were peaceful. They raided a metahuman fight club in a volcano not long ago but apparently the volcano caved in due to some rock chick, his words. Honestly I don't understand what he is talking about most of the time but everything is good." Hank reported.

"Then safe journey and give my best. I believe Lucy wanted to attend. She has needed time off. She is more of a workaholic than Barbara. Is Roy going? I haven't spoken to him since I left Gotham."

"No, that Earth isn't the best place for him, especially considering the number of police officers who would be attending the wedding. Cat Grant will be accompanying us with Lois of course. Her son is staying behind due to school." J'onn told the man.

Bruce nodded, expecting as much. A part of him was very tempted to attack Cadmus, with Roy, Helena, Diana, Dinah, Arthur and Victor. He wouldn't though. If Kal El could work as a team he would as well.

"Not a word about what we have discovered," Bruce warned them. "If they find out, their entire League will want to come, Jeremiah Danvers included. They do not need this. Kara is a new mother, Alex is getting married and this is our problem now. They have their own. Everybody agree?"

A round of nods indicated agreement and the meeting broke up, the wedding guests leaving to prepare for their cross dimensional journey.

Bruce wished he could go along as well. The novelty of another Earth never got old, but he had more important work. Two days to prepare and hopefully the main players behind Cadmus in bars by Monday afternoon.


	54. Chapter 54

Do not own any DC or CW characters.

A/N As always thank you for the reviews. Looks like they aren't showing up again but I'm sure FFnet will fix it in ten minutes or ten days. It appears to be the bug that won't go away. I am loving these season premiers, how about you? Can't wait for the 4 way crossover. Rumor has it that Sara is going to be flirting with Kara. That should be awesome to watch. I can imagine Kara's reaction. Okay the wedding of Nyssa and Alex. After this we have some time jumps and then into the final arc of the story. The end is nigh, probably five or six more chapters.

Chapter 54

Jeremiah stood in the doorway of his granddaughter's bedroom, watching his son in law holding her.

He was singing to her. Jeremiah had heard Barry and Kara sing together, voices in perfect harmony, like they were in life. He didn't recognize the song, only that is was soft, quiet, slow and talked about love.

Barry for his part, didn't realize Jeremiah was there. When he held his daughter the world faded away.

"You miss mommy ,don't you?" Barry asked, his song over. "You are stuck with boring Daddy tonight, but I can keep you entertained. I have no doubt Mommy will be flying over quite a bit and watching across the street or overhead because she doesn't think I can handle this on my own. She is worried about you. She is always worried about you. You know why? Because we both love you so much and when you love someone that much, worry is part of the deal."

Lexie smiled at her father and moved her head side to side, then reaching out for his face. Barry tilted his head down so she could touch his cheek.

"It's going to be okay. Nothing and no one is ever going to hurt you, I swear. No matter what, Daddy is always going to protect you and Mommy."

"I don't think she will ever doubt that. I won't either." Jeremiah told him, walking into the room.

"Didn't hear you there. Want to hold her? I can get her…"

"My granddaughter doesn't need a bracelet. I tried to put glasses on Kara and seeing who she is now, I think those glasses did more harm than good. I wanted her to fit in after she saved a mother and child from death. I told her the world already had a hero. I never should have done that. I wanted to keep her hidden, as much as Kara probably wants to keep Lexie hidden now. But I can see I was wrong. I should have kept her hidden but I also should have helped her embrace her powers. I won't make… we won't make that mistake this time. One thing I will never be scared of is my granddaughter." Jeremiah took the girl from her Daddy's arms and began rocking her, while walking into the living room where Joe and Henry sat watching a ball game. Barry and Jeremiah sat next to each other on the couch, the baby between them.

"She is going to snore like Kara." Barry told them. "She already has that nasally deep breathing. It's cute right now. When she gets older, maybe not so much."

"Kara snores?" Henry asked, a smile on his face at the most powerful woman in the galaxy doing something so…imperfect.

"You're surprised? If she laughs hard, she snorts." Jeremiah reminded him.

"Lexie's eyes squint a bit when she smiles sometimes as well. She is going to be Kara's twin." Barry admitted.

"I think she has your eyes." Joe told him.

"No I think she definitely has Kara's eyes. Ask Wonder Woman." Jeremiah argued, bringing silence to the room.

"Oh, c'mon guys, she lasered a woman who hit her mother. Yeah, we were all scared but you gotta admit now that we know she is okay, that is going to be a great story to tell her one day. The first bad guy she ever fought was when she was three months old and it was with a half naked immortal Amazon."

All three of the men began laughing, Henry rubbing his forehead. The stories they would be able to tell but who would believe them?

"Speaking of the half naked Amazon…" Joe started…" is it just me or is that woman unnaturally hot? I mean maybe its like one of her metahuman gifts? Unreasonably hot. She's been staying here all week Bar, what do you think?"

"I think I prefer blondes." he answered quickly and truthfully.

"Yeah so do I." Jeremiah agreed. "But yeah, she is unnaturally hot. Its crazy right?"

"It's not her beauty. She somehow pulls off an armored miniskirt and makes it look intimidating. She has this aura about her, this fierceness even when dressed in normal everyday clothes, kind of like she can kill you with a look. It's amazing." Henry added. All three looked at him.

"Okay, I admit she is incredibly hot too. So what were the ladies doing tonight?" Henry asked, hoping to change the subject.

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. I think Kara had an elegant dinner planned, followed up by strippers but when I suggested it wasn't a good idea, the strippers anyway, she went into panic mode. Diana gave her an idea and she set something up after dinner but I don't know what it is."

"At least there are no strippers involved." Jeremiah admitted. "She has seen one too many movies with bachelor parties in them. Alex hates bowling and Kara wouldn't do a repeat anyway. I'm sure we will hear about it tomorrow. It can't go too late, the wedding is at 1 meaning they will probably need to be up at dawn. A bride takes a while to get ready. Two brides? It's going to take hours. Plus Eliza will have to have an IV hooked up to keep her hydrated due to the tears she is going to shed."

"I could imagine she would be emotional. I'm glad Kara isn't pregnant because she would be a mess. What about you Daddy? You aren't going to be emotional?" the Flash asked his father in law.

"I saw her grow up in photos taken through a rifle scope. I'm going to be a blubbering mess. So the ceremony sounds… different."

"No kidding. Alex is breaking her no sword rule for one day I guess."

Joe looked at Barry, confused. "Why would Alex not use swords? She uses everything else."

"She killed Kara's aunt with a sword and while she was mind controlled, almost killed Kara with the same sword." Barry explained. Joe turned up his beer and chugged it down, then walked to the kitchen for another.

"I really like his coping mechanism when dealing with strange information." Jeremiah admitted. "Uh oh, diaper change. Here you go, Dad."

Barry took his smiling daughter in his arms. She definitely needed a diaper the smell wasn't a warning the smile on her face was. This girl was going to hate to be potty trained.

"C'mon baby girl. Lets get you cleaned up and bathed, then put to sleep. Maybe for more than a few hours? What? Oh you want to sleep in bed with me tonight? Mommy wouldn't like that. She worries about rolling over on you. What? Mommy isn't here and what she doesn't know won't hurt her? You definitely bring up a good point. I bet we can sneak it in, but there is no way Mommy is going to stay at Aunt Caitlin's all night with Aunt Alex, no matter what she says. Maybe if we fall deep asleep she won't be mean and make us separate."

The three fathers watched a smiling Barry walk out, not being bothered by changing a diaper at all.

"I should have known he would be the best." Henry admitted. "You wouldn't think he had just been a father for three months."

"He had to survive Eliza's one week baby bootcamp." Jeremiah reminded the men. "She should open a business teaching first time parents what to do. She definitely has no problem telling them what to do. But yeah, he is pretty good at this father thing. I never doubted he would be. But you two have to talk to him about something."

Henry and Joe leaned forward, taken by the sudden serious tone Jeremiah had.

"Harry is going to encourage him. Harry isn't a bad guy and he is a great friend to Barry, but…"

"But?" Joe prodded.

Jeremiah looked towards the hall and could hear Barry still talking to Lexie in her nursery.

"What Barry did, going around the world in two and a half minutes, he thinks he can go faster and he can. But I don't know if either of you realize how fast he would have to go to hit light speed and what could possibly happen. I am not positive how this Speedforce works and despite his mastery at controlling it, I'm not sure if Barry does either. I won't bother to tell you that it is impossible to reach the speed of light because we know where Barry is concerned that word impossible doesn't apply. I would imagine that this same force that keeps his body from burning up and his clothes for that matter, would keep him physically safe. Maybe. Lets look at it from a physical standpoint alone. Speedforce or not, when an object, a giant meteorite or a feather hits the speed of light its mass increases to the point that it is called infinite mass and cannot be any harder. He plans to use this to hit something, anything and not only destroy it but wipe it out of existence. To shatter it into molecules."

"And thats bad?" Joe asked, trying to wrap his head around this.

"When something hits the Earth with infinite mass it ushers in extinction level events. Of course that is directly into the ground. Hitting something standing may not do that. He could however reach infinite mass and if he does he may not be able to come back. He could very well use this Speedforce to bring himself to infinite mass but at what point can he not come back? At what point does he stop controlling the Speedforce, channeling it and simply becomes it?"

Neither men had any idea. Neither liked to think about it.

"Do either of you know how fast he would have to run to reach the speed of light?"

Both men shook their heads.

"An object moving at the speed of light could circle the globe 7.5 times a second. In other words he would have to circle the globe running at 1.07 billion kilometers a second. Before you can think of the answer to two plus two he would circle the globe."

"Thats not… he has his limits… right?" Henry asked, looking at Joe, his worry reflected in his friend's face.

"I don't know. I thought he might, but this Speedforce has no laws that we know of. If it weren't for speedsters, physicists wouldn't even think to look for it. But moving that fast, if it didn't burn him up, could rip the Earth apart, possibly open a black hole, who knows? With the Speedforce protecting him it is possible that wouldn't happen but I guarantee that even if it does protect him from breaking apart, something is going to happen. His body will be harder than any meteor, his speed… I am afraid if nothing else he will become part of the force he is channeling. He has talked about becoming the Speedforce but I don't think he really has an idea."

"But Harry thinks it will be okay?" Joe asked. He never had exactly trusted Harry but knew the man meant Barry no harm.

"Harry thinks so but he really doesn't know. He may have theories but Barry is going to be the one to suffer if he is wrong. Barry can't do it. I mean he can but he shouldn't. We don't know what could happen to him. He could be frozen, to dense for his body to handle and die, or be absorbed into this mystery force. It's not worth the risk. Nothing is worth the risk. Talk to him, remind him what he could lose, what Kara and Lexie could lose. I know he wants to get faster, always faster, but there has to be a stopping point. He has to have a limit he sets on himself."

"Yeah, but c'mon, what are the chances he can actually hit the speed of light?" Joe asks, trying to laugh but unable.

"He can steal kinetic energy, he can share kinetic energy like he did to make Kara fly faster. Who knows his limits? He could potentially steal the kinetic energy of every moving object on Earth and then, yeah he could probably make it. He can't guys. We can't lose him, his family and friends can't lose him and his wife and daughter really can't lose him."

"Why does he want to go that fast? What would be the benefit? He is fast enough already to beat everyone out there. If they can fly he has teammates to take care of that too, especially your daughter."

Jeremiah took a deep breath. "Barry told you about the fight they had when they rescued me from Cadmus. Did he mention anything about Doomsday?"

Both men shook their head.

"Barry killed a small prototype. If that beast was ever made, ever taken to its true potential, nothing short of complete vaporization could destroy it. Thats why. The thing was made to kill Superman. Meaning it was designed to kill Kryptonians including Kara. I told you I was forced to develop monsters to kill Clark if I wanted Kara to live. I did the job too well and I suspect Barry has more nightmares than I do about the monster we called Doomsday. I think he has convinced himself that if a creature like that ever walks the Earth the only way to destroy it could potentially kill him as well."

The three men sat silent, looking at each other then down the hall where Barry had begun singing to his daughter once again.

"That can't happen guys. He can't reach light speed. I'm working everyday on a different way to defeat something like that and I will figure it out but he can't even practice, not that fast. The three of us, we have to convince him it's not worth it."

While the three men pondered the most important man in their lives fate, the women of the Justice League and the women of the Central City PD in addition to Eliza, were dining in an elegant setting, a five star restaurant Kara had rented for the night. The staff was present serving the women with five course meal. Kara chewed on one of Caitlin's energy bars that still tasted horrible but the pretty setting of food on each new plate that came out was not enough for her to even bother. Kara wanted three cheeseburgers. She was also the director of the entire event, making sure everything was perfect and didn't have time to eat.

Standing by the door she was surprised when it opened once again, thinking all the guests were here. So of course Oliver Queen walked in. Kara stopped him before he was seen.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm the maid of honor. Shouldn't I be here?"

"No! Women only!" she whispered harshly.

"But… I'm the maid of honor."

"And if you want to wear a dress tomorrow afternoon, you may come in. If you want to hold on to your manly pride I would suggest you shoo. Now. Females only."

"Fine. As long as I am here we need to talk about business for a second."

Kara looked around, pleased to see everything was perfect, everyone was smiling and happy. Alex was smiling, Nyssa was smiling, for the moment everything was fine.

"Okay, what? Make it quick."

"Have you relaxed enough about Lexie that you plan to come back to the gallery next week?"

"Have I… yes, but why? Is there something going on?"

"Yes, you need more paintings. A lot more, plus you have four families coming in for portraits. I scheduled them Monday through Thursday in the mornings, so you can paint in the afternoon."

"I have… how did that happen? Do I know them?"

'Nope. Word has gotten out. $6000 for two and $8000 for the other two, larger sizes and all. Plus,like I said, we need more paintings. You need to get whatever muse you have in gear and start painting."

"Oliver, I have 32 paintings in the gallery." Kara reminded him.

"No, you have 22, I sold 10 this week. $62,000 dollars."

Kara froze for a moment, thinking her super hearing must be failing her.

"Ten paintings for $62,000. My painting aren't priced that high. How is that possible? How did you sell ten paintings? Thats impossible. I haven't sold that many since I opened. Eight total and that has been… you know nothing about art!"

"No, I don't, but I know about rich people. Your prices were ridiculously low, especially for your talent. The people who buy art want one of two things, a famous artist or an unknown artist. They like to think they have discovered a new artist and are in on the ground floor. You were selling most of your pieces for $1000. No self respecting billionaire is going to spend that. So I jumped the prices to $10,000, I sold one, she told a friend and so on and so on. I sold one for $15,000 and she couldn't grab it fast enough. You are an up and coming artist who is about to break into the big time. At least that is what I told them and now its true. This was in one week. The word is going to get out this weekend and all of them are going to be bragging about the new artist they discovered right here in Central City and you are going to have double the business next week while the other people with money to burn are going to try and one up their friends. Its what rich people do. I spent most of my life rich. This is exactly how my mother and Thea thought. Thea still thinks like that. You owe me $3100 by the way. 5%, remember?"

"You get 10%. Seriously? I can't believe you pulled this off!"

"You have a lot of talent, I have a great smile and great body and I know how rich women think. How can we fail? Now enjoy the party and please be at work on Monday. I realize you are an artist now and artists are free spirits and eccentric but you are in demand. We strike while its hot and you are no longer up and coming but established and prices double. Oh, and you should think about someone handling the books. I have no idea how to do that. I told you I wasn't much of a CEO."

Oliver left, leaving a shocked artist, who had to quickly focus on the event she had planned. The dinner was only one part but an important part. After dessert was served, Kara walked into the middle of the room and gently tapped her wine glass with her spoon. She hated speaking in public, ironic considering the press conferences she had to handle for Ray, but this was important, so she could pull it off. Kara asked the staff to leave and used her X Ray vision to make sure they were gone. She also spied Oliver in full gear on top of the roof and shook her head.

"Attention everyone. I hope you all have enjoyed dinner. I wanted to say a few words and I promise not to babble."

The room laughed, knowing Kara could not possibly not babble.

"First of all, I would like to say a few words about Alex. My sister, the one who changed my life and has saved my life quite a few times. A lot of people who know our whole history probably think our friend J'onn taught Alex how to fight. The truth is, I did. At least she learned because of me. She knew how to fight long before he got a hold of her.

Most of you, if not all, know that Eliza and Jeremiah adopted me when I was 13. My family had died in an explosion. Eliza and Jeremiah took me in, loved me, made me theirs and gave me something I had never had before. They gave me a sister. I had been an only child and despite the grief I was feeling, the idea of having a sister excited me. The idea of having a sister didn't exactly excite her."

Alex smiled at her, thinking of those first months.

"I shared a room with her and she put up with it, despite my strangeness. It was a new place, a place I knew no one. I had to learn a lot and despite her annoyance at my appearance in her life she was there, teaching me, making me feel wanted whether she wanted me to or not. I looked up to her from the start. She was smart and strong and had patience with me, showing me my new town, getting me to the right classes in school. From the start of my second life she was there and she was my hero."

Alex wiped a tear from her eye, remembering those days, teaching the strange blonde alien English and trying to learn her language. Talking her out from under tables when the popcorn maker or the vacuum cleaner came on. Hiding in the bathroom with her on their first plane trip, while Kara told her she could grab all three of them, kick the door open and fly them out. Seeing the look of shame on her face the first time she broke a toilet, and the second… and the third.

"One night, a thunder storm was practically on top of our home and I freaked out. I really did. I had just left my house when the explosion happened that killed my parents. I heard it, and still to this day have nightmares about it at times. That night, the thunder was directly overhead, so loud I thought another explosion was happening, one coming for me this time. Alex… she held me all night and used both our hands to cover my ears. I know I… she protected me even then. It was then that she learned to fight. She didn't have a choice because of who she was. Up until that point, I was still the stranger in the small town where everyone knew each other. I got picked on a lot. I'm not sure if Alex remembers what he said but I do. This kid called me a name the next day that I had been called many times. I was used to the name calling and jokes at my expense. It didn't matter to me at that point, it was just part of my new life.

But that day, Alex, all 80 lbs of her, beat the guy up. She was like a force of nature, hitting a boy who was twice her size, over and over again, not just winning but everyone in the school knew not to mess with her or me that day. I got still got picked on but it stopped quickly whenever anyone saw her walking the halls towards me. Stalking would be a better term. She lost friends over this and never let me know it bothered her. She learned to fight because of me, for me. She fought for me when I couldn't fight for myself. She made me feel worth something because at the point in my life I was feeling pretty useless. Eliza, Alex and Jeremiah all did, but Alex was my protector.

I'm sure since all the officers know who I am, and considering what happened when all the metas attacked this Earth, you have all figured out that we aren't from around here."

All the officers laughed, having had this discussion many times and though Barry never said, they knew Kara had come from another universe.

"Before I came here, Alex had already saved my life so many times I couldn't count. When I was in trouble, Alex, no superpowers, fought for me. She made me feel safe. I was attacked and Barry saved me, he brought me here and no one I left behind knew if I was alive or dead. I convinced myself that they would be better off without me. They would move on and I wouldn't bring anymore danger to their lives. Despite this, Alex walked through hell, never stopped fighting, took a huge risk and found me. She risked everything, not for the first time, to get to me.

That's just how Alex is. When she loves, she loves with everything she has. There is nothing, no danger she won't face for the ones she loves. Alex fights for love. You already know this, Nyssa but this is the woman you are marrying. I can't give the speech I've always wanted to give. The one where I say if you hurt her I will hurt you because I know you are the same way. You love with everything you have in you as well. I can't tell you how happy our family is that you found each other. Not even universes could keep you apart. You have already walked into hell by her side and always will. You are everything I have always wished for her."

Kara moved towards a teary eyed Alex and a smiling Nyssa and hugged them both.

Then Alex cringed. Sara stood up.

"I would like to say a few words, if it is okay with you, Alex?"

Alex nodded and sat back in her chair, wondering what this was about and prepared for heavy drinking.

"Those who don't know me, my name is Sara. I'm Lieutenant Lance's daughter. Alex and I are, I guess we could be called Frenimies? I'm not sure if that is an actual word, but we did get off to a rough start. I like to think we are closer now, at least we fight well by each other's side and in the end thats what matters most to me. I won't be able to follow up what Kara just did, but I know one thing about Nyssa and Alex. They both saved my life, Nyssa over ten years ago and Alex less than a year ago. I have known Alex long enough in the past year to know that she is fierce, a warrior who never backs down despite the odds. Nyssa… Nyssa is the most honorable, loving person I have ever known. When Nyssa says something, she means it. She never has to give her word because everyone knows when she says something thats it. Nyssa never lies. Like Kara said, when Nyssa loves, she loves with everything she has in her. Congratulations to two women who deserve each other in the best way."

A round of applause and Kara began to get nervous. This was the moment she had planned for strippers that now she admitted would have been a bad idea. Barry had a point. Not exactly the tone she wanted to set. Diana's idea could blow up in her face as well, but she was 5000 years old, so Kara would go with it.

"Okay everyone, we have the party portion of the evening to get to. There are limos outside, pile into one you like and we are going to the next location. Alex, you and Nyssa get into the first limo. You need to change. You both do."

Kara changed quickly into her uniform and flew out the back, wanting to make one small stop before the cars got to the location in fifteen minutes. Flying into her backyard, she used her key to get in the back sliding door quietly. The lights were off despite only being 9 PM and she supposed the grandfathers had left. The blonde knew they had been planning on staying late and watching some sort of sporting event so was a bit surprised. Still she heard two heartbeats she knew as well as her own. Walking quietly into their bedroom, she stood by the door, looking at Barry, sitting with his shirt off, back leaned against the headboard, with a sleeping Lexie on his chest. Barry was asleep as well, his arms wrapped around their daughter. Kara wanted Lexie to sleep with them when she first brought the girl home but had read it was a good idea for her to get used to sleeping alone in a bed early. She was also concerned about rolling over on her, or scaring her if she had a nightmare. It wasn't an issue since neither her nor Barry had nightmares any longer. As long as they slept together the nightmares stayed away.

Now Barry had taken advantage of her absence and broken one of the rules.

But they looked adorable. She moved into the living room, grabbed the camera and took a photo of the two, then walked closer to the bed. She kissed Lexie on the back of her head and kissed Barry on the forehead.

"By the way, I know you aren't asleep." she whispered. "I know how you breathe when you sleep and how you breathe when you are pretending to be asleep. I know everything about you Barry Allen. I'll let you two get away with it tonight. See you in the morning. I love you."

Kara rubbed Charlie's back and let him lick her cheek then went to the backyard to fly off. Barry opened his eyes and looked at Lexie, who was still asleep.

"I told you we would get busted. We can't get anything by Mommy. Thanks for the warning, Charlie."

Charlie closed his eyes and went back to sleep at the foot of the bed. Where Lexie was, he was. It was just a fact of life.

The long line of limos stopped at a large warehouse, the same warehouse Barry's bachelor video game party had been held. Thea opened up the door and the group of twenty-three women, most police officers, glad they had their guns on them in this neighborhood, walked in.

In the middle of the dark warehouse was a blue mat, resembling the training mat at S.T.A.R. Alex and Nyssa stepped inside, Alex in her suit and Nyssa in her League of Assassin's gear. Most of the women, Felicity, Caitlin, Eliza and the Alex's co workers sat in the circle of chairs surrounding the mat. Thea, Sara, and Kendra disappeared into the darkness in the back.

Alex and Nyssa were led to the center of the mat by Donna, who refused to say what this was all about. Alex hoped they didn't expect Nyssa and her to fight each other. She would hate to be accused of spousal abuse the night before her wedding. Zatanna magicked herself a leather recliner and sat back, enjoying the wide eyed look of the police officers.

The modulated voice of the Predator brought silence to the room. The fearsome blue hooded avenger of justice walked onto the mat.

"Thank you all for coming. Nyssa and Alex, you are probably wondering why you are here. You are going to officially join your lives together tomorrow afternoon. Tonight we will see how well you fight together."

The White Canary, Speedy and Hawkwoman walked out of the darkness behind Kara, fully suited, only Kendra's wings not present.

"Will the other Maid of Honor approach the mat?"

The Green Arrow stepped out next to the women.

"The rules are simple. No bows, no swords, no shots to Nyssa's face or Alex's mouth since it isn't covered by her super helmet. Alex…no guns. Nothing that will kill someone, at least that a normal person could use to kill someone. Kali sticks, tonfas and bo staffs are battle continues until either Nyssa and Alex are the only ones left on the mat or one of them is thrown off. Any questions, losers, I mean Alex and Nyssa?"

"No little sis. Bring it on." Alex told her.

"Most of the weapons you barred are the ones I rely on to kill people." Nyssa complained.

"Exactly." Kara agreed. "Thats why they are banned. Ladies…"

"And me." Oliver corrected.

"Like I said, ladies attack."

What followed would be talked about among the women of Central City PD for years to come. The female officers had never seen such a display of speed and power, metal sticks, tonfas, hand to hand combat, leg kicks, fist strikes and grappling that lasted ten minutes, Nyssa and Alex, back to back in the middle, fighting off all comers. The ones on the outside had the advantage in striking but no one was moving the two women. They all took shots, Thea making the mistake of hitting Alex's very hard helmet and cracking her hand, holding it long enough for Nyssa to grab hold and shoulder toss her off the mat.

Kara did her best, her hood flying off but still swinging, even jumping on Alex's shoulders with her legs as she did at the DEO once. Instead of flipping her over this time, Alex turned and threw. Kara hit the concrete floor, the wind knocked out of her.

"Never try to use the same move against me, little sis." Alex smirked.

"Call me the Predator…Rao, that hurt." she mumbled, rolling over and turning her new bracelet off.

The fight continued until the only remaining were the Green Arrow, Nyssa and Alex.

"Just give up before you are embarrassed in front of the warriors of Central PD. If you continue this, no one will be intimidated by the Green Arrow any longer."

"That attitude hasn't helped me live this long, Nyssa."

"No, blind luck and fate's sense of humor has let you live this long."

The two women spread out Alex behind him and Nyssa in front, all three welding Kali sticks. Nyssa was not happy about this, Oliver was a master at these weapons.

Alex and Nyssa attacked at once, Oliver twisting and turning, setting the pace. Nyssa would pay thousands for a sword or bow in her hand at the moment. Alex switched, a stick in one hand and tonfa covering the other arm and the pace changed. Nyssa jumped, Oliver catching her and rolling her over, not seeing Alex sweep to the ground, taking his legs and striking his ankle, Nyssa followed from the other side, landing a foot to the side of his knee, the same one Roy Harper tore the tendons of a few years before. Oliver bent down, long enough for Alex to grab his head and roll him over. He rolled with it, stood up at the end of the mat in time to see Nyssa jumping over Alex, landing a foot into his chest, sending him sprawling off the mat.

The crowd, especially the female officers, roared, seeing the famous Green Arrow, the man who killed Damian Darhk, knocked off the mat. Oliver stood up and bowed then applauded the two women, walking towards his sister and blue clad protege.

"So is that it? Can we go home? Because I am exhausted." a sweaty Alex asked, taking off her helmet.

"Thats it for you Alex." Kara told her. "We aren't done with Nyssa. Ladies…"

"And me."

"Ladies," Kara continued, ignoring Oliver, "many of you don't know much about Nyssa other than she is Alex's girlfriend who buys her Porsches and million dollar town homes, and a really awesome wardrobe that is not completely black now. Nyssa is regarded by many in this world as a living legend. I can't go into details but she is one of the most skilled and feared warriors in the world. She does have an equal though. One woman she has fought before, one woman equal to her skill by her own admission. I present to you, Tatsu Yamashiro, known by her friends and enemies simply as Katana."

Out of the shadows,Tatsu entered the arena, clad in a black bodysuit with what appeared to be thin armor over her shoulders and chest. Covering her forehead down to her nose, she wore a white mask, a red sun at the top. She had on knee high high red boots and red gloves but it was the blade in her hand that caught everyone's attention, particularly Zatanna, Donna and Diana. All three woman approached her carefully, taking in the blade.

"What is it called?" Zatanna whispered.

"You know." Tatsu told her.

"This is the Soul Taker?"

"It is. Would you like to hold it?"

"Goddess no!" Zatanna stepped back, while Diana and Donna stared at the blade. Zatanna moved towards her chair, her eyes never leaving the blade.

Nodding to the two Amazons, Tatsu walked around the mat, placed Soul Taker in its scabbard and hugged Oliver.

"I've missed you." he told his friend and the woman he owed his life to. They reminded each other of a difficult time in both their lives but throughout it, they were by each other's side. Oliver, Tatsu and…Maseo. She also made him think of Akio, the innocent boy, her son, they had all failed to protect. They had their revenge but they never got justice. She was one of the few mentors Oliver had who was still alive.

"Did Oliver just voluntarily hug her?" Alex whispered.

"They have a history. An intense one, full of pain, blood, friendship, grief and love." Kara told her sister, fighting back tears. Three people knew most of Oliver's past including the five years that turned him into the man was now. Only Kara and Felicity knew everything and the blonde had always felt Tatsu had the most tragic history and yet she kept going, kept living, kept fighting.

Tatsu held the scabbard out to Oliver who bowed his head and took it, keeping it safe, keeping the soul of her husband and his friend safe, while she battled without it.

Tatsu stepped onto the mat and bowed towards Nyssa who did the same. Kara walked up with two katana, the blades blunted and handed one to both women.

"Blunted blades, please don't poke each other in the eyes, since you are both important people in the wedding tomorrow and I will not have my sister's wedding ruined by a bloody sword fight. I would imagine you are both determined to fight until one of you passes out but we have to sleep tonight, You will have ten minutes or until one of you yields, like thats going to happen. Okay, you got ten minutes, have fun."

Nyssa and Tatsu smiled at each other and began. What followed was even more impressive than the vigilante queen of the hill match earlier. Eliza and Caitlin watched the light show because that was what it was. No one could keep track of the path of blades, as fast as they were moving but all saw the sparks with every strike. Diana and Donna sat back impressed, while Zatanna kept an eye on the sword in Oliver's hand, filled with the souls of those whose lives it had taken.

"Time!" Kara yelled, as both Tatsu and Nyssa stopped mid swing, their blades near each other's neck.

"You are so much fun." Nyssa admitted to a grinning Tatsu.

"Congratulations on your marriage. May it be happy, long and blessed with many children."

Tatsu left, leaving an open mouthed Nyssa, going to Oliver who handed her blade back to her. The party broke up and the limos began a trek to the guests homes, Tatsu staying with Oliver and Felicity. Nyssa went with Eliza to her and Alex's town home, where the woman would help her prepare in the morning, saving Alex from dealing with a blubbering mess of a mother and instead dealing with a tearful, sunny blonde sister.

Alex, Kara and Caitlin walked into Caitlin's apartment at ten, according to Kara's plan, right on time. They could shower, relax and still get plenty of sleep before being at location of the wedding, a place Barry had taken Kara once shortly after she had arrived here, a cliff looking out over the city, surrounded by natural beauty. It had been Barry and Kara's private spot but they had their home and could fly and run anywhere. It would belong to Alex and Nyssa now.

Once the three had showered and settled down, Alex on one end of the couch, Caitlin on the other and as usual, Kara laid out with her head on Caitlin's lap and feet in Alex's lap, wearing her favorite puppy dog pajamas.

"I should go check on Barry and…"

"No you aren't. You are sleeping with me tonight so I can make sure you stay in bed." Alex told her.

"Aren't you sore enough? You know you are going to kick me and wake yourself up. I am so sore even with the bracelet turned off. So did you have fun?" Kara asked, a bit nervously. Alex grinned at her.

"I had a blast. You do know me well, sister. I'm just glad there were no strippers involved."

"Yeah… that would have been a disaster. Diana is staying with Donna and Zatanna tonight. I think her and Donna have been bonding a bit this week. I hope. But that means Barry is alone with Lexie and Charlie, she didn't have her bracelet on earlier…"

"She doesn't need it and they will be fine. Relax." Caitlin ordered. "I mean if you can get anymore relaxed." she added noting Kara's habit of stretching out on the couch no matter who is on it.

"I've never spent the night away from them."

"I haven't spent the night away from Nyssa in a long time either but I'm not freaking out."

"Nyssa doesn't shoot lasers from her eyes. Fine then, tell me a story, Alex."

Alex rolled her eyes. "We aren't kids anymore, Kara." Seeing the puppy dog eyes threatening to make an appearance, she gave in quickly though. "Fine, what story would you like to hear?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "It's either tell me a story or rub my feet. Both would be great."

"I know what story I want to hear." Caitlin told her. "Tell us what happened the night after you met Nyssa. After training that morning, when you met her at S.T.A.R. that night."

Alex smiled at the thought, the first night she began a path she could not stop and didn't want to.

She had left Caitlin in the control room and walked the halls, finally entering Ray's lab since he wasn't there. She wasn't sure where the woman wanted to meet so decided she would wait there and see if the ninja could track her down. Nyssa's voice scared the hell out of her from behind. She had already been in the room.

"So have you figured it out yet?"

"You're quiet." Alex admitted, trying to ignore the way Nyssa's eyes roamed freely over her. "What was I supposed to have figured out?"

"Have you figured out what you are fighting for?"

Alex swallowed, trying to ignore the woman's body, clad in black satin pants, high black stiletto boots and a simple white top, her dark, long hair flowing freely over her shoulders and framing her exotic face.

"I haven't had a lot of time. I watched a guy run through walls without breaking them and two geniuses figure out more about my sister's powers and how to keep her safer and stronger in five minutes than I ever did in twelve years. I'm in a new universe, its been a long couple of days, I am overjoyed at having Kara back, and I am really unsure of my place in her life right now. I won't leave her but I'm scared that maybe she doesn't need me."

"She doesn't need you." Nyssa told her, causing Alex to flinch. "But she wants you. That is more important than needing you. You already know what you are fighting for and it is not your sister. I would normally tell you to figure out what it is and hold onto it, don't tell anyone. It is yours and yours alone but I want to know yours. If I am out of place please tell me so."

"No, it's not that. I just don't understand what you want me to say. You tell me I'm not fighting for my sister but I do, I have, ever since she came into my life."

Nyssa walked closer to Alex, uncomfortably close, but surprisingly Alex wasn't uncomfortable at all despite the lack of personal space. She was actually pleasantly warm.

"What do you fight for? You obviously have a different history than the average person."

"On your Earth, did you ever hear of the League of Assassins?"

"No…no, I am pretty sure I would have… of course I fought aliens, not ninjas."

"Aliens? Like your sister?"

"No definitely not like my sister. They were big mostly, had strange powers, fast and strong but they were not as pretty or pure as my sister. They all had one thing in common though. They wanted to kill her, make her suffer."

"And you fought them, defeated them?"

"I had help but yeah, I did. I led a team of agents and we took our hits, our losses, but yeah, I guess I did."

"And you have no powers of your own besides your human body? Amazing. As I was saying, on this Earth there was an ancient sect of warriors, assassins, led by Ra's Al Ghul. The title has been passed down through the centuries but the leader always lives a long life thanks to bathing in waters of the Lazarus Pit. The Lazarus Pit has the ability to grant immortality, even bring the dead back to life. My father was Ra's Al Ghul. I was his only daughter, at least I think so. I was the one in the palace, the one who was trained from birth to be a killer. Not a warrior but a killer. I trained, fought and defeated the most dangerous fighters in the world. I killed my first opponent when I was twelve. He was 37 and had been a League member since he was 16. I took his head."

"Wow." Alex said, not sure what else to say.

"My history is… complicated. As I am sure you have figured out, Sara and Laurel Lance and Oliver Queen have played prominent roles in recent years, both good and bad. I won't tell you the details tonight except a bit about my father. My father was not a good person. He was barely a person. He had a code he lived by, a twisted way of seeing the world and everyone and thing around him were pawns he moved for his own agenda. He was cold, emotionless and had no empathy of any kind. I never knew my mother, I doubt she lived long after I was born. He wanted a child, boy, girl, it didn't matter. He wanted a boy to succeed him or a girl to marry off and give him an heir, a way his bloodline could continue. Had I ever been killed in one of my battles he would simply have taken another woman and had a child to replace me. I know this because he reminded me of it before many of my more difficult duels."

"Thats uh… wow. That had to be incredibly hard."

"I didn't know that. It was the way life was for me. I didn't know other people had families filled with love, warmth. I didn't know about Holidays and birthday celebrations with gifts and cake. But a part of me wanted love. Even though I had never felt it or known it, I wanted it. The most natural place to find it was my father. I needed his love but didn't know that it was impossible for him to love. He had lost his soul long ago. So rather than love him, I feared him, but I still hoped. Every fight I won, I looked for any indication, any sign that he was at least proud. Instead he seemed to be mildly surprised that I survived and walked away without a word.

So that is what I fight for Alex. I fight for love, the love I never had, the love I have desperately wanted and the love I hope to have one day. I fight because I believe if I can just keep fighting, just keep winning, at the end of my journey, I will find someone who can love me the way I want to be loved."

"Thats… I don't know, I guess. I've never really thought about it. I began to fight when Kara entered my life. I had never slapped someone much less hit them until she began to be picked on at school. They had no right to treat her the way they did. She had lost everything and I couldn't take it. She annoyed the hell out of me when she first arrived but she was so… scared. She took this abuse at school to the point I almost wished I hadn't taught her English so she wouldn't understand the things they said to her, called her. The teachers wouldn't do anything, my parents complained but the administration didn't want to start a bullying investigation over the new kid. They chalked it up to the new girl being oversensitive. So since no one else would fight at that place, I had to. She couldn't because she wouldn't, she was gentle and I wanted her to stay that way. Also if she hit a kid she would have crushed his skull. So I learned to fight. She was never popular, neither of us were after a while but she was never openly picked on again. We were both ignored but it didn't matter because we had each other."

"You fought for her because no one else would."

"Yeah."

"Why do you keep fighting now? Sara told me about your journey to this universe. You had been attacked in your home, attacked by a group of freaks, leather bound ninjas as you would say, another one who wielded fire and another who fired some sort of light beams from his arms, wrapped in one of Oliver Queen's ridiculous arrows and you still jumped into a glowing hole not entirely sure what would happen to you when you arrived."

"Yeah, I guess I did. I didn't really think about it. I just knew I had to get to her and the only way I could do it was to go in. When I got there I would fight to stay and if I died, I died."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to lose anyone else. I had lost my dad, my mother and I had grown apart, I had no personal life to lose. Kara and my mother were all I had left. My dad died when I was 15. We were close. He was a great man and my mom and I used to be close but I was torn. I wanted to resent Kara because of the attention my Mom gave her but I couldn't because Kara never asked for it. Instead I resented my mother. I know now why she did what she did but we still had those years we lost. She made mistakes, she admitted that too me and I didn't handle things in the healthiest manner either. I couldn't lose anyone else I love."

"So you fight for love as well. To hold onto the love you have."

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"And the love you hope to have? Do you ever see yourself falling in love, Alex?"

"I've never been in love, not the way you mean. I've never came close. Even in my darkest times I knew Kara loved me and that was what I held on to."

"No special boys in your life?" Nyssa asked with a knowing grin.

"Since Caitlin Snow figured out I was gay five minutes after knowing me, probably based on the way I was looking at you, I am sure you know there have never been any boys in my life."

"I guessed as much. So we fight for the same things, we fight for love. It should be easy for us to train together."

"Yeah I guess so. It should be interesting." Alex admitted, a part of her wanting to get to Kara's apartment and another part really enjoying how close she and this beautiful, exotic woman stood together.

"What will you do tonight?"

"Wait for Kara to get back from eating a cow and go to her apartment… just be with her. Just watch her breathe and make sure she isn't like she has been in my nightmares, bloody… dead. Its all I have wanted for a long time."

"All you have wanted?" Nyssa asked, eyebrow raised. "Let me take you out tomorrow night. I don't know this city well. We can discover it together."

"Uh…" Alex shook her head, remembering why she was here. She needed to talk to Kara about her mother, convince her to go back, to at least get Eliza. "I'm not… I'm not here… I mean I have a lot going on and maybe we should just stick to training. I really appreciate what you are doing for her, for both of them and… I guess? It wouldn't kill me to find out more about the city. Just so you understand, I'm not really looking for anything. I have a lot going on, I need to yell at Kara for not letting me know she was alive, I … just one night won't kill us I suppose. It just can't be… I can't be serious… I wouldn't even know how. So long as it is …"

"Casual?" Nyssa asked, smiling, knowing she had her.

"Yeah, casual. We can do casual."

"Then meet me at the park tomorrow at 6 PM. We can do casual as you say."

Nyssa leaned forward, they were only inches apart and Alex closed her eyes, felt her lips close to hers and then they were gone before they touched. She slowly opened her eyes and Nyssa was gone.

"Wow, so yeah, casual. No problem, nothing serious, just… casual."

"Alex?" Kara's voice brought her back from the memory of the first real conversation with the woman she would come to marry.

"What?"

"Tell us the story. I want to hear about it."

"Oh, uh, not much to tell. We introduced ourselves and then had sex all over Ray's lab."

Both women's eyes opened wide then Kara threw a pillow into Alex's face. "You are such a liar. Let's get some sleep. We are getting ready here, then meeting everyone at the spot. Barry has made it really nice. It took him like a whole five minutes which is like 24 hours for the rest of the human race. Why don't you and Caitlin share a bed so you don't kick me and wake yourself up Alex?"

"Because you won't get any sleep hovering over your home, watching Barry and Lexie sleep. I bet your dog and Lexie are in the same bed as Barry. So I think I will put a bell on your toe in case you sneak off and sleep right next to you. I'll even let you cuddle."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The next morning at dawn, at Nyssa and Alex's town home, Nyssa sat on the floor in her meditation room, legs crossed, back straight and palms on her thighs, in a completely peaceful state of mind.

"Nyssa?"

She took a breath, drawn out of her peace.

"Yes Eliza?"

"Would you like me to make breakfast?"

"No thank you. I am meditating. I will eat a light breakfast when I am done."

"Oh… the bed was really comfortable. I have to find out what kind of mattress that is. I'm not sure if Jeremiah could take such a soft mattress with his back but he will have to deal with it. So… can I meditate too?"

Another deep breath released. "I suppose so."

Eliza sat next to Nyssa, crossed her legs and placed her palms up, then down, copying Nyssa's position. Nyssa tried to focus, to return to her transitional state. Enjoying the quiet, she relaxed and began her breathing exercises. The quiet lasted thirty seconds.

"Nyssa?"

"Yes?"

"Am I doing this right? Because it seems kind of boring. Should I be chanting or rocking back and forth? Anything?"

"No, just sit as still as possible and clear your mind."

"I'm a scientist Nyssa, My mind is never clear."

"Try."

"Okay."

Another thirty two seconds passed in silence.

"We should start getting ready. How long does this meditation thing last? Could I save time and drink my coffee while I am doing it? If I shouldn't thats fine but we really need to start getting you ready. The veil is complicated, and its going to take quite a few pins. So take all the time that you need as long as it isn't more than five minutes, okay? I can stay and meditate with you or would you rather I get a light breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, do you like scrambled or fried? I don't really do poached."

Nyssa opened her eyes and took in her soon to be mother in law.

"Are you certain you are not Kara's biological mother?"

Eliza smiled and then frowned. "I'll get breakfast started. Just don't lose track of time when you clear your mind. Nevermind. I will come get you when it is ready. Isn't this exciting? I'm excited so I know you are. Okay, breakfast!"

Nyssa tried to close her eyes and breathe deeply, then gave up. At this point it was useless. Besides her mind was across town in Caitlin Snow's apartment.

At S.T.A.R. labs a very sleepy Cisco and the Justice League males who had woken early prepared for the arrival of their Earth 3 friends. The portal opened and Kal El and J'onn walked through together, followed by Lucy and Lois Lane.

"Hello everyone. It's good to be back." Kal El greeted them, decked out in his familiar suit, the one Central City PD now referred to as the fish scale suit. "We were hoping Diana may have been able to join us but she has been out of contact…" Kal El stopped talking when Diana and Donna walked into the room.

"What took you boys so long?" Wonder Woman asked.

"How did you get here? Did Cisco… did you open an earlier portal?" J'onn asked Vibe who shook his head.

"Please J'onn, don't insult me. You didn't really think I would rely on someone else to get me what I want, did you? I'm offended. Unfortunately you won't be able to use the portal I have established. Its on Themyscira. No little boys allowed. Or big strong Supermen either."

Both men shook their heads and greeted the others, Lucy hugging Diana, having feared the worst when she hadn't been in contact in a week and her searches going nowhere and Lois politely, glad the woman was actually wearing jeans and a t shirt, even if the jeans looked painted on.

A teary eyed Kara began pinning her sister's veil as soon as Alex had woken, while she was still trying to adjust to the daylight. Kara, like Eliza, was full of energy.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked Alex.

"Of course. It's not like its anything new. I mean it is, but we have been living together so long it won't be an adjustment."

Kara laughed, ending in a snort, of course.

"What? What is that?"

"What is what?" she asked innocently.

"You laughed. You don't believe me?"

"Of course I believe you. Barry and I practically lived together here also. I'm sure your experience will be different than mine."

"What do you mean different? What is going to change?"

"Nothing! I mean… its just different being married. I guess when you are married, things start to bug you a bit more. You stop thinking all the time about how much you love your spouse and start noting things you used to ignore. For instance, leaving shoes on the floor, spread out wherever they land seems cute when you are living together. When you are married and you realize if you don't put a stop to it, it is going to last forever, you begin thinking of ways to make it stop."

"Barry leaves his shoes wherever they land?"

'Of course not. He's a neat freak. I leave my shoes wherever they land. But you also notice other little quirks they have. Leaving shower towels on the floor, leaving cereal bowls with milk in them in the sink without rinsing them. Not cleaning a knife after you spread peanut butter on a hot dog. Thinks like that."

"Those are all yours, aren't they?"

"Yep, and he bugs me about them constantly. I'm trying to be a great mother and a successful artist and he complains about tripping over my shoes. He has super speed, how can he still trip over my shoes, right? Anyway I'm an artist and artists are free spirits. Shoes have to lie where they fall. Thats just the way it goes. Having a trophy wife is not problem free. Nyssa will find this out. You are as much a slob as I am. Probably a bigger slob. "

"I am not and she doesn't complain about anything I do."

"Not yet." Kara mumbled. Alex ignored her.

Three hours later, Kara, Alex and Caitlin got out of a Hummer to find a large tent had been set up with a path leading to the cliffs edge. In front of the cliff stood Tatsu, surrounded by Alex and Nyssa's family, friends and co workers. Alex wished Nyssa had family as close as hers was but they had the same family now and Alex was very grateful to Oliver Queen that Nyssa's father could not be here today or any other day. Kara was dressed in a blue long opened back dress, waving at Barry, who was holding their daughter, Charlie's head sticking out of the diaper bag. She wouldn't allow her best friend besides Caitlin to miss this day. He had promised to stay quiet. Alex smiled at her niece and scowled at the dog but took it in stride. She never had any doubt that Charlie would be here. She was slightly surprised Kara hadn't brought him to the fight in Vietnam, mask and all.

Alex and Nyssa had agreed on matching white Olympic style dresses, long veils weaved into both their hair and flowing down the backs, sandals rather than heels. Both had shear scarves covering the bottom halves of their faces. The two met inside the tent where they would walk out together. The rings they would share were identical, one they had both worn for months.

"Are you ready?" Alex asked her fiancee nervously.

"I've been ready my entire life. I'm a bit annoyed actually that you made me wait so long."

Alex laughed then remembered Kara's words about small annoyances. "Sorry?"

"Already forgiven. It took you a while but at least you found me. You look breathtaking."

Alex agreed, thinking of something romantic to say, something to portray how she felt about Nyssa's appearance.

"After this ceremony I am going to take you somewhere and wreck you."

Alex never was much for poetry.

Outside, Oliver, clad in a black suit, tie and jacket with a simple white buttoned shirt, stood across from Kara.

"I thought you were wearing ceremonial dress? See what I have on? Ceremonial, sort of. You are wearing Armani."

"I tried. Nyssa took a look at me, said I reminded her of her last disastrous marriage ceremony, told me to buy a suit and stand here looking pretty. I don't think she meant it as a compliment. I think I look pretty."

"Your hair does look nice but seriously would it kill you to shave once a year, or maybe when you do, shave your whole face?"

"And this is why Felicity and I remain happily unmarried."

"Kara, have you brought the sock? I need it now." Tatsu told her, surprising Kara. The woman was so quiet you could forget she was there. She wore a traditional red Japanese kimono, two dragons printed, one on each side. On her back was her katana, the one that fascinated Diana and Donna and scared the hell out of Zatanna.

"A sock?"

"Yes, a sock of Oliver's to burn?"

Kara panicked, wondering if one of Nyssa's outrageous demands was actually legitimate. The blonde looked at Oliver.

"Give me your sock!"

"No! I'm giving you a sock. You should have gotten one way before this. Its too late now. We go with what we have."

"We can't Oliver. I need a sock and you know this." Tatsu told him.

"I'm not giving you my sock. I only have two on me and need both."

"Should we postpone the wedding until a sock can be found?" Katana asked.

"No! Barry! Give Charlie to Ray and bring me Lexie then run to Oliver's place and grab one of his socks!"

Barry looked at Oliver then his friend and glared. Both started snickering.

"You guys aren't funny. We have one minute. Mom, Dad! Sit! No you sit, Mom. Dad, go get them!"

Jeremiah nodded at his bossy daughter and walked into the tent. Both women were smiling. He kissed them both on the forehead and stood between them so both could hook their arms with his. No wedding music played but the crowd quieted as the three walked out, following the red carpeted path to the edge of the cliff where Tatsu stood. Barry handed Kara a katana and Thea did the same for Oliver.

Alex and Nyssa reached the end, pulled off the scarves covering their faces and Jeremiah kissed both on the cheek, then stepped away to hold Eliza.

"Kara Allen, Oliver Queen, you are here as witnesses to the love these two share.

"I am." both responded.

"They are two souls, bound to one another?"

"They are." both responded again.

"Nyssa, Alex, I understand you have rings you wish to wear as symbols of your love. Exchange them now." Tatsu ordered. Both women did as instructed, Eliza holding her breath to keep from sobbing and gripping Jeremiah's hand tightly. Jeremiah was lost in the moment and the past, thinking of Alex's childhood, her first steps, sleeping on his chest the same way Lexie slept on Barry's chest the night before. Kara couldn't think about any of that right now, solely focused on making sure everything was perfect. She would be shot again to have this happen for Alex. Barry, her child and now Alex's happiness made all the pain worth it.

After the two women with shaking hands placed the rings on each other's finger, they turned back to Tatsu who looked at Kara and Oliver. Both held the swords out, Kara to Alex and Oliver to Nyssa. Even Oliver was a bit emotional, thinking of everything he and Nyssa had been through and survived together. If she could find this happiness after all she had been through in life, perhaps everyone had a chance. Nyssa had certainly beaten the odds.

"Place your swords over mine." Tatsu held her blade in front, Alex and Nyssa's resting on hers.

"Marriage is the most sacred bond in the spiritual and physical world. Two souls uniting as one, forever, in life and death. Your enemies are now her enemies, your family her family and your friends her friends. Neither of you have separate lives any longer, you have one life, together. In life and death, you will be together always, loving each other no matter the challenges, nothing can ever come between you. Do you both accept this solemn vow?"

"We do." they answered.

"Let these katana be a remembrance, a sign of your strength, beauty and love. May they ever go to battle side by side. You are now bound to each other by the oath of matrimony and I declare you wives for all to witness. Go forth and love, Nyssa and Alexandra Zorel."

The two star crossed and dimensionally crossed lovers kissed gently to the applause of all, the officers of Central PD who had been able to attend, the band of warriors and family that called itself the Justice League, even Lexie smiled, not knowing what was happening but recognizing it was of great importance. Kara and Alex hugged tightly, Kara wearing her bracelet so she could hold Alex as closely as possible. Oliver opened his arms and Nyssa smirked then did something she would have sworn years earlier she would never do, hugging the man for the first time. J'onn watched in his human form, seeing the whole family reunited, remembering his lost family and being grateful that there was some justice in this world. Sometimes people did get what they deserved.


	55. Chapter 55

Do not own DC or CW characters

A/N Sorry for the delay. Its been a busy week. Thank you for all the reviews last chapter. Here we start entering the final arch of the story. For those of you who have PM'd me about a sequel, it may happen one day but I have other pairings I want to try out and a stand alone alternate history of Supergirl I want to try out. I won't stop writing, promise. After this is over I will post it on my site and add video and such, pictures, that sort of thing so I am pretty excited about that. I am 42 in a couple of weeks and my Mom who knows nothing about fanfiction found out about my website not long ago and joined under a different name. She liked my friend's writings and my originals except for the violent parts (one involves torture using a decompression chamber) and surprised me one day by giving me bound editions of my writings. I can't wait till see sees how many pages this one is going to take up. Still as much as I would like to document every month of Lexie's development that would get old for the reader quickly. So in this chapter towards the end, we have quite a few time jumps. I hope you enjoy it. After this there won't be many time jumps, just the remaining four or five chapters of the story. It will be sad for me because I have had so much fun but I hope you will join me on whatever my next project is going to be. Okay, on with the story!

Chapter 55

"Are you sure you aren't disappointed that you aren't having a surprise party? I just… we… Caitlin said we all suck at keeping secrets and it was a miracle you all pulled off mine. If I hadn't been traumatized from taking down a mad man and being yelled at by everyone I love as a reward and being deliriously happy that Charlie entered my life and I didn't get Lexie killed, and had a new car and bought a dog seat for the first time in my life. It was kind of a big deal and a lot was going on. If you wanted it to be a surprise maybe we could have had it a day early next year? Of course that wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? Plus its too late and I really don't want to go back in time. I would screw everything up. I rout I could anyway even if you shared speed with me and wouldn't have the first clue about how to get back."

"Kara would you calm down? Hanging out at Ray's penthouse sounds great. It will be nice for all of us to relax." Barry assured her. "It seems like the only time we all get together in one place is if we are fighting someone. Did… did you hear Kal El or Diana talking about anything… strange?"

"Strange? You mean to explain why they were so tense after the wedding and Diana hurried to pack her bags and seemed anxious to leave for once? I noticed that too but no, I didn't hear anything. Maybe they found out something or there was some emergency?"

"Then why not tell us?" Barry asked, irritated. Ironically for a man who wore a mask, he hated secrets, especially from those he considered friends like the Earth 3 crew. "Do you think they found the Order?"

"Lucy didn't say anything. Of course she probably doesn't know anything. She is supposedly the director of the support team but something tells me Bruce Wayne isn't the sharing type outside of those he fights besides. Maybe they didn't want us getting involved."

"We are the ones who should be involved. Those bastards ruined your family's life. They made monsters to kill you. They had guns pointed at you and Alex for twelve years. We owe them. They should be ours."

"Yeah, I know how you feel. Most of me wants to find out…" Kara hesitated.

"Most of you?"

"Yeah but the part of me sleeping in her baby bed right now, thinks maybe we shouldn't go looking for fight right now. Maybe it seems cowardly but… I don't want to leave her to go to another universe and there is no way she is going with us. If they were here on our Earth I would say we could attack at lunch time and still have time for dessert when we are done but they aren't. We are all together, my whole family and… I don't want to leave her like…"

"Like your mother left you." Barry finished.

"Yeah, … but you are right, we should fight in this. Maybe Cisco can vibe into the Earth and see what they are up to."

"No, you are right. I'm sure they would have told us. Maybe they just had a lead and maybe… maybe we should move on. We have our own battles to fight. Or at least we did. I suppose its too much to hope that the battles will stop."

"We do seem to attract trouble. I just wonder if the next trouble is going to come in colorful spandex and Harry Potter villains or camo? Or worse, black suits with guns."

"Kara, if someone could get close to us without you hearing or seeing them, the second they opened the door, even a millisecond after they try to kick in the door, I could have them disarmed and knocked out or taken to the other side of the world or… anything else that needs to be done."

"Don't Barry. We can't become that. Not for just any reason, not if there is another way, If Lexie is in trouble thats one thing but just to… we can't encourage Oliver. I don't want to see him back to… I don't want that for any of us."

"I know. I wouldn't do it unless there was no other option. Except Eiling. I think that is one Thawne got right. Giving him to Grodd… it didn't work out the way Thawne thought it would but if he wants to find Grodd so badly, I'm sure Cisco remembers the location. I would be glad to throw him there."

Kara shook her head, not knowing what to think. When she first met Barry he wouldn't talk about something like this so lightly. But she also understood. As horrible as breaking that clone's neck was, she recognized this general Alex had been keeping track of was just as big a threat, even without superpowers. She would kill him if she had to. After being a brainwashed slave to a gorilla instead of giving up he decided to go after the monkey. He wasn't a man to be dissuaded except by extreme measures.

"Enough of this talk. Its your birthday and we are going to think of happy things. Before we get ready I want to give you your gift. It's not exactly easy to carry or wrap. We could wrap it, but its better if its not."

Barry was curious as to what this mystery gift could be. She had alluded to it several times during the week but most of the week he spent with Lexie at the Gallery, both of them playing with her while Kara painted. She usually took her time, moving at human speed to paint. It made no difference in the art but she enjoyed the peacefulness of painting. It made her brain slow down and she could take her happiest thoughts, memories and scenery and lay them out for the world to see. This week however she had laid out her thoughts quickly. Oliver had sold ten more paintings at ridiculous prices and had six phone numbers slipped into his suit pocket by five trophy wives and one trophy husband. Kara had paid 60% of the building cost in two weeks. Barry never would have guessed Oliver would be so good at selling art of all things but watching him, it was obvious he was a natural. The Oliver Queen he showed the world was a very charming individual, handsome, strong and always ready with a smile. No one would guess how violent he could be, or that he could be the scowling face behind the mask and under the hood.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Close your eyes."

Barry did so and in less than five seconds was ordered to open his eyes again. He looked around then at the wall in front of him. Hanging in the living room in the center was a painting of him holding Lexie, who was lay against his chest, the both of them sleeping. The likeness was unreal. He remembered this, waking up on the sofa, holding her. Kara had been standing in front of him just watching, soaking it in. Now he knew why.

"Kara…"

"If you don't like it I have four other versions. This was the one I thought was closest to perfect."

"Its… beautiful. Thank you so much." the Flash pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her gently. She noted his eyes were red so he must like it.

"Really? I wanted it to be perfect, it was just such a beautiful scene. I wasn't sure where you wanted it but I thought… I mean I wanted it in the center over the fireplace but we can put it somewhere else if you want."

"I love it there for now. But I want one of all three of us over that fireplace eventually, whenever you get around to it. Maybe when we have all three of us we can move it into our bedroom or hers, or next to it. Maybe one with you and her on one side and this one the other and the three of us in the middle… its perfect Kara."

"I'm glad you like it. I've worked on it since I saw the two of you like that. She was 4 weeks and one day old."

"I remember. I love it. Its beautiful."

"Oh! I have your other gift too! Okay it is mostly from Cisco but I commissioned it. Hold on."

Kara zipped away and was back in a second, holding a garment sized box and a smaller box.

"Open the small box first!"

Barry tugged the red bow off and lifted the top. In the small box a very high tech chest piece lay, only with Kara's symbol and a lightning bolt through it. It was a replica of the tattoo on her shoulder blade.

"You like it? Because its yours and you are wearing it whether you like it or not. I have the same one mine now."

"Cool." he admitted then sat it down to open the bigger box. Ripping off the paper quickly of course he lifted the top and saw…

"Is this your suit?"

'Nope, its yours for the next month." she told him happily. Barry looked confused.

"Kara, red is more my color, not that I don't like it! But… is something wrong with my… why can't you change yours to red if you want to match? Shouldn't we talk about this?"

Barry took a look at his identical suit, thinking while he loved seeing blue on his wife he really, really liked red.

"Yeah, I like your suit and in a month you can go back to it. But for the next month, I believe we had a bet you need to pay up on."

"A bet?" Barry asked, trying to remember what bet the two had made recently.

"When I was first pregnant, you bet me that Lexie was a boy. As she obviously isn't, you lost. The terms were you wore my suit for a month. I said a week, you raised it to a month and lost. I've let it go because we had the whole Prometheus mess and then Decay and Fairchild and then my advanced pregnancy and the colds and the uncomfortable weight gain and before that the wedding but now things have calmed down for the moment. Its time."

"But… I agreed with you. Like a week later, right after I…"

"Yeah, believe me I remember that day. That would be the one where you ran from South America to the North Pole. Hard to forget. You talked to your speed force friend who gave you some spooky prophecy about our daughter but before that you made a bet. I never forget Barry. So enjoy your blue costume…"

"Uniform."

"for the next month. But not tonight. Tonight you are mine. Someone else can handle the emergencies of this city, maybe the fire and police departments?"

"Okay then… a whole month? Like four weeks?"

"31 days. Four weeks is 28 days. 31 days."

"But some months are 28 days."

"One month and that doesn't count. Face it Barry, you are going to be in blue. Iris is going to write about Mr. Superwoman. Your friends are going to laugh at you. But I think it will look great on you and my opinion is the only one that matters, right?"

"Yeah, I mean I love the chest plate, it's really cool. It just seems like matching chest plates should be enough to show our commitment…"

"Barry? You are wearing the damn suit. Happy birthday baby. Lets get ready so we can get Lexie dressed when she wakes up. I have the cutest new sweater for Charlie. Its too bad Alex and Nyssa can't be here. I hope they are having fun on their honeymoon."

"Yeah, traveling Europe for three weeks. I would imagine they are having a tough time enjoying themselves. We could do that, you know? You are the hottest artist in the city and probably the nation. Word is getting out. You won't be able to do portraits much longer."

"I will always do portraits. Maybe I can do them for free. I love portraits. Seeing families together, seeing the love they have for each other and immortalizing a moment. It's the best part of the job. When Lexie is older we can go, but I want her to be old enough to appreciate the artwork, the architecture, the history. I've always wanted to go to the Roman Coliseum."

"Whats that?" Barry asked.

"The Roman… you don't have the Roman Coliseum here?! But…"

"I'm just kidding. Alternate earth jokes never get old." he told her with a laugh.

"Yeah, they do. Okay, lets get ready. I have your clothes picked out."

"You have my… of course you do. Whatever you want."

Two hours later the family of four, Lexie in her stroller and Charlie in Kara's bag since he refused to wear a collar still, walked into Ray's town home. Kara had figured out that Ray had multiple properties, this one where Zatanna and Donna lived, his apartment with Jax and Thea's town home where she suspected he spent most of his time. Everyone they knew and considered family was there in addition to many of Barry's work friends including the Captain. His husband, not in the know could not make it, allowing them all to relax a bit more. Everyone here knew who they were, making it easier to not have to watch what they say about who they were.

They were greeted by all, drinks being passed out and then the horde descended on Lexie. She had been handled and passed around for five minutes before she let her annoyance be known. The second she let out her first cry, Kara zipped in, placing a small bracelet on her little wrist. Everyone quieted.

"Kara, she is going to cry." Eliza told her gently.

"Yeah, believe me I know. I know all of her cries. I know the dirty diaper cry, the I'm hungry cry, the I'm bored cry and I especially know the I am really annoyed or angry cry. Thats the one that worries me."

Eliza took her granddaughters wrist and unclasped the bracelet. "It was an extreme circumstance. It hasn't happened since and it won't now. She shouldn't be treated like a bomb, Kara. Okay everyone, no more passing around the princess. She will stay in my arms for the remainder of the night."

A quiet disagreement between friends and grandparents ensued but all agreed to let Eliza hold her for the time being. Barry greeted everyone, working the room, taking it all in. He still had a hard time believing he had this many friends. His team, Joe and Iris, then later Wally had been his support group. Oliver was always there but they were separated by cities. With the Arrow gracing Central City, which was quickly gaining the nickname of Superhero Central by the press, Oliver, Barry and Kara had grown very close. Barry also was surprised by Oliver's hidden talent at art dealing. His knowledge of the elite in the city and beyond had taken the pressure off of Kara, who preferred to paint and play with Lexie and Charlie, rather than sell. Although Kara had never said anything, word got around from the Fire Department to the Police Department about what Barry's wife had done for them. Kara never mentioned it but he wasn't surprised nor would have expected any less of her.

Walking to the center of the room as soon as Zatanna was finished turning air currents from the AC into different colors which seemed to fascinate all, especially a wide eyed Lexie, she greeted everyone.

"Thank you all for being here tonight, not that I doubted you would. Barry has a gift of making people want to be around him. I am glad you are all here because as much as I would like to keep him all to myself, all of you deserve to have a chance with him every now and then. I already gave my gift to Barry before we came over…"

Kara stopped talking until the cheers and whistles from the males died down.

"That isn't what I meant and my daughter is in the room. This isn't a bachelor party. Anyway, I am glad you all can wish a happy birthday to him. The man who saved me countless times, mostly from loneliness and the occasional super villain. The man who made my dreams come true, who saved the city too many times to count and saved an infinite number of universes, saved the lives of almost everyone in here at some point. A man who is the best husband and father, the best friend anyone could want. A guy who could use his gifts to take over the world and instead uses them to rescue people, to keep people safe and fight for them when no one else can. Lieutenant Lance over there and Captain Singh helped crunch some numbers for me. In the past year, since his last birthday, not taking into account bad guys, but fires, car wrecks, a sinking boat once, pedestrians trying to cross the street, a plane that went through a bridge that was suddenly not solid and explosions, Barry Allen has saved over 522 lives. 522 lives in the last 12 months and stopped many people who wanted to take more. As the Flash he stopped ten armed robberies, five of which had hostage situations. This was before word got out that you don't really commit crimes in Central City unless you want to be caught. He also worked 52 homicide cases as a CSI and none are still open. You have to be pretty smart to get something past him, something Lexie is going to find out in her teenage years. So here is to my husband and my hero, Barry Allen. I love you."

Barry waved away the round of applause touched that Singh and Quentin did that for him. He hadn't realized the number, he never really kept count. None of them did, because it wasn't about that. Still the number was surprising. He knew he had been busy but didn't realize how busy. Kara neglected to mention the number of lives she had saved of course, many by his side.

Kara tried to take Lexie to feed her, only to be intercepted by Henry, who grabbed the baby girl in his arms and reached out for a bottle with his hand and a grin. Kara rolled her eyes and handed the bottle over, never being able to turn him down. After what he experienced in his life, like Jeremiah, like her at times, this must seem like a really good dream.

The gifts given, Cisco offering a framed large photo of him and Kara taken after the Tower Heights rescue. In a side view, Kara and Barry in front of each other, Barry's suit covered in ash as well as Kara's who was leaned back against a console, one leg slightly bent and her arms back on the console. Barry was touching her cheek, trying to wipe away soot gently while they stared at each other, both obviously tired and both very deep in love, even that early in their relationship. Kara had been so hot from the fire that you could almost see the steam rising from her body.

The gift giving continued, mostly clothes except for Caitlin who had given him a karaoke machine and a bottle of Tequila for her to use if he ever wanted him to sing with her again. Harry had given Barry a picture Caitlin had taken with her phone that she later passed on to Harry. In the photo Harry and Jessie were hugging each other tightly, a few days after she had been rescued from Zoom's lair on Earth 2. The frame was engraved with the words Because of You.

Oliver's gift had been a bit more unusual, a ragged piece of metal only a foot long and five inches wide, with a series of oriental symbols. Oliver told him the metal was one of the strips left from the mech Barry destroyed in Siberia. Oliver had slipped it in his pack in the event it could have some sort of clues on it. He engraved the symbols himself and explained they stood for the word brotherhood in Mandarin.

Henry had given his son a stethoscope. Jeremiah and Eliza had given him a set of military dog tag and Jeremiah explained that they belonged to his grandfather in World War 2, sending a chill through Barry, recognizing how important they must be to the man.

"He was a hero, and he would be proud to know my son in law is wearing them now. From one hero to another, passed down through the generations." Jeremiah told him.

While the party moved on and Lexie was once again confiscated from her arms, this time by Joe, Kara slipped out onto the balcony to get some air. Barry was having fun, the food was great and he was enjoying himself, Cisco putting the Wrath of Khan on a big movie screen in the living room, playing in the background while everyone talked and mingled.

She looked out over the city praying nothing happened tonight that would require their services, a change from the past when the opportunities to use her powers excited her. After a few years of doing the superhero thing, Kara realized that when she had to use her powers there was a good chance people were already dead or could die if she wasn't on top of their game. She still enjoyed helping people but saving people from a burning building didn't change the fact that some could already be dead and all had lost their homes. Thinking of her own home and how much she would hate to lose it, the keepsakes and memories already made, the devastation she would feel. She supposed maturity had changed her views on the world a bit. She had learned since she first put on the cape on another Earth, that an emergency meant people were hurt, lives destroyed and nothing was ever black and white or exciting.

The door slid open behind her, Kara not recognizing the heartbeat but knowing it wasn't Barry's. Before she decided to turn around, Quentin Lance was next to her, looking out over the city beside her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Never fails to take my breath away." Kara admitted. "How are you doing Quentin? I liked the gift you gave Barry. A stop watch? I wish I had thought of it."

'Kid needs to remember to slow down sometimes. It isn't easy for someone as fast as he is but sometimes you have to take in the little moments. I imagine you are both learning that. That is a doll you got in there."

"Yeah, she is. She is my life." the blonde admitted.

"I saw you driving Wednesday. You are getting really good. I also noticed your window was up. No more motion sickness?"

"I moved on." Kara admitted.

"What do you mean? How do you move on from motion sickness?" Lance asked, with a soft chuckle.

"Quentin, there are some secrets you don't know about me. Captain Singh doesn't know either. No one outside of the League and Joe know. I also know you have had a lot of secrets kept from you in your life. But you kept Oliver's secret and have been through so much… I trust you Quentin. Do you want to know why I had motion sickness? It wasn't motion sickness. I told everyone it was but it wasn't. It was panic attacks. Severe enough that I would get sick from them.

"Panic attacks? From driving a car?"

"No… from being enclosed. I hate it. I hate planes and I hate trains and anything really that keeps me enclosed in a small space. Quentin, I'm not a metahuman."

"You've certainly fooled me." the man admitted, his laugh dying when he saw she wasn't kidding.

"I was born on a planet named Krypton. I'm an alien."

The cop took the woman in, the sunny blonde, wearing her knee length dress, the sleeves off her shoulders, her wavy, long beautiful hair. If she wasn't human… but she wasn't kidding. She was serious.

"Krypton?"

"Yep. Everyone who knows, like I said the League and Joe, who I guess is kinda League family like you are, know. If you are ever interested I can get a telescope and show you the sun our planet revolved around. We are the same as humans, the same solar cycles, the same aging processes, the same anatomy. The only difference is the yellow sun of this galaxy gives me a lot of power. My cells store it and are the reasons I have so many powers."

"Wow. I never would have guessed that. So what does that have to do with enclosed spaces?"

"When I was 13, our planets core became unstable and we all knew it would blow up. Literally blow up in an instant. All my world, gone in a second. My parents sent me to Earth in a spaceship, a pod really. I was supposed to protect my cousin who was a baby sent before me, but I was sent off too late. Before I was clear of the blast radius, my pod got knocked off course and I wound up in this place where time didn't exist. Nothing existed, no planets, no stars, just darkness and space debris. I was supposed to be asleep the entire time but that wasn't the case. I woke a couple times. Most of the time I was asleep, dreaming, having nightmares really. But when I woke I couldn't figure out why I wasn't on Earth. I was so sleepy, I probably shouldn't have woken at all but when I did, I managed to stay up for five or ten minutes. Like I said time didn't exist. I remember looking out my pod and seeing… nothing. Nothing but darkness, some rocks that would bump into the pod a few times but yeah… mostly darkness. I wasn't sure where I was, I knew I was in space but was I? Did I die and this was death? My whole world was that damn ship around me with nothing but darkness. After I fell back asleep the first time my dreams revolved around being trapped, like it was my tomb."

"That must have been horrible." Quentin admitted, not being able to imagine a young girl who had just lost everyone she loved, trapped in a space coffin.

"The second time I woke was when my pod had been reactivated. I stayed up, the ship doing what it was programmed to do, traveling wormholes to cut the distance through the universe, moving at nearly light speed. I saw trails of light and then long periods of darkness. I must have traveled for a month then I saw this planet. I closed my eyes and wanted to go back to sleep. My body was still in organic statis. I didn't need food or drink or go to the restroom, which was good since I didn't have one. I was awake though. I was moving so fast and this blue world was coming closer, I didn't want to be awake when I crashed. It was a pretty rough landing." Kara mused, remembering the day she landed and the nightmare trip it had taken to get there. Clark would never know how lucky he was to be too young to remember it.

"Anyway, ever since that day, anytime I am in an enclosed space I get freaked out. My stomach turns and my mind goes back to that damn pod. I used to keep a window open. As long as I could get out, I was fine. Planes are the worst. I know I can fly out, its kind of silly, but every time I am in one my mind would go back to the pod, trapped inside, surrounded by darkness. But like I said, I have gotten over it. I have moved on."

"You got over it? You lost your world and got over it?"

Kara shrugged. "I used to let it define me. Now I try to live in a way that honors those who are gone, the same as you do. You have lost your world twice. It seems impossible to move on but we only have two choices. Stop fighting, stop trying to find happiness, stop seeing the good in the world or carry on in a manner those who are gone would expect from us and be proud of. Did Sara ever tell you how my sister got here? Sara traveled to another universe, the same one that tried to kill me, so she could get a necklace my mother gave me, the last thing my mother ever gave me. I didn't ask her too but she did it because she wanted to. Her and Alex got into a fight and most of the Justice League had to save her and Oliver from my cousin and Alex jumped through with them. It was kind of the start of some tension between the two but they have gotten over it… sort of. The point is, Sara is amazing, I wish I had known Laurel because from everything I have heard about her, she was amazing as well. You must be pretty special to have raised two daughters like that."

Quentin couldn't say anything, the thought of Laurel making his eyes mist.

"We usually have a casual rule about not talking about dopplegangers from other universes. Do you know what those are?"

"Yeah, Joe has told me quite a bit about the multiverse." Quentin admitted quietly.

"I'm going to break that rule. Dopplegangers are the same person, only affected by different experiences. Some of those experiences make them harder, meaner or perhaps sadder. Some bring out the best in them. Its the best example I can think of to show how choices in and out of our control can shape who we are. My Dad, my adopted Dad Jeremiah, was held by some very bad people for over a decade. We all thought he was dead but when we returned to get Eliza, we found out he wasn't. Some heroes from that world, joined us to help free him from a pretty dangerous place. One of those heroes who went into an underground base full of soldiers with guns and monsters from your nightmares, was a woman named Dinah Laurel Lance. She went by Dinah there but she was Laurel. She called herself the Black Canary. Despite the different circumstances, she was a hero. She didn't know us, had no reason to go into that base, except that she was brave and wanted to help because she could. So you see, in an infinite number of universes Laurel lives and she is a hero. In this one she lives in you, the same as my parents still live in me. We do what we can to make them proud. She would be proud of you. Only you are brave enough to teach a claustrophobic alien how to drive."

Kara brought the man in for a hug and grabbed his hand, pulling him back inside. She saw Barry and Lexie, sitting on a couch, Cisco next to them and explaining to Lexie the reasons why Kirk was better than Picard.

"Hey Kara? Thanks for the info about… my daughter, and for trusting you with your secret."

"You are welcome. You deserved to know. You are part of our family. Everyone in here is."

"I'll never tell a soul."

"I know that. I never doubted it for a second. I think its past time we cut the cake. One for Barry, one for me and the rest for the guests." she told him with a wink.

The night eventually ended, by a grumpy Lexie who was not given a bracelet. Kara and Barry's nearness seemed to calm her always. Charlie had an accident in Zatanna's room but instead of being angry she turned the poop into rose petals, a trick Barry would have loved to learn. All in all the night was a success. Barry showered and walked out, finding a passed out Kara, leaned against the headboard with Lexie on her chest. Lexie was awake but content, trying to reach her hand to her mouth and not having much luck. She was able to blast an Amazon with heat vision but other tricks baby's learned like moving, were still a challenge for her. It made him feel good that she wasn't growing to fast. He wanted to enjoy these times and he knew Kara did.

"So, are you going to sleep here or in your bed? Charlie needs to know so the correct pillow can be fluffed."

Lexie smiled and blew a bubble, so Barry left her alone, until Kara started snoring. He gently took his daughter in his arms.

"What?! Who, where? Hey where did she… leave her where she was!" Kara quietly complained, jerking awake.

"Hey, you were snoring. Lets put her to bed and get some rest, okay?"

"She can't sleep in here?"

"You are the one who doesn't want her sleeping in here." he reminded her.

"Its your birthday. You get away with it tonight." she told him with a grin.

"I was thinking since it was my birthday, maybe I could get away with something else tonight?" Kara's eyes opened back up.

"Probably time to put her to bed." she agreed. "Did you have a nice birthday? We should have had it at the Karaoke bar or here, right?"

"It was perfect.I loved everything about it."

"Alex texted me. She wants us to meet her at an address she gave me this Saturday in Coast City."

"Coast City? I thought they were in Europe?"

"I didn't ask. With those two it is no telling. She said Charlie is not allowed so of course we are taking him. I hope he and Lexie are up to the drive."

"We could leave them both with Eliza. It would be fun to spend a day in Coast City, play on the beach, have a little us time. It has been a while."

Kara thought hard about this. "One day?"

"We could be back by noon Sunday. We take out suits and if Eliza needs us I can share my speed with you and we would be back in five minutes or less. Its not like she will ever be anywhere we can't get to her quickly, no matter where we are."

"And Charlie?"

"Probably needs some Grandma time too. You know he hates leaving Lexie anyway." Barry hoped this argument would work. He really didn't look forward to a ten hour drive, much less with Charlie, barking every five minutes when he was hungry or needed a bathroom break or was bored. He also knew no matter where in the world he was, his daughter was seconds away from him.

"She could learn about the phone or we could use our chest piece cams and she could see us on the screen."

"I guess, but still… you think she will be alright? What if she freaks out at night in a strange place? You know Mom won't put the bracelet on her and if she accidentally catches something on fire, they could all be in danger."

"They could stay at our house so she can sleep in her own room." Barry suggested.

"Why are you so anxious? You never like leaving her anymore than I do. Is something going on?"

"No! It's just… we haven't had any real alone time in a while, at least where we didn't have to be quiet and I think the two of us having all night without worrying about our little girl…"

"Yeah I can see that, but the other night was great. We were quiet. Besides I will still worry."

"Yeah, I know. But imagine what we could do if we didn't have to be quiet." the Flash suggested. "And your Mom is more than capable of taking care of her. I can run back before bed and in the morning to make sure. Caitlin will be close."

"You really want us to be alone, don't you?" Kara guessed, smiling inside. They hadn't had many opportunity's to be alone and …not quiet. "Fine, one night. We get there in the afternoon and are back at Dawn, so we can feed her in the morning. I don't want her to think she is abandoned."

"Kara she will never feel like that."

"Its easier than you would imagine. But you win. If we time it right between her naps and a few hours in between awake, I think we are good. You do have a point," Kara admitted. "Okay, I will see if Eliza minds… of course she won't mind."

 **Drvengrad, Serbia**

The twelve men stood by, automatic rifles in hand, as the latest shipment from Russia arrived. The leader of the men, Milorad Dindic, stood in the back of the old trucking warehouse, waiting for the delivery to arrive and already counting the $150,000 he would make from this shipment alone. Fourteen girls between the ages of 16 and 19, all beautiful, all fresh from their small sheltered village lives, all easily duped with promises of jobs and a better life. He managed four of these shipments a month, clearing over $10,000,000 a year. The women came to him from Russia and were split off from here across Asia, Europe and South America. He was a broker, sought by every law enforcement in Europe but he was also a ghost. No one could find him, protected by layers of well funded buyers, organized crime and corrupt officers.

The truck backed in, a small moving truck housing the girls in the back, with no light, no food or water and not much room to move. The trip had been long, fourteen hours by road and this also took any remaining fight out of the young women.

One of his men opened the back, stood aside and then stared at the arrow buried in and through his shoulder. A woman in black stepped out of the shadows, some sort of helmet on her head and a silver triangle symbol on her chest. He could see two guns on her thighs melting into her suit, a quiver on her back and a compound bow in her hand.

"I'm really starting to like using a bow." Valkyrie admitted, then fired an arrow at the closest man before he could aim his weapon. The truck driver, hearing the screams, placed the truck on reverse until he heard two loud pops and felt the truck tire deflate, the throwing stars blowing the tires out and resting the truck at a tilt on metal wheels.

Valkyrie dropped her bow and pulled both guns, firing at will at everyone who moved. Nyssa attacked from the other side, out of the dark, sending six arrows into six men, most of whom would probably live… maybe. She wasn't in a heroic mood today. Alex fired thirty shots in seconds, emptying both clips, wounding all the men in some form or fashion. The attack happened so fast, Dindic froze but panic set in and he ran. The trafficker made it five steps before his arms and legs were wrapped in bolos thrown by Nyssa, sending him down into Alex's side kick. She stomped on his leg, cracking his knee and saw a red and black garbed Nyssa running towards her, bow in hand and aiming. Alex dropped to the ground and Nyssa fired, hitting the large man who had ran from the shadows behind Alex in the hip, the arrow shattering the bone. Alex rolled and disarmed him, striking his jaw with his own gun. Both women turned to see the driver had exited and was running towards the back. Valkyrie tossed a Kali stick, flipping in the air and striking the back of his neck, knocking him out cold.

Alex used her infrared and enhanced hearing. She could see no other moving objects above or in the shadows hiding in the rest of the warehouse. Her hearing picked up the moans of the wounded and the frightened whimpers of the girls trapped inside the truck.

"That was easy." Alex groused.

"These men kidnapped and sold young girls. They were not warriors. Still it was a fun night out. I admit your plans for the evening were more entertaining than the reservations I had made. We could still make a later time. The lobster tails are amazing I understand."

"Lobster does sound good. Sounds like the police are on their way."

"I called Interpol as well. The bastard Dindic has been wanted for years. Shall we calm down the young ones?"

"You calm them down. We have a few minutes, I want to hit Dindic some more, at least till he is asleep."

Nyssa took a look around at the moaning figures on the ground, the few who were still awake, and satisfied that none were a danger or armed any longer, she opened the large door in the back. Several young girls, eyes taking in the bit of light they had seen in the last fourteen hours looked back at her, all frightened, the smell of urine and fear filling the back.

 _"_ _You are safe now. The police are on their way. Some of these men are dead, some are wounded but none are a threat…"_ Nyssa stopped speaking in Russian briefly when she heard Dindic's jaw shatter. He would be eating through a straw for the foreseeable future. " _Tell the police your names and from where you were taken. You will be sent back home after statements. Tell them the truth. No one can harm you now. The next time someone offers you a job or an educational opportunity that seems to be too good to be true, it is."_

The former assassin pulled her wife off the leader, as she had been breaking his ribs with her boot. The two walked out the back where motorcycles were waiting. Back at the hotel, they opted for room service.

"What a rush. Best honeymoon ever. Thanks for the lead, baby." Alex told her wife.

"Of course. I still have many friends in Europe who know quite a bit about the evil done here. Not even my father would have approved of human trafficking. Lets get to bed. Since we skipped the restaurant I am still hungry. Our flight is early."

The two had spent the past week touring Europe. They had broken up an arms deal in Turkey, toured Greece, stopped a terrorist cell from bombing a train station in Germany and spent a day on Rondinara Beach in Corsica, France. All in all an enjoyable honeymoon. The second week would be spent in South America, enjoying the rainforest, beaches and perhaps taking down a few drug lords along the way if something interesting was found to fit into the intenirary. But first a trip to Coast City for a two days at their new beach house, a sprawling 3000 square foot Spanish style dwelling that opened up to the Sandy private beach.

Two days later, Kara and Barry flew and ran to the designated location, a towering complex of condos directly on the beach. On the thirtieth floor was the penthouse, a large balcony stretching across the top of the building. Knocking on the glass door, Alex ran to greet them, opening up and hugging Kara, then looking around.

"Where is my niece? I took a pit stop during my honeymoon to see her. Where is she?"

"I couldn't fly with her, Alex." Kara explained.

"Barry, you can't drive?"

"We just figured a night away wouldn't hurt. I can be back in less than a minute if something happens. Eliza is excited and Kara texted and… why am I explaining this to you?"

"Fine, whatever. I guess I will just have to entertain myself with you two."

'How has the honeymoon been?" her sister asked.

"Great. We have been touring Europe, plan to head to South America tomorrow and then a week back in Europe, probably Japan and Taiwan then head to Spain. But today a short stop, to check on our new beach side getaway."

"Wow.. you are really taking this billionaire status you have humbly, Alex. So you bought this condo? Its impressive." Barry admitted. Impressive was an understatement. The view was amazing, the floor plan, completely open and spacious. Everything was new, the appliances, the furniture, the hardwood floors, it was a dream penthouse, in a sprawling complex.

"No this isn't our house. Come back to the balcony." The two followed Alex out and took in the house she was pointing out. "Thats ours."

"The large one with the pool and hot tub that opens up directly to the beach? Wow. I want to see inside!"

Alex laughed at her sister's enthusiasm. "You will but first… Nyssa!" the woman yelled. Nyssa walked out of the back, wearing a sarong and bikini top.

"Wow. I've never seen you in so… little." Kara admitted. "I see what Mom is talking about. You're abs are amazing."

"Thank you. You should see Alex in hers." the exotic woman told the blonde.

"Alex, you are wearing a bikini? I have't seen you in anything that revealing since we shared a room."

"No doubt a special time in her life." Nyssa mumbled, remembering the pictures she had seen before Kara had given birth. "Regardless we can all go to the beach later. There is swimwear in the master suite. So what do you think of my latest venture?"

Barry and Kara looked around, understanding now.

"These are the condos you talked about building." the Flash realized.

"Already 89% sold. A profitable venture and so much fun designing. The architects were from Greece and specialized in Mediterranean design. Anyway, happy birthday Barry."

Both of the heroes stood still, not quite understanding.

"Birthday? Oh, thanks. The party was great, I wish you both could have been there but honeymoons do take priority."

Alex slapped Barry in the back of the head. "No dork, happy birthday. This is yours. Nyssa bought it for you and Kara to have a place to bring Lexie and get away from the stress of city life. We are going to have the balcony plexiglassed so the view won't go away but you won't have to worry about Lexie crawling out, or your damn dog. Of course you are welcome to stay at our house as well but… Charlie isn't."

"You bought us a condo?" Barry asked quietly.

"No, I bought you a penthouse with an amazing view. I didn't really have time to buy Kara the gift I wanted to with Prometheus running about so I thought it would be good for both of you."

"Nyssa… I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"Of course, Barry. It's your birthday. Now shall we change? I want to go to the beach and drool over my wife who desperately needs a tan. The two of you can look around and meet us in our house in an hour. There is also a great hamburger place a half mile walk from here, overlooking the ocean. Its perfect for eating outside. Louie's back entrance, correct Alex?"

"Backyard but it works. You two have an hour to check things out. You can enjoy breaking the bed in tonight. First we head to the beach so no fooling around, got it?"

"Yeah… yeah we definitely got it. Thank you so much, both of you." Kara told them, her eyes taking in the huge place, and already seeing Lexie and Charlie running around in it. Alex hugged her.

"Of course. This is what gold diggers do for favorite little sisters."

After a day of the beach, a night not worrying about being loud in their new condo and a tour of the new vacation home, the two had breakfast with Nyssa and Alex before they departed back to their daughter and her ever faithful guard dog. Eliza reported no problems, relieving Kara. She knew Eliza wouldn't call unless something drastic happened and had slept fitfully all night, not only in a new bed but not having Lexie near her.

The couples worries were unfounded however, as Lexie developed as a normal baby for the most part. She showed no signs of super strength or anymore incidents of heat vision. She began crawling at seven months, Kara calling Barry and him arriving for the first time immediately, seeing her travel on her own, instead of rolling or scooting, on her hands and knees for the first time at the Gallery. Kara was in demand but stopped painting a crazy rate, irritating Oliver who had to deal with customers in constant demand. The two had made quite a bit of money the first year, turning an amazing profit. Oliver kept pricing the works higher, making her more in demand and Kara kept painting pieces for the police and fire stations, including a mural at each for heroes who had died in the line of duty, for free. The League business had tapered off, often finding them traveling to other cities to fight metahumans, most of whom were no challenge. At night, Oliver led what Felicity called the Vigilante League, of Alex, Nyssa, Sara and Thea as they worked to take down gang violence and the drug trade at a street level, work just as important as the hero business of saving the world from evil metahumans. The five also spent time in Star City, just to remind the criminals that they were still around.

When Lexie reached one year old the party was attended by over a hundred people, officers, superheroes, Cat, Carter, Lois, Kal and Diana, who had no further information about the Order. Kara knew they were lying but didn't press. She didn't really want to know the details. The mother had more important concerns. The week before Lexie had been looking for a toy while she was in the back of the gallery. The toy was a ball Charlie had hid from her in the front of the gallery. Lexie crawled towards it quickly, hitting her head on the wall in front of her. She continued to crawl into the wall until Kara picked her up, at which point she was reaching for the wall and crying. Walking around, Kara could see the problem. The ball was on the other side of the wall and Lexie could see it, see through the wall and didn't understand the barrier in front of her. She was using X ray vision. Cisco had arrived and he and Ray began lining the wall with thin lead, so Kara could still heaer but the baby could not see through and continue to bump into the wall.

Now the week after her party, Lexie sat in front of her parents on the floor, looking back and forth between the both of them.

"Say Dada. You can do it." Barry encouraged.

"Say Mama. You know I'm your favorite. Who feeds you? Who changes your diapers during the day? Mama, thats who. Say it. Say Mama."

"Low blow Kara." Barry groused. Lexie had been babbling but her babbles were becoming clearer. The video camera was running constantly during the day and at home when she was close to a breakthrough. The couple felt tonight was the night. The night of the first word.

"Ma… Da…"

"Yes? you can do it. Say mama." Kara encouraged. At that moment the front door opened up and Lexie smiled.

"Ollie!"

Both parents stilled and then turned to see a sheepish Oliver Queen bag in hand, looking at the three on the floor. Neither were amused.

"Did I miss something?" the Arrow asked, not looking happy.

"No you were just in time to hear her first word. Ollie." Kara told him unhappily. Lexie waved her arms and Oliver dutifully picked her up while she rubbed his stubble.

"Oh… wait her first word was Ollie? That is so cool… I mean horrible. You guys probably wanted it to be… yeah. Okay, anyway I need a place to stay…"

"Bedroom is already prepared Oliver." Barry told him, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"This is the last time. I'm getting my own place tomorrow. One that I can't be kicked out of, every time Felicity gets mad over something stupid. Every time I do something she doesn't like, she kicks me out. Its getting ridiculous… no, its past ridiculous. She told me not to come back, I promised her I woudn't. I had thought of crashing at Sara's but…"

"Yeah, you are probably safer with us." Kara admitted. "You and Felicity have broken up twice this year and it never lasts longer than a month. Even if you and Sara are just friends its best not to bring that drama into Sara's life. I suppose Thea isn't speaking to you either?"

"You knew. How could you know and not tell me, Kara?"

"Because number one, she is a grown woman and if she wanted you to know she would have told you. It wasn't my place. Number two, I knew you would react exactly like you did."

"I walked into…"

"Yeah Thea's town home, using your key before knocking. When you do things like that you may see things you don't want to see." Barry reminded him.

"I wasn't expecting to see Ray on top of her! What was I supposed to do?"

Kara shook her head. "Shattered jaw? Three broken ribs? Torn tendons and a shattered knee cap?"

"I admit that may have been over the top but…"

"Cracked skull in two places," Barry joined in "lacerated kidney. Broken arm in two places. Thea couldn't keep you off, it took a call to Donna and she barely held you back."

"Don't forget the swollen eye. You are lucky your elbow didn't destroy his cornea." Kara reminded him.

"Broken nose, two teeth knocked out. I'm glad you weren't suited up and had arrows nearby. Its a miracle he survived. You do realize if Zatanna hadn't arrived so quickly, he would have died and she nearly passed out from the exhaustion of healing him. You understand this, right? Barry asked, hoping his friend did.

"I lost my temper but c'mon, the guy took my family's company which I let go but then he took Felicity and now Thea? I'm beginning to think he is worse than Slade Wilson!"

Kara shook her head. "Go unpack. Stay with us until Thea, Felicity and Ray are talking to you again. No point in getting your own place. Thea and Felicity will forgive you. They always do."

"I'm not apologizing to him. If I had him alone I would have done a lot worse. I was going to do a lot worse until Donna came in…"

"Oliver, calm down, go slap some water and then get ready for dinner. Lexie is going to try carrots tonight. She will probably spit them back at us, so it will be fun. She has projectile spitting at super speed down." Barry admitted, remembering Kara's face the first time Lexie decided she wasn't ready for apple sauce.

"Thanks for letting me crash here. I could go to the Gallery and sleep in the back, if its too much…"

"Oliver? Go unpack. You are always welcome here, ask Lexie. But you are going to have to apologize to Ray for nearly beating him to death."

"Apologize? He…" Oliver stopped talking at Barry and Kara's glare. Even Lexie was no longer smiling in his arms. He gently handed the girl over to Kara. "I'll apologize in a couple days. I'm going to go… slap some water or something. Charlie, you want to come?"

Charlie barked his agreement and the two walked to the back.

Barry shook his head. "For someone so controlled most of the time…"

"I know. But we all knew this would happen when he found out. I'm surprised they kept it a secret for so long."

"I'm glad its out in the open though. We still have Henry and Zatanna pretending to hate each other to keep us entertained. I had to stop Jessie and Wally from walking in those two at the lab, yesterday." Barry admitted.

"Right? For a secret relationship you think they could find someplace more private. Lets feed out little girl."

"Mama! Dada!"

Both looked at each other, not quite believing she said her first word.

"Her first word was Mama!"

"Her first word was Ollie." Barry reminded her.

"We shall never speak of that again. It never happened, understand?"

Lexie's vocabulary continued to grow as did her development. Barry and Kara saw each day the growth of their child, Kara fascinated but still missing the feeling of her daughter clinging to her, needing her for everything. League business had been slow and the team had lost Carter and Kendra, not to death thankfully but business. Kendra had an opportunity with a marketing firm in New York City that was too good to pass up. They were still in the League, but would fly to wherever they were needed, not instantly teleported by Zatanna. Barry and Kara spent quite a few weekends at their condo with Lexie and in Alex and Nyssa's beach house, Lexie staring at the waves for hours, fascinated. Whenever she exhibited any sign of power, Kara had a bracelet on her and though the signs were few and far between they did occur.

The second time Kara tried to get her to eat pears, Lexie not only spit them out, but slammed her hands on the high chair table, breaking it and splitting apart the chair. Kara landed underneath her, holding her up, pears on the mother's face, flat on her back, holding her child horizontally as if she were flying. Lexie learned a new word that day. She smiled at Kara from above.

"Oops." the child told her mother and giggled.

Kara closed her eyes and brought Lexie down close to her.

"At least you didn't break a toilet… yet. Its okay baby. No more pears. Just don't destroy your next high chair, okay? Lets get that bracelet on you."

At 22 months, Lexie had developed a broader vocabulary, to include Grandma and quite a few Grandpas and began referring to Alex as "aunt". Caitlin was also given the honorary aunt title and Nyssa was Sissy in Lexie's world.

At 23 months Barry and Kara stood in the backyard, Charlie with them of course, Eliza, Jeremiah, Joe, Henry, Nyssa also present while Alex filmed. Lexie had been working towards the day. Holding herself up on her own grabbing Kara or Barry's leg, trying to climb up Aunt Alex, trying to climb to where Oliver and Nyssa hung their bows at S.T.A.R. and trying to use Charlie as a prop to push herself up. Today was the day, they all knew it. Today was the day she took that first step. Barry and Kara knelt on the grass a few feet away, reaching out to her, encouraging the little girl to make the first step while Eliza held her from behind upright. Letting her go, Lexie wobbled a bit on her legs, then took step.

She didn't fall.

Only Kara and Barry saw what happened next, shattering the happiness of the moment. Lexie smiled at her mama and dada, looked around, saw a bird land on the fence on the left hand side of the yard. Lightning flashed in her eyes and Lexie took her second step. She was at the fence in less than a half second, only Barry able to grab her from behind before she crashed into the wooden structure. She was giggling and vibrating slightly before Kara snapped the bracelet on her.

"Well, you have to admit, as far as baby's first step videos go, J.J. Abrams couldn't have done better than that." Alex told the worried crowd.

Kara took the giggling child in her shaking arms and walked her quickly inside to the kitchen. To no one's surprise, Lexie ate quite a bit, even consuming pears, her arch enemy.

At 24 months the preparations were underway for the princess's second birthday party, to be held at S.T.A.R. in the event anything…weird happened. Cisco prepared to open a breach but was blasted back. Barry, thinking his friend had an unusual loss of control and sent a vibrational blast instead of bending the vibrations to create a portal, caught him before he could hit the ground. Cisco shook it off and raised his hand once again. A storm of lights lit up the area, but no breach opened.

"Cisco? Whats going on? Are Kal and J'onn not there?" Superwoman asked.

"No… its not that. The Earth… the vibrations must have changed. I can't find it Kara. I'll keep trying."

Cisco tried once more, only to be blasted back and be caught by Kara this time. Lexie laughed from Eliza's arms, seeing Unca Disco knocked to the ground. It looked like a fun game.

"Are you saying the Earth, that Earth… is gone? Destroyed?" Kara asked quietly from the floor where she held Cisco.

"No… I can almost…something has changed, not the Earth but that entire universe. The vibrations are different. I can feel them to an extent but not… open them. I'll keep trying."

"No! I don't want you getting hurt… we knew a day might come when…" Kara stopped taking, feeling tears in her eyes. "We knew it wouldn't always be a sure thing."

"It should be!" Vibe argued. "Vibrations don't change for no reason!"

"Calm down buddy." Barry told him, seeing Cisco becoming more panicked by the moment. Over the past year Vibe had become very good at controlling his powers, helping on quite a few missions, taking out one metahuman covered in rock on his own before Barry or Kara had a chance to.

"It's okay. We are going to have a lot of guests in thirty minutes… we are going to finish these decorations and be happy. This is our daughter's second birthday. Once it is over it is probably long past time I took a short trip."

Barry looked at Kara then a wide eyed Donna.

"You mean…"

"Yeah, its time for me to visit Themyscira."


	56. Chapter 56

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N hello everybody. Enjoying the new seasons? I am. I think all four shows are reaching new heights, and Arrow has come back strong, getting back to basics, no more fawning over Felicity. I never realized how soft she made him until they started this season and aren't together. I like it. I'm a fan of both characters obviously but like them apart this year. SG has been great, The Flash not having a speedster as a main villain is a win, and I am liking LOT with Darhk and Thawne. I have to wonder if they do manage to kill Darhk before the end of the season in the past, is that a way to bring back Laurel or would the impact on the timeline be too much for CW to handle. I know a lot of you don't watch Arrow but I think Ragman is my new favorite character. He is so cool.

Okay Anna. My girl didn't talk or walk until she was three. I convinced her it was normal and she read your review and freaked.

Just kidding. I couldn't help myself. My youngest is 16 and I honestly couldn't remember the age she started talking or walking. I must have read it wrong online. Thank you for pointing it out to me. It annoyed me too when I started thinking about it. I don't know how I could forget the terrible twos. I think I have made some corrections to Lexie's speech to try and show the terrible twos. Not sure if I got it right but it has been a while. A lot of new favorites and follows and some new reviewers. Glad to have you all on board!

Chapter 56

"So Kara is going to Themyscira?" Felicity asked her former boyfriend and current ex. They were in Barry and Kara's living room where Oliver had been staying the past two days.

"Just for the day. She is leaving this morning and should be back by tomorrow. If not, I guess we go looking for her." Oliver admitted, not liking the idea of her going to an unknown area filled with super Amazons with a companion who he trusted but recognized if it came down to fighting by Kara's side or her Amazon sisters, Donna would not choose Kara.

"We go looking for her? How exactly are we supposed to find an uncharted island hidden for centuries by magic?"

"Cisco is tracking her path so we have the general area. Barry thinks even with magic, by feeling the vibrations of the Earth, they must change near the island. Zatanna will cast some sort of locator spell. They are confident we can get to her."

"I hope so. I think she will be fine. There is no reason to think she won't but…" Felicity left off the last part. Anything could happen in their lives. They, the entire Justice League had learned to never taken anything for granted. "We need to talk." she finished, taking a deep breath.

Oliver was not surprised. This was the third time they had split this year. He had been at Barry and Kara's for two days now, but planned to move out tomorrow. He hadn't told anyone but Sara, being one of the few who were still speaking to him after what he referred to as the Ray incident, found him a small apartment in her building. Oliver had done quite well for himself, selling Kara's art since Lexie was three months old, but the idea of living in a lavish apartment did not appeal to him. He had determined he would no longer live with Felicity if or when she started speaking to him. The Arrow was tired of being forced out every time the women in his life became angry. The trappings of wealth held little appeal. Oliver would never admit it to himself but if he could bring that downed plane from the island he lived in for years to Central City he would be happy.

"So talk."

"You could have killed him."

"He could have defended himself better."

"He was naked!"

"He shouldn't have been on top of my sister!"

"She isn't a child!"

"I thought you wanted to talk, not yell!"

"I… do. Sorry. We talked about this when Kara became pregnant. We stayed, got the League ready to fight and protect her, then leave, walk away from this forever."

"I know."

"Then why haven't we left? We never discussed it."

"You never brought it up." he reminded her.

"Because I knew. It was stay and have you or leave and lose you. You can't live without the fight can you? It doesn't matter that you involve yourself in fights with metas that other metas are more equipped to handle. How many more scars do you need?"

"We were free. You were the one who brought us back. You were the one who was helping the team and lying to me about it and you are the one who left me because I lied, even though I was in an impossible situation. You get some thrill out of leaving me when it suits you, knowing I'll come running back when you are ready."

Felicity took a deep breath and turned her back to him, collecting her thoughts. Oliver said nothing that wasn't true.

"This isn't about Ray, is it?" he guessed.

"No it isn't. Not completely. Ray just showed me… what happened… Oliver, I'm… I've changed, I guess. What I want isn't what I used to want. We both said when Kara had the baby, we were out. I still want… there is more to life than this. I pulled you back and you can't leave, can you? That's on me."

"But these different things you want now, the more to this life, doesn't include me, does it?" Oliver asked, looking at the ceiling, a resigned smile on his face. He had suspected this was coming, before the Ray incident. The fights that they had this year, leading to brief separations had been signs of more than just the topic of the argument.

"Oliver, I'm… moving. I want to see what the world… I'm tired and I wish you were but you aren't. You are going to keep pushing till you die."

"Yeah, I am." Oliver admitted. He had lived his life since the Gambit went down fighting, fighting enemies, fighting friends, fighting to survive but always, always fighting. It had become his natural state. "So you are going to Star City?"

"No. Thea hasn't said anything, she is pretty upset with you right now, but even before this, Kendra, she knows a guy in New York, running for an Alderman's spot. He needs a campaign manager and Thea has connections with people. She wants to help, try and find a career outside of this life."

"She is leaving the League? Over…"

"No, not over what happened. She has been thinking about this for months. Ray isn't going, his whole business is basically based in Central City now. The Star City office still handles the software, gaming, phones and laptops but his passion is here. He loves being in the League. Thea… she understands what you don't seem to get Oliver. This League doesn't… Kara, Barry, Donna, Firestorm, even Ray and his suit can handle these battles. What good can people like Thea, or Sara, or you do? In a battle against super humans, what chance do you have?"

"What chance? What is the other option, Felicity? Run? Go back to the suburbs that bored you so much? Yeah, I can't fight the people that Kara and Barry are capable of, but I can watch their backs. Nyssa, Sara, Alex, we make a difference, whether you think so or not. Maybe we lose but at least we go out fighting."

"And if something happened to Kara this weekend? What would you do on an island of super powered women? Women who can probably fly like Donna and lift planes?"

"Send as many arrows as I can into them to get Kara out. Maybe I die trying but that is…"

"What you do." Felicity finished. "I want to have what Barry and Kara have one day, minus the super powers and fighting metas on a weekly basis. I know this isn't fair to you, but I think… that maybe we should… I always thought it was meant to be but…"

"It isn't." Oliver admitted. It hurt to admit, but at least he was losing a woman to another life instead of death. "So I guess this is it. You are leaving…"

"Tomorrow. I … I'm going to work from New York. Thea and I are going to live together while we get set up but… she will probably call you when we get there. She will get over it. She never holds anything against you for long."

"Yeah… I guess. For what it matters, I think you are right. You do deserve more out of this life. Both of you do."

"So do you, Oliver."

"I have what I want. Have a safe trip. Text me, let me know you made it."

Felicity took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. "The funny thing is, this time I know you aren't going to follow me, make sure I'm safe, watch me cross the street. Its kind of scary, but a good scary and a bad scary. Please consider leaving this Oliver, not for me but for yourself. All fights have to end but they don't have to end in death."

"I don't plan on dying, Felicity. Be careful and tell Thea to call me when she… when she feels like it."

Felicity nodded her head and rushed out of Barry's living room. Once the door closed, Oliver walked to the window and watched her leave, for what he felt like was probably the last time. Barry walked in, Lexie in his arms.

"Hey man, everything okay?"

"Kara didn't tell you?" Oliver asked with a grin, figuring she had been listening.

"Nah, she, went for a quick flyover of Keystone. Figured you and Felicity would want to have some privacy so me and the Princess played in the backyard. I heard her drive off and thought I would check on you. She still mad about the Ray thing?"

"Felicity and Thea are moving to New York." Oliver told him calmly, shocking the Flash who kept the surprise inside.

"But… I know Ray is mad but that is kind of extreme. Thea will get over it. She hasn't exactly been a poster child for keeping her temper in check in the past. Is Ray moving?"

"Nope. Just Felicity and Thea. Kendra got Thea an in on some campaign in New York and Felicity is moving there for a fresh start."

"Oh." Barry was surprised at the calm facade Oliver was showing. He knew things had been rough for a while but was still surprised. Oliver had always been fanatical about Felicity. Or at least he had been. Looking back on the past year, even though Barry and Kara had their hands full he supposed he did notice they were not as intense as before.

"So you want to go to New York then?"

"Nope."

"No?"

"No. Barry if there was a meta right now, causing havoc in the city, would you or Kara tell me to stay back because it wasn't safe for me to fight?"

"Of course not." Barry told him immediately, wondering where that came from. "I always want you by my side in a fight."

"And that is why I am exactly where I need to be. She needs more Barry. She needs more than a guy who runs head first into danger without regard. I can't be my best if I am holding on too tight and she can't live and plan a future with a guy who is reckless with his life. I told her and told her before we were together, I begged her to not get emotionally attached to me. I did every thing I could to not feel that way about her but I couldn't stay away. I thought she was my answer, my ticket out. Some sort of happy ending for me. But I don't want an out, Barry. Hundreds. I've killed hundreds of people, mostly people this world wouldn't miss but I am no saint and have never tried to pretend to be. I've taken out more people than Deadshot ever dreamed of when he was alive. I'm agressive, short tempered and I can be controlling."

"You are also one of the most loyal and loving people I have ever known." Barry reminded his friend.

"Yeah, I am. When I give my loyalty to someone it is till death. And I can love Barry. Despite everything, every feeling I have ever had that I'm not human, I can and do love. I love Thea, Felicity, Diggle, those who I fight beside and I love those who deserve to have happiness that doesn't involve constant war like Thea, Diggle and Felicity. Thats why I have to let her go. I have to let them both go."

Barry took in the man, hurting for him but glad to see rather than depression, an odd acceptance on his face, even a slight smile.

"I suppose I should go talk to Ray. Is he at S.T.A.R?"

"Yeah, you might want to call and ask to see him first. The guy probably doesn't need any surprises." Barry suggested. Before Oliver could pull out his phone, Lexie reached for him.

"Ollie! Hold now!"

Oliver smirked at the little girl with the wavy blond hair, but like always, reached out for her. She wrapped him in a hug, rubbing her cheek against his stubble and giggling. The Green Arrow actually smiled a real smile, feeling sad but also a relief. He would never have the life he dreamt of but it was a pipe dream anyway. He had what he needed. He had a reason to keep fighting, to keep surviving and that was all Oliver Queen ever needed.

The next morning, while Oliver packed up, prepared to move to his new apartment and then have a conversation with Ray Palmer, Kara prepared for her journey to Themyscira where she would hopefully get answers from the Amazons or at least be able to contact Diana and figure out why the vibrations of that universe had changed. Vibrations were like maps. Without the new vibrations, Cisco could not pin down a specific Earth. She had hoped J'onn would reach out but wondered if he would or could. None of those options made her happy and if going to Themyscira for a day was what she had to risk, she would do so. Despite leaving Lexie, she was a bit excited about the trip. She had heard a lot of stories about the island's natural beauty and amazing architecture from Donna and wanted to see the homeland she had grown up on. Donna was practically giddy, feeling like she was bringing a friend over for a sleepover for the first time in her life, which technically she was.

Kara had packed nothing, taking only her suit, so the flight wouldn't be hampered. Now she knelt, mask in her boot and said her good byes, even if it was for a day. Kara took nothing for granted anymore.

"I want you to know how much I love you. I wish I could take you but I can't. I need you safe at home. Do you understand?"

Hearing no reply, only an accusing look directed towards her, she tried again.

"You know I always want you with me, but where I am going there isn't even FaceTime I suspect. It is just for one night. We have been apart longer than that. Yeah we always see each other but I doubt there is reception on a magical island. You have a job to do here. Protect Lexie like you always do. Don't be afraid to stand up on those hind legs and fight if you have to. You are very brave and strong. Mommy loves you."

Kara picked up Charlie and hugged him, the dog licking her cheek constantly as always. She then walked into Lexie's room where Barry and her daughter were having a dress up session. Barry had a feather boa around his neck and Lexie was wearing a plastic crown. Her communication had grown much better but the terrible twos had set as well, leaving Kara very worried. While Lexie was a happy child, always full of energy, she still had small incidents, not only with super powers like periodic bursts of speed or X ray vision setting in, leading her to walk into walls often, but also incidents with potty training. Lexie was not a fan, despite being smart enough and seeming ready. She did like her pull ups opposed to diapers but did not like the toilet at all, only grudgingly using it. She also had tantrums over little things like most two year olds and she had Kara's temper without the restraint her mother had developed. Kara knew when she had been mad, and still was, she could feel her eyes glowing, the world literally becoming red and had to hold that back. Lexie didn't have that restraint and Kara worried about the heat vision coming back. There had been no instances since she was three months old but she had that power and it never left either of the parent's minds. Without Kara to use her freeze breath today, they had stocked up on fire extinguishers so Barry wouldn't have to use a vortex in the house.

"Hey precious, come talk to Mommy." she told her daughter who moved unsteadily towards her, not rushing thankfully.

"Play?"

"I have to go on a short trip." Kara explained.

"No! Play!" Lexie insisted, not liking where this was going.

"I can't right now. Daddy is going to play with you today. Daddy and Charlie. You can sleep with Daddy tonight. Donna and I have something we need to do today. I have somewhere I have to go."

"You fly?" the little girl asked, recognizing when Mommy was in the suit, she was going high.

"Yeah, I'm going to fly really fast and be back as fast as I can."

"I wanna fly."

"No, you can't come with me. I'm going to be flying too fast." Kara had levitated a short distance off the ground in the backyard with Lexie in her arms a few times and the little girl never got tired of it.

"I wanna fly! I wanna fly!"

"No, not today." the mother told her daughter patiently but firmly. It was important at this age to be gentle so her personality could emerge on its own but also be firm, letting her know that adults were in charge. Eliza said so, therefore it was true in Kara's mind.

Lexie predictably pulled out her final weapon, the one that usually brought Mama in her control, showing who was in charge and why Mama wasn't allowed to leave.

She cried.

Kara's heart broke and her thoughts immediately went to the past, as they always did when Lexie cried. Kara remembered crying on the runway, knowing she would never see her mother again.

"Hey, don't do that. I will be back in the morning and we can go to the Gallery, just the three of us and you can paint."

"Paint?" Lexie sniffled, her attention caught by this turn of events.

"Yes, on canvas, not on walls, okay?" Kara hoped, remembering the strange mural of slapped on hand prints Lexie had left on the walls last time the mother took her eyes off her daughter for a second. Kara was annoyed. She should be here, playing in the back yard with her daughter and dog, making sure Oliver was doing okay, trying to see if she could smooth things over between Ray and him, saying goodbye to Felicity and Thea, having Caitlin and Cisco and whoever else wandered over to eat. Kara could not however get rid of the feeling that something was very wrong on her old Earth. Cisco was right, Earths, Universes did not just change vibrations for no reason. The vibrations were why Earths were separated and could not see each other, despite sharing space and time together. Donna volunteered to go through the portal and quickly ascertain Diana's whereabouts. Kara had to have answers but couldn't risk being stuck on another Earth, away from her daughter. Emergency or not, her first priority would always be Lexie and she wouldn't risk Donna. She could only hope Donna's mother had answers or had been contacted by Diana. "I love you so much, baby. I will be back before you wake up in the morning."

The blonde hero kissed her daughter and husband goodbye and took off as quickly as possible before she would be unable to.

Once in the sky she followed Donna patiently, flying slower than she was capable of so she wouldn't overshoot the Amazon and be lost. Two hours later Donna told her they were almost there. Kara used her telescopic vision and saw nothing but the Mediterranean Sea. Donna picked up speed and Kara flew beside her easily. A field of bright colors surrounded them, causing Donna to smile. The feeling was strange to Kara, not a fan of magic and feeling lighter than ever, almost as if the wind around them had stopped and the sun stopped warming though it still shined. Then the wind returned, the air currents, the warmth of the sun and she saw it, gasping. A huge island, covered in trees was before her. Peeking out the tops of the trees, she saw great stone buildings rising over the landscape, columns that reminded her of the Greek Pantheon and ancient temples, the palaces of Rome, which she had seen in history books. This was no book though, this was real and Kara knew she could spend months here with her family, painting the beauty before her if men were allowed.

"This is amazing." the blonde whispered. Donna of course heard her.

"It's paradise." she agreed. "Not everyone can fly, only those who have gone through the trials but all my sisters are strong, as strong as I am anyway. No one here seems to be in Diana's league but she was given life by my mother and Zeus and is very old. If you see any men on the island be wary. They are gods, and gods after thousands of years get bored, have a strange sense of humor. They mean no harm for the most part, but I will stay by your side. Don't go wondering off without me. They can't touch the ground but can levitate over it slightly to appear as if they are standing."

"Not a problem. I have no plans to leave your side."

Kara neared what must have been the largest palace on the Island and saw a waiting party in front of it. Donna landed first, Kara right behind. At least twenty women, ten on each side and all wearing armor, resembling Diana's in a way but not as colorful, instead shining metal and no gauntlets or lassoes, stood, spears in hand, swords on their hips.

As soon as Donna touched down, all took one knee but there eyes never left Kara. They looked at her with curiosity, not fear or wariness. Kara pulled her mask from her face and bent down, securing it inside her boot.

"Rise sisters. Meet Kara, defender of the world of men and the most powerful woman in the Universe." Donna told the soldiers, because that is what they were. Though none resembled the others, they all looked fierce, the spark in their eyes letting Kara know they weren't intimidated by Wonder Girl's boast. Donna had told them all that Kara had fought Princess Diana and survived, even landing several strikes on the Amazon from another planet that all had strived to be after meeting her for the first time. A tall blonde woman, appearing to be in her early thirties walked out of the palace, between the tall granite columns. She wore a long white robe, gauntlets similar to Diana's but very different from the bracelets Donna wore. Kara wondered if her gauntlets could turn into concussion bombs as well. She also had a golden girdle wrapped around her waist, the symbol of her power and royalty.

"Hello daughter. I have missed you." the Queen told her, rushing to her and hugging the child. Donna returned the hug and it warmed Superwoman, seeing the obvious deep love between mother and daughter, reminding her once again that her daughter was half a world away.

The hug broken, the blonde woman walked towards the Kryptonian. She reached out and offered her hand. Kara did the same but to her surprise the queen grabbed her forearm, she doing the same.

"Kara Zor El, last daughter of Krypton, former resident of another Universe, defender of the world of men and mother to the woman who will defend this world from all harm. I welcome you. I am Queen Hippolyta. Welcome to Themyscira."

"It's an honor… Queen… your highness… am I supposed to bow?" Kara whispered the end to Donna who giggled. Apparently Donna turned back into a girl while at home.

"No, you are a guest." she told her friend.

"I suppose your daughter is a bit too young to take the flight. I look forward to meeting her in the future. I understand from Donna that she needs quite a bit of attention. Her powers are already manifesting at such a young age. If you left her to visit us, I assume you have a urgent reason. Shall we go to my sitting room and discuss whatever it is? Your chambers for the night are being prepared. I do hope you have time to feast with us?"

"Of course your highness."

"You are not an Amazon nor my subject. Please call me Hippolyta, or Lyta as my daughter used to introduce me when she was a child. Queen Lyta she would say. Why don't you take Kara to change, Donna? Her chambers are next to yours. I have a few issues to resolve and we can dine together. That way I can give my full attention to Kara."

"Yes Mom. Its good to be home. Come on Kara!" Donna grabbed Kara's hand and practically pulled her inside, the two moving very fast, while Kara struggled to take in the beauty of the palace, the art on the walls, the statues, the marble sculptures. Yes, she would definitely be bringing her daughter here in the future. She could feel the magic of this land and for once magic didn't set her on edge. Amazons strolled the halls, many taking her in quickly with smiles then moving on, not staring or making her feel awkward.

Donna pulled Kara into a large, lavish room, nearly the size of her house, paintings of battles fought on the walls, a high poster bed and a balcony. Walking out, Kara could see the entire half of the island she had entered on. The waterfalls, the small mountains, the green forest and the small villages between the trees in the open spaces. Fields were being tended, metal was being shaped, an arena housed two women sparring with swords while at least a hundred looked on and cheered.

"I can't believe you left this place for Central City." Kara told her friend.

"It wasn't easy but we all have to venture out and learn about the world. Themyscira will always be here. My mother and sisters will always be here but we are at peace. The gods are our friends for the most part. Ares here is not as bad as the Ares Diana had to kill. We have defeated the Shades, the undead, the Titans, though we lost many sisters in that battle. It was before I was born and the last great war this Island and the Amazons have seen and fought in. Your clothes are on the bed."

"My clothes? What is wrong with what I have on?"

"Do you eat dinner in your suit, Kara? Dress. I will be right back."

Donna returned minutes later to find a confused Kara, dressed in a similar manner as the princess, short, white toga, a cloth belt around her waist and leather sandles.

"Where is the rest of this outfit?" the blonde asked. "And yours for that matter?"

"Sorry. I should have warned you. Dress is a bit more casual here."

"Your mother wore a long dress. Could I have a long dress?"

"She is a queen." Donna answered as if that explained everything. "When she isn't holding court, she is pretty laid back too. She has armor similar to Diana's. If you prefer armor I can…"

"No!" Superwoman told her immediately. The armor covered even less apparently. She tried to pull down the toga but was unsuccessful. The breeze on her bare legs was disconcerting. She usually only showed this much leg in private with Barry or the few times they traveled to the beach. Though she wore a bikini then, this was the first time she had been invited to dinner dressed like this and hoped the table had a cloth she could move her legs under.

"Relax, you have great legs. Most of the women here will appreciate them." Donna told her, enjoying her embarrassment.

I will get you back for this, somehow." Kara told her teammate. She followed Donna out through the halls of the palace leaving though a back entrance of some sort. "Where are we going?"

"I thought I would show you the island. Would you like to fly?"

"With this on?" Rao no!"

"So what? You wore a skirt on your old Earth, right?"

"Yes, with stuff under it. Like underwear, spandex shorts and leggings. Not the thong I wore up here. I expected to stay in my suit."

"You wore a thong?"

"I always do! I am not having a panty line in those tight pants. I wish I hadn't worried about it. Now I wish I had worn a swimsuit at least. So where are we going? How big is this island?"

"Pretty big. There are four separate villages. We have had the same currency for thousands of years. Everyone has a job for the most part, farming, blacksmithing, shop keepers, armorers, dress makers, those who sell books and write the poems we all enjoy, entertainers including athletes who regularly fight at the Coliseum, and all of us of course are soldiers but we only come together when the island is threatened. Our war tactics have been instilled in us for centuries. The leaders, the Captains are known, and my mother is the leader of all the forces."

"What is your job?"

"I'm a Princess of course." Donna replied. "It isn't easy. I have to… do things. Mostly learn to fight and be an ambassador for peace in mother's steed when there are minor arguments between villages of sisters. There is no crime here, only the occasional assault and sword fight. No point I suppose. Like I said, its paradise."

"And like I suspected, you are spoiled. We recognize our own." Kara admitted.

The two zipped around the island on foot, Kara feeling slightly better that most of the women wore armor like the guards at the palace or togas like she had on. She was interested in one large building, a simple one story construction that she could hear splashing from the inside and running water.

"What is that building?" Kara asked, using her X ray vision.

"Oh you don't want… don't look!"

But it was too late.

"What the hell?" Kara slapped her hands over her eyes.

"Yeah, thats the bath house. I told you not to look."

"You take baths naked… together… in a giant pool?!"

"We don't exactly have running warm water. That is built around a hot spring. It's not always used by everyone, pools, small lakes on the island are often used. We have tubs in the palace and almost everyone has a waste area in their dwellings. I'm not sure where the waste goes and I really don't want to know."

After a brief tour that thankfully hadn't left Kara traumatized anymore than necessary, the two returned at sunset, moving straight to the dining area. Kara expected a large table full of Amazon warriors with the Queen at the head of the table. Instead a small circular table was present, with only the Queen sitting in front of a plate of succulent beef.

"I hope you don't mind, but this is where I prefer to dine with my daughter. Occasionally I have dinner with my guard but I treasure my time with my Princess, especially since she has ventured for a time away. The palace seems cold without her."

"Of course not your… Lyta." The woman was also dressed like her daughter and Kara, putting the Kryptonian at ease. Taking her cue from mother and daughter, Kara began to eat, fresh vegetables and the amazing grilled beef.

"I didn't see any cows on the island." Kara commented, amazed at the taste.

"Thats because we don't have any." The Queen responded. Kara looked at Donna who told her she didn't want to know and enjoy the meat.

"Donna stop picking on her. Its deer. We have to control our animal population carefully but at times our hunters venture into the world of men to procure live animals to raise and eventually harvest. So I will admit, I hadn't expected to see you for a few years, at least until your daughter had grown a bit. Donna has told me you are reluctant to leave her side for good reason. So I am guessing this isn't a social visit. I am also guessing it has something to do with the closure of Princess Diana's portal?"

Kara began to feel very worried. "The portal… I was actually hoping to use it to see what had happened. We have had trouble opening our own portal to Princess Diana's universe."

"I suspected. The portal was opened by Castalia, a fountain goddess. She was able to open a portal where ever Diana wished to go, a fountain at a special mountain . She owed Diana a great favor. Ares, in his aggression against the Amazons there, attempted to enslave the Muses and take over their scared home, Mount Parnassus. Castalia nearly failed in her attempt to protect the fountain of the Muses. Diana single handedly fought the god of war and won, forcing him to retreat. She later killed him, beheaded him in a great battle on Olympus. Castalia in her gratitude, offered the power of the fountain to Diana. She never collected on the offer until she met you. She requested the fountain be a portal to another world, a world she had visited before and wished to do so again. Castalia opened this portal in the fountain for Diana's use. The fountain opened up into the fountain in our great hall. Unfortunately in this world, Castalia was killed by Hades during the War of Shades. The Muses survived but only Castalia had the capability to open a portal here."

"So how do you know Diana's portal closed?"

"Our fountain developed a beautiful rainbow of colors, weaving through the running waters once her portal was opened. The colors are now gone."

"So the goddess closed the portal and we don't know why." Kara surmised.

"No, a goddess debt is forever. The only way the portal would be closed if Diana asked her to do so. I know how fond she was of both of you and your daughter. If she asked for the portal to be closed I fear it is because something terrible has happened, a great war or a coming war, that she does not want you involved in. She has made sure that you cannot travel to her."

"That makes no sense. If there is some great war, then she should want us there." Superwoman pointed out, her heart beating fast, a thousand thoughts running through her mind.

"Diana told me your sister and your League most likely suspected her of trying to garner your allegiance should she need you in war. That was a false belief. You fascinated her and she genuinely enjoyed spending time with you. She talked of how close the two of you became on her trips. She adores your daughter and loves spending time with Donna. She wanted to make you better for your own protection, not hers. Diana does not need allies to fight a war. If she closed the portal, it is because she fears the both of you could die and does not want you becoming involved. Her fear must be justified. Once she has taken care of the threat she will return."

"And if she is defeated?"

"Her exploits have our own gods and goddesses impressed. I doubt she will lose. She has strong allies, the might of the Amazon nation should she call on them and is the greatest warrior in her universe. She will not lose. Relax and let her take care of this problem. You will see her again."

"And if I don't?"

"The gods and goddesses who reside on and in Mount Olympus are strong but none can change the will of the Fates. We all have a fate, threads interwoven with the people in our lives. The path may change but the destination is the same. Except you, Kara. You are a wild card, your husband made sure of that. You both have the habit of changing fate. When you entered this universe the Fates of one collided with other Fates. The force of nature, Donna has called the Speed Force, allows your husband to change timelines and therefore reality. I am not certain there is a plan for you. Your path is your own and the Fates never reveal their knowledge especially their lack of knowledge. Like the great stories, life wouldn't be exciting if we knew the ending. Enjoy this time, know you are always welcome and you shall always have allies here should you need them."

Kara took a deep breath, not liking what she had heard. What could be so bad that Diana would not want her there?

"You and your daughter have an ally as well, Lyta. Should you ever need us, myself and my League will be here to aid you."

"Thank you, Kara. Diana will be okay. If your kin is half as strong in heart and power as you are, he will be okay. Raise your daughter and fight, protect, be a symbol of the best of humanity and who knows? Perhaps the world of men may try to emulate you one day. We can only hope."

Dinner finished, the two heroines returned to their chambers, neither sleeping well. Donna gave up and flew over her homeland, lost in thought while Kara slept restlessly, not near her husband and child, her dreams troubled, thoughts of devastation, fears her old friends and only blood relative may be dead, the Earth she once told Alex could burn for all she cared, could actually be burned, devastated by war or worse, natural disasters even powerful heroes like Diana would be unable to stop, natural forces Barry wouldn't be able to undo. She woke to the sun shining through the open aired walkway that led out to the patio. There were no windows here and Kara wondered if the temperature ever changed. There was no humidity, no bugs that she had seen, only a slight breeze, the temperature perfect at night and comfortably warm during the day. She had much to learn about this land, obviously infused with light magic but now was not the time. Now was the time to return to her family. She had not gotten much information and what she had worried her but one thing was obvious. She could do nothing about it. Kara had to trust her friends would be okay.

After Kara had left the day before, a bit of excitement had hit the outside of Central City. Barry had been trying to enjoy time with Lexie, doing anything to take her mind off Kara not being home.

"Mama?"

"Mama will be back tomorrow."

"Mama?"

"She isn't here right now. We can play…"

"Mama! Mama! Mama now!"

"Don't be like that Lexie. Everything will be okay. We can get along without Mama for a day, right?"

"No, not right."

"Is there anything I can do to take your mind off this?" Barry asked her and himself. Two year olds had separation anxiety often, leading Barry to leave the station multiple times a day to calm his daughter, usually covered in washable paint, at the gallery. He loved the time with her and loved being wanted but times like this the anxiety came back to bite him.

Lexie took her Daddy in, knowing instinctively she had him on the ropes. She wanted Mommy but more Daddy would be good.

"More Dada!"

"What? Oh… yeah, thats a great idea." Barry immediately began moving, making a speed mirage circling the girl who giggled seeing multiple Daddies and clapped her hands. Barry stopped long enough to tickle her from behind then continued to move, a squealing and happy Lexie still clapping.

"You want apple sauce?" he asked, his voice vibrating.

"Mama." Lexie's vibrating voice responded. Barry stopped moving immediately, caught by a voice he had never heard before and prepared to catch her before she ran into a wall. His phone buzzed, the League tone, so he snapped his com in.

"What's up?"

"We got a problem. Eiling's crew is camped outside of the city." Alex told him.

"Camped out? Why would he be camped out? Doesn't he usually stay in hotels?"

"Not this time. He is planning something. I'm sending you GPS now. Nyssa and I are on one side, Sara and Oliver on the other. We have shots on him and his men. Ray is shrunk and inside one of the tents. You want Firestorm?"

"No! Keep Jax and Martin away. At least a safe distance. Where is Cisco?"

"I'm on my way to the site, Barry. I am definitely getting a motorcycle."

"Zatanna?"

"Prepared to drop him into hell if need be. Say the word. I am invisible right now and about to walk right up behind the bastard."

"Stay back. I can handle this. How many soldiers?"

"Ten." Oliver answered.

"Hold positions while I wait get a hold of Eliza. I need a baby sitter."

"Joe and Henry should be pulling up." Winn told the Flash, keeping an eye on multiple screens at S.T.A.R. next to Caitlin who worried, knowing Eiling wouldn't come to Superhero Central without a plan.

On cue, Henry and Joe walked in.

"Get moving but be careful." Joe told him.

"Uh… I need Eliza. Lexie is in a mood."

"Grandpas!" Lexie yelled, running towards them. Henry picked her up and hugged her.

"I think we got this Barry." he told his son.

"You got this?"

"I've handled babies before, Barry. We both have." Joe reminded him.

"The bracelet stays on." he told them both in no uncertain terms. Both agreed, irritated but going along. Neither had a chance to babysit yet, due to Kara's overprotective nature, not only of Lexie but for everyone else. If not for her Kryptonian genes everyone who knew her thought she would have grey hair by now.

Barry zipped out and back in, the bracelet on Lexie's little wrist. The girl frowned.

"Bad bracet." she told her father.

"I know but I need you to wear it for now. I'm leaving for a bit but I will be back as soon as I can."

"You gonna get Mama?"

"No, but I can bring Aunt Alex and Nyssa back with me. Cisco and Caitlin too I bet."

"Disco?"

"Yeah, Disco."

"Okay." Barry took off before she changed her mind, entering the field seconds later, stopping near Cisco who had parked on the dirt road near the location.

"We've talked about this. You ready?" he asked his best friend.

"Definitely ready. This has been long overdue."

"Nyssa, your call. Can the soldiers be taken out without a shot being fired by them?"

"Yes. Ray, stay hidden. You are the element of surprise. Zatanna please ensure the men are not able to run. We need them in the campsite."

Zatanna let out a breath and erected a cone of power, invisible to the men, allowing those in but no one out.

"On your mark, Nyssa." Barry told her, lightning flashing in his eyes.

Eiling watched his team set up the base of operations. He had given up on Grodd. He felt a giant ape had only so many places to hide but he was wrong. He turned his attention back to Central City. Remembering S.T.A.R. labs and the inhabitants, he had casually watched who came and went using spies. Barry and Kara Allen were regular visitors, not unusual since her parents worked there. Of course why had Barry Allen been given ownership of the lab, able to sell it to Ray Palmer. Putting the connection of the Flash to the lab and the late Harrison Wells, who was somehow alive once again and Barry Allen's beautiful wife, he had seen enough to know who they really were. He also knew they and a daughter. That gave him leverage. Allen was fast but he had his weaknesses. Eliling had fought him off before while tracking Ronnie Raymond, nearly defeated him and had better toys this time. He called his men around him, to give instructions for traps, should the Flash or his wife discover his presence before he was ready.

He barely had time to think of his first instructions when silenced gun shots and arrows reigned down on the men. He was quickly surrounded by the bodies of ten of his men on the ground. Looking at them, all had darts or arrows in them, but all were breathing. He scanned the trees but saw no one. Reaching for his hand gun, he instead grabbed his ears as a painful cry assaulted him, dropping him to his knees. He never felt the gun being taken from its holster. When he opened his eyes, he first looked at his hands, bloody from his ears bleeding. Sara had unleashed a severe sound wave on him. His head was ringing and he felt dizzy. Eiling had not expected the entire League to meet him before he could set up. This was the reason he wanted to stay outside of city limits. Once the ringing stopped and his vision cleared, he saw the Flash in front of him.

"Something I can help you with General?"

"Have quite the army now, don't you Flash?"

"We call ourselves a League but whatever makes you happy. Why are you here?"

"You know why I am here, Barry Allen."

Barry was not surprised he knew his identity. Considering his history with S.T.A.R., Plastique, Thawne and Grodd, it wouldn't be difficult for him to figure it out. Eiling was a lot of things but dumb wasn't one of them, even if he was here.

"I'm I supposed to be surprised that you know my identity? I'm not. It doesn't matter because you don't matter. Weren't you dishonorably discharged? Who are these men? Your entourage?"

Eiling, still on his knees, grabbed an electric dart, a scrambler he thought would stop the Flash. Before he could raise his hand, it was gone, in Barry Allen's hand being examined. Barry took the dart and smiled at Eiling then stuck it in his own arm. Eiling watched the man's body turn to a blur and the dart disintegrate. The blurring stopped and he saw Barry Allen, mask off, smiling.

"Cute toy. Honestly you couldn't take Thawne, you couldn't take Grodd and you really thought you could take me? Let alone my wife and League? How desperate are you? I am guessing whoever is pulling your strings demanded results or you were gone, right?"

Eiling despite the trap he was in, just now began to feel fear.

"Planck time. Any idea what that is? Its the smallest measurable amount of time. Anythinq quicker doesn't exist. It was what the time of the Big Bang was theoretically made of, the smallest amount of time, the spark, the spark before the spark. You can't teleport faster than a Planck constant. That is how fast you have to be to beat me. Even that is iffy. Want to see something neat?" Barry asked. He stood Eiling up and began vibrating his arm, reaching into his chest. Eiling stood still watching the blurry arm reaching into his body like he wasn't there.

"All it would take is for me to change even one atom of my molecular structure and my hand turns into a buzz saw, I can reach through you or cut you in half. Pretty neat trick huh? Some things have changed around here since the last time we met. Now what do you want? No games."

Eiling paled, his body freezing, shivering and his stomach nauseus. He had expected to see the same foolish speedster he encountered last time. This time he saw something else, he saw a man, hardened and dangerous, very, very dangerous. He had underestimated his speed. He had underestimated everything.

"I…I'l leave. I'll never come near here again."

"I asked what you wanted? Does my friend need to ask you?"

Eiling looked to his side, seeing the Green Arrow emerge silently from the forest surrounding the campsite. A woman in black, wearing Superwoman's symbol and a helmet, two guns in both hands, walked out, a black clad woman next to her, holding a sword at her side. Her face was uncovered and despite her beauty and smile he saw a coldness there. Behind the Arrow a black clad young lady, his sources had identified as Sara Lance, back from the dead and apparently taking up her sister's mantle, walked out with a staff in her hands and a deadly sadistic grin on her face.

"I…I wanted to talk about… a partnership."

"That's why you were hiding in the woods? Fine, I guess we do this the hard way. Zatanna?"

A brunette in a miniskirt walked from behind Allen, Cisco Ramon by her side, wearing a long coat and some sort of visor on his head. Zatanna lifted her hands, already glowing.

"Dnib mih ot a ekats." she whispered. Eiling saw the light engulf him and he felt tied to a stake that emerged from the ground.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I'm going to gather some wood." the Flash told him. Eiling looked down and saw several pieces of kindling, covering him to his waist.

"See, Zatanna is a witch and she owes payback to a bunch of pricks like you for her sisters a couple hundred years ago. Hey Jax? You want to light the fire?"

Firestorm landed in front of the General.

"So you are Eiling." Jax pointed to his head. "Dr. Stein says hi. I would suggest you answer the man's question before I feel like starting a fire."

"I was supposed to contact you! Study you, take you down and offer you a deal! Your League works for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and we train your daughter."

Barry's blood boiled but he remained calm. One of the soldiers began to stir and Sara kicked him in the jaw, knocking him back out.

"Why would I agree to this?"

"Because you would have the might of the US military after you, declaring you security threats, hunting you… just because A.R.G.U.S. and Lyla Diggle is scared of you doesn't mean they are."

"It means she is smarter than they are. The world doesn't trust governments. They trust us. Let me guess, not only can you not take me, you can't take my wife. You haven't figured out a weakness she has. A little hint, she doesn't have one. Not even a nuclear bomb could kill her. She could withstand the blast or simply outrun it. We would then destroy every military base and government office in America and abroad and do so within about twenty minutes. I know someone is listening in that com. I hope they are smart enough to believe this."

Barry pulled the com out of Eiling's ear and handed it to the Arrow. He would give it to Winn to find information along with Eiling's phone. They had to determine if this was a sanctioned plan or a black ops off the books, Amanda Waller style.

"Do you believe what I just said Eiling?"

"Yes." he answered immediately, more afraid now than when Grodd had first gotten a hold of him. "Please don't burn me. Don't kill me."

"I'm not." Barry told him. In less than a second, Eiling was free, the wood gone. Allen moved faster than the General ever dreamed possible. His wife did not have a weakness anyone one had discovered, which was why they hoped to threaten their daughter to ensure her cooperation, taking orders instead of protecting her daughter for life.

"I'm going to give you and your men what you wanted Eiling. I'm going to get you to Grodd. Of course you won't have any weapons, but I doubt they would help you anyway. Good luck. Cisco?"

Vibe raised his metal covered hand. A vibrational blast was emitted and a portal opened to Earth 2, the experimental Gorilla sanctuary where Grodd resided, away from human contact. Barry doubted the men would survive but that really wasn't his problem. Before Eiling's eyes he saw a blur, his men being tossed into the portal. Barry Allen grabbed him last.

"Say hi to Grodd for me. I hope when you find him it is worth it. Of course he will probably find you first."

Eiling felt the strange sensation of the energy field then it was gone. He felt the ground underneath him, glanced from his knees to see his men slowly waking, some grabbing at the arrows in their shoulders. Then he took in the trees above. He was no longer in the forest around Central City. This was a jungle.

Standing up, he took in his surroundings, not happy to see neither him or any of his men were armed.

"Sir? Where are we?" his sergeant asked.

"I… I don't know." the General admitted. Then the sound of footsteps, heavy footsteps running towards them, the trees shaking around him.

"Your…your orders?"

"Run."

Back on Earth 1, while the Justice League dealt with a thorn in the sides of metas everywhere, Joe and Henry sat on the floor of the living room, playing with Lexie, both making funny faces while Lexie giggled approvingly.

"You want some apple sauce?" Joe asked.

"Has she already eaten?"

Joe looked at Henry and rolled his eyes. "She is Barry and Kara's daughter. You think it matters if she has already ate?"

"Good point. I'll get it." Henry walked to the kitchen while Lexie appealed to one of her grandfathers.

"Bracet off. Bracet bad. No fun."

"I know its not fun but you aren't old enough to do some stuff without Mommy and Daddy around."

"Mama, Dada, I want Mama and Dada."

"They aren't here. What about Charlie? Charlie, here boy! Come play with Lexie. See? Charlie is here."

"Mama sing."

"You want me to sing?"

"No, Mama sing. Dada sing, Charlie doesn't sing, he woofs. Mama…" Lexie whined, starting to cry. Joe freaked and rushed into the kitchen wondering what the hell was taking Henry so long to get apple sauce. Neither saw Lexie frown at her arm and vibrate, the bracelet cracking.

"Yay!" the little girl told Charlie who looked at the bracelet, looked at Lexie and ran from the room. Moving at super speed with his mother was cool, moving at super speed with Lexie was nightmare inducing.

Joe found the apple sauce in the fridge while Henry had been searching the cabinets for some reason. Barry or Kara made the sauce themselves along with all the other baby food Lexie consumed.

"Thanks, but shouldn't you be watching the princess?"

"The princess wants Mommy and Daddy again and isn't happy. Not even Charlie can… we need the damn apple sauce!"

"Calm down." Henry told him, walking back into the living room and feeling very uncalm at what he saw. The toys were there, the furniture, the TV, everything as they had left it. The only difference was the bracelet cracked on the floor and Lexie was not there.

"Oh crap." Joe muttered. "The door is closed, there are no holes in the wall so she has to be here somewhere." he prayed.

"Hiding? Lexie! Lexie where are you? We can't find you!" Henry tried. "We should call Eliza."

"No! If we call Eliza Barry and Kara will never leave her alone with either of us again."

"You know Barry won't take long. We have to find her. Can you put that bracelet back together?"

"Do I look like Harrison Wells?" Joe asked.

"Call him!"

"I can't! You know he will tell Eliza. She is going to tell Kara who will tell Barry… look we just have to find her. Check her bedroom. I'll check the kids bedroom. Maybe she is looking for Mommy and Daddy there."

Both men moved until they heard a giggle from above. The two grandfathers looked up to the high vaulted ceiling and saw their smiling granddaughter.

"You gotta be kidding me. Why? Why does this happen to us?" Henry asked, God or Joe, he wasn't sure at the moment.

"Fly!" Fly like Mama!" she told the men happily.

"Hey sweety, do you think you could come down? Come to Grandpa? Either of us. We can even call your other grandpa. You can have all three grandpas here. We just need to leave Grandma out of this, okay?"

"Fly to Mama!" Lexie shouted, smiling now that she had figured out a way. Now she just had to figure out how to move and how to get out. If she could find Charlie he could fly with her too. Charlie, having seen everything from the hall currently resided under Barry and Kara's bed.

Lexie blew, her breath coming out rather strongly and she decided that she liked it, oblivious to the shudder that went through the men below. Her breath while not freezing was cold. It also blew her back, giving her some movement in the air even if it was backwards. Lexie stopped blowing and tried crawling through the air, not having much luck. The feeling of floating was enough.

"Call Queen! He has one of those line things he can bring her down." Joe suggested.

"You want him to shoot her with an arrow?!"

"No! Just one of those things he uses to swing and pull… yeah I guess that would be a bad idea. What about Alex?"

"You know she is with Barry. You really want her hanging this over your head? Didn't you put a Tony the Tiger stuffed animal on her desk last week?"

"Good point. You think we can call… hey! Lexie, sweetie don't go that way. Please come down! We won't ever get to watch you again if you don't come down and we can't keep this to ourselves!"

Lexie giggled and moved her arms like a bird, making a bit of headway. Her and Mommy watched birds all the time and painted them. She slowly drifted towards the hall.

"Move the recliner to the doorway into the hall and catch her when she floats there." Henry suggested.

"She will hit the wall. The doorway is like five feet lower than the ceilings. Whose idea was it to buy a house with vaulted ceilings? Sweetie, come down, please? Don't you want to play dress up?"

"I want to fly! You want to fly? I get you?"

"Uh… yeah! Yeah come down and get me." Henry offered. Lexie nodded her head and tried, using her arms and legs like a swimmer reaching out for Joe who almost had her, she grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up, him pulling her down. Lexie didn't want to come down. She pulled up quickly and hopped back into the air, bumping her head on the ceiling.

"Ow." the toddler said, then laughed. "Come fly!" she offered, thinking Joe and Henry must be able to fly like she could. It wasn't hard for Mommy. Maybe they needed blue dress up clothes. Lexie started swimming to Mommy's room, hoping her blue outfit was there, not remembering Mommy had it on when she left. "I get clothes so you can fly. Cape! Need cape."

"No! No cape. Just float down to Grandpa before your Daddy sees you and we are all in trouble. We don't want a timeout do we?"

"Timeout? No timeouts up here." Lexie reasoned and stopped moving, floating near the ceiling with her arms crossed.

"We have to get her down. Barry has a ladder in the garage right? What if her power goes away? What if she drops? This is bad Joe. We need to call Jeremiah."

"What is he going to do? You know I'm her favorite. If I can't get her down, who can?"

"I guess… wait, you think you are her favorite?"

"Probably not. We are all equal. I'm just the coolest one. I catch bad guys like Mommy and Daddy."

"Whatever. I'm the favorite. I let her play with my stethoscope and listen to heart beats."

"Something tells me she can hear heartbeats now, just like Kara! Look, Barry can be home any second. Maybe we should just watch her, be ready to catch her and when he gets home, he can get her down."

"No! If she drops and we catch her she could break something or worse! Seriously who thought tall ceilings were a good idea!" Henry complained once again.

"They look nice and open the space up. Would you concentrate?"

"I'm calling Eliza. She can talk her down. Everyone does what she says. Kara, Barry, Jeremiah, Nyssa. Eliza says to do something people do it. Hell, even Queen shaved once for her."

Henry took his phone and hit the dial button on Eliza's number, while Joe stood underneath a smiling and waving Lexie, still stuck on the ceiling.

"What's happened?" the woman asked immediately, forgoing greetings.

"What gave you the idea anything happened?" Henry asked, trying to laugh and failing.

"Alex texted me and said you and Joe were watching Lexie while they took care of a problem. What has happened?"

"She is stuck on the ceiling. We don't have a ladder high enough or a chair that will let us reach her. She seems to be having fun, we almost talked her down but now she won't come down. Do you think you could use that voice you use and get her down?"

"Open the door."

"You are in front of the house?"

"Open the door!" Henry unlocked the door before Eliza had a chance to use her key. She marched inside.

"You were outside?" Joe asked.

"Of course. I came over as soon as I heard you two were in charge of my granddaughter."

"Hey, we were doing fine!" Joe told her offended. Eliza looked up at the ceiling and Joe looked at the floor.

"Right up until she somehow broke her bracelet and decided she wanted to hang out at the top of the ceiling." he admitted.

"I got this." Eliza walked under Lexie.

"Grandma! Grandma fun!"

"Yes I am Lexie. Come down now, your Daddy will be home soon. We need to brush your hair. You want Daddy to see pretty hair, right?"

"Come fly with me!"

"Yeah, thats what she keeps asking us. I thought you had this." Joe commented, earning a sharp glare from Eliza.

"She is Kara's daughter. I know what to do." Eliza marched to the kitchen quickly and returned, chocolate pecan pie in hand. Lexie immediately sniffed and her eyes locked onto the treat, her and her Mommy's favorite.

"If you want some pie you have to come down, baby girl. Want to eat some pie or should I save it for Mommy?"

"No! Mommy eat it all."

"Thats right, so you better hurry. You can have a small piece if you come down now or else I'm saving it all for Mommy."

"She can eat pie?" Henry asked

"I mush it up and grind the pecans to nearly dust. She loves the chocolate filling. I started making it sugar free in case she got into it. It always worked when I wanted Kara to come inside when she was a kid."

Like magic, Lexie began swimming through the air again, this time heading down towards her favorite treat. As soon as she was in Eliza's reach, the woman handed the pie to Joe and grabbed her granddaughter, snapping a back up bracelet she kept on her wrist.

"No bracet! Pie!"

"Lexie, do you want a time out?"

"No." the girl admitted quietly.

"We keep the bracelet, not bracet but bracelet, on until we get to your room. Then I will take it off and you can eat the piece of pie I promised."

"I love you, Grandma."

"I love you too precious girl. Lets go to your room and eat then we can play. I'll brush your hair okay?"

"Yes!" By grandpas." she told them, blowing kisses.

"Bring me the pie, a big fork, a small fork and a plate." she ordered then marched off with her darling in her arms.

Joe took a look at Henry, both letting out breaths.

"I guess we handled that okay, huh?" Joe asked.

"Yep. We really took charge."

"What happened?" Barry asked, zipping in, then taking in the broken bracelet on the floor. "Please till me she is not in the sky somewhere! Eliza's car is here. What happened?!"

"Nothing… I mean it wasn't our fault. We don't know how… she got out of the bracelet…" Henry tried.

"How did she get out of the bracelet and you don't know how? Weren't you two watching her?"

"Yeah but she wanted apple sauce and Joe couldn't find it…"

"You couldn't find it. I found it. You left her alone."

"Thats not how I remember it." Henry countered, honestly not sure who couldn't find it at this point. "Everything okay with the situation you had to handle?"

"Yeah, he won't be a problem anymore." Barry told them, reaching down and looking at the bracelet.

"Oliver… didn't kill him, did he? Or Alex, or Nyssa, or Sara…"

"I killed him Joe!" Barry told him irritated. Joe was shocked as was Henry. Barry took a deep breath. "I didn't kill him. He might die but thats his problem. I just gave him what he wanted. Stop thinking that my friends are all killers. It is getting old, especially when you throw Oliver under the bus immediately. You've killed people and so have I. Stop being judgmental." Barry told him then took a moment to calm himself.

"You are right Barry. I'm sorry."

"No I am Joe. I shouldn't snap at you." Barry looked at the bracelet closely. "She phased through the bracelet. You can tell by the friction marks inside of it. The way it is cracked is the same as when I cracked out of a BOOT once. Great. The bracelet stops her Kryptonian powers but she still has her speedster powers and can't control either."

Barry rubbed his head, and walked into his daughter's bedroom. As worried as he was, it warmed his heart to see her sitting, leaned between Eliza's legs on the floor chocolate smeared around her face while her grandmother brushed her hair.

"Everything okay?" Eliza asked her son in law.

"I got rid of Eiling." he told her. "He won't be a problem anymore. He is probably running from giant telepathic gorillas on Earth 2 as we speak."

"Good. I suppose you and Kara are going to have to meet with the President, come to an understanding?"

"You have no idea. It won't be a problem. Is she okay?"

"Dada!" Lexie shouted, noticing her father in the room. "Pie! Want some?"

"Yeah, I think I will. Then me and Grandma are going to camp out in your room tonight? Want to camp out? We can get the big blow out mattresses?"

Lexie nodded her head. "Those are bouncy. I flew. I can't wait to tell Mama!" Lexie gave Barry a chocolate covered kiss on his cheek then sat back between Eliza's legs. She looked at her son in law with glimmering eyes.

"It's going to be okay, Barry. I swear it will be okay."

"I know. Let me get those mattresses. I'm guessing since you are letting her have so much its sugar free?"

"Yep. I didn't want either of us up all night. Lexie you want to use the potty before bed?"

Lexie's shoulders and head dropped. "No." but the little girl began walking towards the bathroom, Grandma behind her.

"Her brace…"

"She doesn't need it. Its going to be okay Barry. Don't lose faith. If you do Kara does and that can't happen to either of you for her sake. She is discovering things and she has a little more to discover than the average two year old. She isn't throwing things through walls, or frying Charlie with her eyes. She is having fun. We just have to guide her in fun, the same way we have been."

"But can she understand…"

"She will. Relax and lets get ready to camp under the red night light. I'll be right back."

Barry sat on the floor, trying to come to grips with what happened with Eiling and Lexie.

"Just calm down. Just calm down. It will be okay. Right Mom?" he asked, looking up. "Right. God I wish Kara was here."

The next morning Barry's wish came true. The blue clad super heroine landed in her backyard, having left Donna behind with her blessing and flown halfway across the world faster than she ever had before. Caitlin and Winn had slept at S.T.A.R. and as soon as Kara's com was back up, Caitlin was talking to her, noting that her best friend was flying at Mach 6, a speed she had never reached before without Barry sharing speed. Kara assured Caitlin that she was fine and didn't slow down until she reached her daughter and husband. Walking in the back, she was surprised to see Jeremiah in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"I just finished brewing a fresh pot. Want me to fix you a cup?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Jeremiah kissed Kara on the cheek and quickly poured a cup, handing it to her.

"I was worried about you, like always. Good trip?"

"The place was amazing… not that I am complaining but you are here early for a Sunday morning. Is everything… okay?"

"Lexie learned to fly last night. Barry had to handle something and Joe and Henry watched her. She phased out of her bracelet and floated to the ceiling. She had fun. Eliza got her down and her and Barry are camped out in her room having a sleep over. Joe and Henry are crashed out on the recliner and couch."

"Oh no…" Kara whispered, feeling horrible. While she had been touring Themyscira her daughter had been… could have…

"Where was Barry? You said he was taking care of something?"

"Yeah Eiling came to town. The League took out his men and Barry and Cisco tossed him to Earth 2."

"Why do these things happen when I'm gone?"

"You could look at it as bad things, or you could look on the bright side." Jeremiah told her. "Eiling won't be a problem anymore and technically no one killed him. We know Lexie can fly and she can phase through her bracelet and she did both in the safety of the house with her grandfathers here who had enough sense to call Eliza. All in all I would say things turned out pretty well."

"I'm never going to leave her again. Ever."

"You might have to let Eliza and I camp out one more night with Lexie in her room. You and Barry have an errand to run after she goes to sleep tonight."

"An errand?"

"Yeah," a barely awake Barry told his wife, walking into the kitchen. "I think its long past due that the two of us have a conversation with the President of the United States tonight. Its time to end these games."


	57. Chapter 57

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N Sorry this chapter got a bit out of hand word count. We had to catch up on some of the happenings on Earth 3, and I threw a few scenes in going into Lexie being three (and a half, thats important) Plus we have the conversation with the President, and Halloween, lost bets on the Indians and Kara has to decide somethings about how Lexie is going to be raised. So a lot going on. Plus chapters are running short. This will be done by Chapter 60 or 61. A lot of new reviewers and a lot of favorites. Thanks for all your support. You have made this story a lot of fun and I hope you find it fun as well. We are entering the final arch. I'm excited and sad.

Did anyone watch Alex in episode two in her Kryptonite suit and think… Cisco could have made that look cooler. I did. Maybe in the crossovers he can get something together. Okay here we go.

Chapter 57

 **Earth 3 Watchtower**

"We need to contact them." Bruce Wayne told the assembled League once again.

"No we don't." Diana countered… once again.

"The whole point of us trying to figure out a way to travel dimensions is so our teams can assist each other! I We need assistance!"

"We don't know what we need, Bruce. You are more than welcome to attempt to access their Earth."

"We aren't there yet and you know it Diana. They can't get here because our vibrations have been changed by whatever the hell that is that breached our universe. We do not know what we will face but considering that it is a huge spaceship of some sort heading straight for us, I am going to assume it is bad. World ending bad. We need them and you have a way, Diana."

"I closed the portal. Of course you couldn't get to Themyscira regardless, but you are welcome to try. Simply breach the magical barrier, fight off thousands of Amazon warriors, face the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus and then see if your bat suit scares a woman who faced down Ares. Good luck Bruce."

"You should at least warn them." Kal suggested. "They could very well be next and need to be prepared."

"If we warn them they will come, they will figure out a way. As long as they do not have our universes new vibrational frequency, they cannot get here. J'onn still knows how to contact them, Ramon anyway. What do you say J'onn? Should we warn them?" Diana asked, already knowing how the Martian felt.

"We should stop whatever is coming. If all looks lost I will make an effort to contact Ramon, warning him that this world has fallen and to be prepared."

"It's gonna be a little late for us then J'onn." Victor Stone pointed out. Arthur Curry sat next to him, having no opinion either way. He knew a fight was coming and he would be involved. Nothing else mattered.

"Kara and Alex…" J'onn started.

"They were right there with us in that Cadmus base and they seemed to be able to take care of themselves. That wasn't even their whole team." Cyborg said, stopping the argument before it begun.

J'onn became immediately angry and rose to his feet, staring at the half man, half machine.

"There was not a child involved then! The situation has changed. Her daughter would be involved. Plus if Jeremiah knew what we knew about Cadmus he would come back. They are safe and it is up to us to stop this madness before it gets any further. If it looks like we will lose, then I will warn Ramon, but I will not tell him or let him feel the frequency to get here. We handle this! It is our fight! Anyone too afraid can leave now and not come back!"

"The militaries of the World are preparing. The Atlanteans and Amazons are preparing for battle, should they be needed. We will win." Diana agreed. "Leave the parents and newlyweds out of this. I realize you have all come to rely on Kara saving the world since she has done it once but perhaps it is time for us to step up to the plate."

Bruce Wayne looked at the ceiling of the underground bunker. Watchtower had a huge superstructure on top, eight stories tall, but the real base was underground. In the middle of Kansas, it was within reach of both coasts, and hidden behind Watchtower Industries, a fake company Bruce had established as a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises, allowing for the JL support team to be paid as regular employees of a think tank company doing top secret work on defense projects and new drugs. In reality it was more secure than the Pentagon and monitored more threats around the world than the CIA.

Breathing deeply he looked back at his teammates. The entire League was not present but the core members of Arthur, Victor, Kal and Diana were. They were usually the decision makers. Bruce was the chairman and Diana controlled the battlefields. It had worked, no major arguments until his point, the point that satellites had picked up a huge space ship that entered the Universe from nowhere, heading right towards Earth. By the speed and trajectory, the ship would be near the moon in three months. He knew he needed all the power he could get to fight whatever that was. He needed Kara Zor El. She had saved the world once and though Kal was loathe to admit it, Diana had verified that Kara was much more powerful than her younger cousin. Her husband had reached unprecedented speeds, faster than even Bruce imagined. Their friends were warriors, he knew. If anyone would be suited to lead a ground defense against and invasion it would be Oliver Queen. Nyssa was a wild card, he didn't know much about her, but if she was the same as Talia, she would be an excellent leader as well. This Ray Palmer was a genius that Bruce admitted had him beat. The Firestorm tandem had tremendous power. They had a support team filled with genuine geniuses in biology, computers sciences and people would be needed if they hoped to stop it here.

So of course Diana, who could get to that Earth, and J'onn who could telepathically communicate across dimensions, refused to do so.

"Fine. Since we have no way as of yet to get to them and the two people who can get to them refuse, I suppose this conversation is over."

"Even if we had a way, if you try Bruce, I will destroy that ship myself. I know you are close to completing it. Don't think about it." Diana warned him. Although she would like Kara Allen to be by her side in battle as well as Donna, Kara had other priorities. The time she had spent with the woman had shown Diana much about her, her love for her friends, her family and her husband and child.

She was also strangely very attached to the mutt. But the girl had already demonstrated powers at three months old as Diana felt herself. If her development continued, the parents would have enough on their plate. Saving the universe was their team's job.

"Nice Diana. An alien invasion is coming and you are threatening to destroy our ability to travel dimensions." Bruce commented sarcastically.

"It isn't a threat, it's simply fact. You have been quiet Kal El. What do you think? Should Kara be involved in this fight? Who is going to watch her child in another universe? Do you think she will abandon her child in the same manner her mother abandoned her? Or you abandoned her for that matter?"

Kal El flinched but said nothing. He was used to Diana's blunt honesty and knew she cared for his cousin.

"We will stop this ourselves. Any progress with the … cage?" he asked quietly.

The assault on Cadmus, at least the remains, had been successful after Alex's wedding. The three main players were present, Dabney Donovan, Reginald Augustine and Thomas Thompkins had all been there, a last ditch effort at retaining some sort of organization. There were cages with aliens who had been experimented on but without Jeremiah Danvers, the work had been a disaster, most of the creatures near death, all dying within two months. What concerned them was what was not there.

An empty cage stood alone, with a doorway at least fourteen foot high and ten foot wide. It was electrified but the door stood open and there was no occupant. Donovan, Thompkins and Augustine all killed themselves, biting cyanide pills in their mouths before Diana could use her lasso to find out the truth.

The guards who were captured told them enough to have the entire League worried. Jeremiah Danvers research had been continued and perfected, following his map. Soldiers talked about a ten foot killing machine, one who was tortured constantly, even as far as having limbs cut off in the cage by a new alloyed metal turned into buzz saws and the limbs growing back in seconds. They described the creature as having a rock exterior, Kryptonite spikes on its shoulders, arms and back and being angry often. The bars were made of a material that resembled compressed Dwarf Star matter and were the only things that could keep it contained. A certain gas was able to knock it out for a time but never more than a few hours. One night a semi truck arrived, the creature was put to sleep and a crane lifted its body onto the truck bed, a similar metal covered it then another piece of the trailer hiding the truck as any eighteen wheeler on the road. No one knew where it had gone. Three scientists followed and the guards never saw the creature again. The monster was called Doomsday by the guards and scientists. Jeremiah's project had been completed.

Kal waited for the creature to be unleashed, the entire JL did, but nothing happened. Bruce had collected DNA samples from the cage itself and what he found was an indestructible monster. This creature could not be killed in any manner he could determine. Diana of course scoffed at this, saying all living creatures could be killed.

"No." Bruce answered. "We know of only one person that has the ability, money and know how to hold a monster, the same man who turned a brain dead girl into a girl capable of fighting Kara on an even playing field."

"Max Lord is scum but he is not involved in Cadmus. He had ample opportunities to warn them of Kara's arrival if he wanted. Maybe he wasn't there or knew the plan but he was watching, I guarantee you." Kal reminded the group.

"He could have been recruited after he was kicked off of Dr. Danvers project. You know he fancied himself a defender of the planet and hates aliens." Cyborg reminded the team. "But Helena and Dinah have been all over him, going into his offices, his home, his computer may as well belong to Barb, she is in it so much. If he is hiding a giant killing machine he is doing one hell of a job. That don't matter right now, unless the thing makes an appearance. It sure as hell isn't sneaking up on us. What matters is finding out what is in that big space ship and beating it."

"You can't." a new voice said, the entire Justice League standing, Kal's eyes lighting up, Diana pulling her sword and Arthur rushing to the wall for his trident. Luckily for all involved, especially the expensive equipment in the conference room, they recognized him immediately before any attack was made.

"Damn it Stewart. You couldn't have knocked? We haven't seen you in a year and you just pop up?" Kal complained.

"My apologies. The entire Corp was called away, all of us from every universe. We have been fighting this ship and its occupants for the entire time I have been gone. He is a dimension jumper and has an army of thousands, mostly robotic androids but some humanoids. He has destroyed two Earths in the last year."

That revelation quieted the League.

"Ho…how exactly has he destroyed two Earths?" Victor asked.

"He sends an invasion force, never going planet side himself. The force sets up four stations, giant buildings designed to be power plants. They tap heat from the liquid outer core that is converted to energy. The liquid drained the Earth's crust falls in on itself into the hard inner core. The entire planet crumbles, volcanic forces erupt, seas boil, the pressure on the core becomes too much. The planet implodes then explodes, ripped apart by gases, magnetic forces and gravity, much like Krypton did to itself, tapping heat from its own core. We believe he stores this energy to continue his travels and perhaps gain energy for his own planet though we haven't located it."

"Great. He wants to blow up the Earth. Of course he does. You said your whole group of friends have been fighting him for a year? I thought you guys were the badass galactic enforcers?" Cyborg reminded him.

"We have lost 822 of my brothers in the past year. He is strong. He emits Omega Beams from his eyes that destroy whatever they touch, disintegrated immediately. I'm not sure if even Kal El can survive a direct hit. He also opens his own breaches. He is strong, abnormally strong and has technology that has surpassed any in the galaxy. His androids and humanoids are strong, especially a group of women he calls… I suppose the best translation would be Furies."

"Okay. Diana, will you visit Kara now?" Bruce asked.

"No. We will stop this. His forces have to land on this planet to drain the power. No matter how great, they will not stop us."

"He has stopped the heroes of the last two Earths. The military's were destroyed and the heroes attempted to attack him alone on his own ship. They were slaughtered. We recovered their bodies from space. The ship also has deadly defensive capabilities, that have broken the power of our rings protection and taken my brother's lives."

"These two Earths, did they have us? Dopplegangers?" Wonder Woman asked.

"No, they did not." Stewart admitted. "Our Corp continues to plan, devise ways around his weapons but we have been unsuccessful so far. He is taking his time now, planning to destroy us as we are planning on stopping him. Do not let the speed fool you. That ship can move much faster. He could be here in a day if he chose to."

Diana took a deep breath and glanced at J'onn.

"If we fail, Kara and Barry's Earth will have no defense if they are killed here. I will not ask them to come. This is our fight." Diana told the group. "So who is this fearsome planet destroyer? Does he have a name?"

"Yes," John answered, secretly upset that she would not be calling in reinforcements but not letting it show. "The best translation in English would be Darkseid."

"Then we shall meet this Darkseid and defeat him ourselves. End of discussion. Tell us everything, John." Wonder Woman, Diana the Amazon warrior and Goddess of War commanded. "I have very little time to plan and fight off an invasion on a global scale. We will succeed where others have failed or go to our graves trying."

 **Earth1 Washington DC**

President Benjamin Wallace, lay down for the night, Secret Service agents right outside his door as always. Tonight he was alone, not only because of his wife being on a diplomatic mission in Japan but because his mistress was not able to get away tonight. The timing had to be just right for a woman of her beauty and no connection to the White House to be snuck in and she had missed her window of opportunity, greatly annoying him. Also annoying him was his National Security Advisor informing him that Eiling had not checked in since he arrived outside of Central City. The man should have been shot by now but was given a second chance. Wallace feared he was too unstable but the five star general he relied on for advice in military matters assured him he was not. Now the man had probably gone rogue, wanting to destroy the so called Justice League, instead of coercing them into a working relationship where they took the orders. Yes they were powerful but the two most powerful members had a child and that was a weak spot. Working with the Government would be preferable to hiding their child from the Government for the rest of her life. That was his National Security Advisor's thought and Wallace agreed with it.

Reaching over to grab a sleeping pill, his attention was caught by a glow around his closet door. The door opened and it was so bright he had to shield his eyes.

"Agents! Get in here!"

"They can't hear you." Zatanna told the man, stepping out in her solid black long, low cut dress and stilettos wandering around the room. "No one gets in, no one gets out and no sound escapes. Pretty neat huh? I think you know my friends?"

Wallace looked towards the closet and saw a host of people walking out, the man A.R.G.U.S. still talked about today, Oliver Queen, Amanda Waller's protege and the man who stopped Damian Darhk from turning the US into a wasteland. Behind him were a woman he vaguely recognized from a possible threat briefing, Anyssa something or another. Her father had attempted to unleash a biological weapon on Star City. Next to her was a short haired brunette, dressed casually in jeans and a black shirt and leather jacket but he did not miss the gun in her hand. The last two to emerge from the light were the two he really did not want to see, Superwoman and the Flash.

"Hey there Mr. President. Nice room." Barry told the man, taking in his surroundings. "I'm a little surprised to see you alone. Nicole not able to make it tonight?"

"Nic… I don't know…"

"We know everything." Barry told him, his voice vibrating for effect. He sat down on the edge of the bed, while Kara stood next to him, arms crossed, glaring down at the politician. "We also know you have had Eiling trying to track a telepathic ape to learn its secrets, and he failed, didn't he? So you thought you would threaten our daughter. Dumb move, Wallace. A little intelligence you can share with your CIA buddies. I can phase my hand into your heart without breaking your skin. Everyone will think you died in your sleep from a heart attack. Do you believe me?"

"I don't know Eiling." Wallace said, looking at the door. He believed what the woman in the black dress had said. The Secret Service should have been in here by now.

"Yes you do. Do not lie to me." Kara warned him. "I really don't like Presidents. To me you are scum, a cheap politician who got lucky enough to fool the public into thinking you are a good man. We are here to discuss some things with you but first, I thought it would be a good idea to give you a taste of what you are dealing with. Zatanna would you please allow Barry to go out the window?"

Kara took a tablet from Oliver and opened the screen. On it was Area 51 in Nevada, a satellite image that had zoomed in.

"One of your most secure bases, correct?" she asked. "Almost on the other side of the country. See those jets on the runway? Watch this."

Barry moved, running faster than usual, not sure exactly how fast but he knew he was channeling the Speedforce completely, not even leaving a lightning trail. He let out a slight sonic boom in Colorado but brought it under control.

On the screen in the President's bedroom, he watched the screen for fifteen seconds util he saw lightning.

"I asked him to slow down when he got there so you could see his trail. Wow, looks like the planes landing gears have been taken off. Look at that, they are just kinda lying there… oh there go the missles. He is really good with a wrench but I am betting he is just using his hand to cut through the supports. You should see him change a tire."

Wallace watched the systematic destruction of dozens of top secret jets, years of work, billions of dollars, being dismantled. Within thirty seconds all the planes, twenty seven in the hangars and runway were in pieces and not one guard had time to register what was happening. Twenty seconds later Barry was back.

"Not my fastest but since you insisted on lightning… so did it look as cool as it felt? You are going to need some new airplanes, Ben."

"Why… how… why would you do that?"

"To prove a point. The point is that within an hour we can have all the US military bases in the States, taken apart, ships sinking in their berths, I can lift submarines out of the water and onto dry land, China if I wanted. I can lift an aircraft carrier. I am faster than your fastest jet in the air and Barry…"

"Give me an hour and I will have every base in the world, including nuclear silos taken apart. You sent Eiling to threaten us. Bad move. A.R.G.U.S. has been smart enough to leave us alone. You however, are another story. So we can either come to an understanding tonight, or you die of natural causes. If you think I won't kill you, normally you would be right but you brought our daughter into this. Once Eiling mentioned our daughter, all bets were off. By the way, you won't be seeing him anymore. We sent him to another dimension, one where he probably won't make it but that isn't really my problem. You are a problem. Do you recognize the people behind me?"

"I know one of them was some sort of security threat until A.R.G.U.S. cleared her. I know Oliver… the Green Arrow."

"Yeah you know me. I was taught to fight by a Chinese General, his daughter, a mercenary called DeathStroke, and taught to torture people by Amanda Waller. Want to find out how good of a student I was?"

"That won't be necessary Oliver. I just need to have a little chat with the President somewhere more private." Kara told him, yanking the man out of bed by his throat and flying him out of the huge open window into the night sky. Wallace tried to look down, seeing the lights of Washington fading away. The air became so cold he couldn't tell if he was shivering more from fear or the temperature. His throat was nearly closed, caught in the blonde woman's grip. When he was surrounded by complete darkness she stopped.

"Any guess as to how high we are?"

Wallace tried to gasp out a reply but was unable.

"Sorry, you can't really talk, can you? Hold on."

Kara dropped him, grabbing the screaming man by his arm, so he was hanging while she looked down at him.

"We are about thirty miles above the Earth. I can go higher, twice as high but you would most likely freeze to death. You are already going to have some ugly finger marks on your neck to explain way. I would suggest turtle necks for the next week or so. Or maybe I will have my friend who got us here, heal you. She can do that. She can do anything. Want to know a secret?"

"I want down." the man whined. Kara obliged, letting him go. She caught him by the wrist after forty feet, not wanting him to have an actual heart attack.

"Now, do you want to know a secret or do you want down again?"

"I want… I want to know…"

"I can't be beat. Nothing in this universe can beat me. A nuclear bomb couldn't even take me out. I can take on the military of this world and win easily by myself. If my husband is with me, I think he showed you what he can do. We are doing our best to keep the people of this world safe, not politicians like you. You let us do what we do best and you make sure we are never watched by the Military or CIA or any other letters. We will know. We know everything, even this country's deepest and darkest secrets."

"Do… do you know how many laws you are breaking?"

"Did you miss the part about me not being able to be stopped? You brought my daughter into this. There are no rules anymore. Do you want us helping the people of this world or killing you and destroying this country? Every country? We could take over but we aren't interested in that. We want to help. You can't control us. If you think you can, I will let you decide if you want to die from a very high fall or a heart attack in your bed. Maybe the next President will have more common sense."

"Okay! Just please don't drop me!"

"This is what is going to happen. I am going to tuck you back into bed. You are going to wake up, assuming you can sleep tonight and not say a word about his conversation. You are going to call your advisors, your Joint Chief guys, whoever, and you will make sure they understand the Justice League is off limits. My daughter is especially off limits. Did you see the battle in Central City when Palmer Tech's building collapsed?"

"Yes."

"It collapsed on me. I still got up. A skyscraper collapsed on me and it made me angry. I've gotten stronger since then. Do you know what happened to the man who attacked the city?"

"We haven't found him. He disappeared." Wallace told her through the chattering of his teeth.

"Thats right, because I threw him into space. I sent him out of the atmosphere. Would you like to be the first President in US History to become a missing person?"

"No!"

"So we have an understanding? You stay away from us and especially my daughter and we don't destroy your military and turn you into a satellite. Agreed?"

"Yes, anything."

"No, I need an actual agreement. You know before you turned in for the night, you discussed the ISIS problem in Turkey, right?"

"You were listening?"

"We know everything and we don't even have to hack into your system if we don't want to. We entered your room through a closet. Something to think about. Now can you beat us?"

"No. My arm is getting really sore."

"Are you going to tell everyone and make sure they understand there is to be no contact with us or studies or investigations?"

"Yes!"

"Are you or anyone in your Government going to ever mention my daughter again?"

"God no."

Kara dropped the man and followed him down, catching him every fifty feet. When she broke the cloud line, she picked him up by the shoulders, flying him so he could see the ground. None of the Secret Service Agents saw the blue streak holding the man, flying into the executive bedroom window.

"Good talk?" Barry asked, the entire League here and in Central City listening.

"We came to an understanding, didn't we Ben?"

"Yes."

"Good, now I want an apology." the blonde told the man.

"An apology?"

"For trying to threaten my daughter, for being prepared to harass us until we worked with you. I want to hear you say you are sorry and mean it. Convince me."

"I am sorry! I am so sorry! I promise, no more. We won't get in your way, we will leave you alone, I swear!"

"Sound good, baby?" Kara asked her husband who was now standing, vibrating into a blur.

"I guess. We find out in the morning. Our friend here is very gifted in magic. Before you say you don't believe in magic, I would remember that we entered through your closet from Central City in less than a second and your guards haven't rushed in. Zatanna please heal the bruising. We can't have him looking as if he has been injured during his very important meetings tomorrow. We are going to be watching through a mirror. We are going to watch you all day, wherever you are and make sure you stick to your agreement and tell everyone that matters that we are off limits. If not, we will be back tomorrow night. You can hide wherever you want, even a bunker but we will find you. Have a good night Ben."

Barry winked at the man, Zatanna mumbled a chant to heal him and the group exited through the closet they came from. Benjamin Wallace's heart would not stop racing. He sat in bed for hours until he finally went to his desk and began putting together a list of people he needed to talk to and executive orders to issue making it a federal crime to have any interaction with the so called Justice League. He should have been outraged, he should send the armed forces on them, destroy their little not so secret hideout at S.T.A.R. Labs. Instead all he felt was fear. Seeing how easily Allen took out one of the most guarded bases in the United States shook him but it was the eyes of the woman behind the mask that frightened him the most.

She would kill him. He saw it in her eyes. He never should have gotten her daughter involved. She would kill him and he felt the power in her grip. A twist of her fingers and he was dead. Her eyes looked like photos he had seen of Oliver Queen in his A.R.G.U.S. days. She had killed before and he knew his status as the leader of the free world meant nothing to her. If they fought a war, they would lose.

The Justice League was officially off limits for the entire US government, military and black ops. Wallace wanted to live and he planned to pass this warning on to the next President.

The next few months passed by uneventfully. A meta Cisco had dubbed the Mirror Master had tricked Kara into following him into a mirror. Kara freaked, thinking poltergeists were going to kill her, possess her, or any other number of things. Zatanna released her and once Barry and the rest of the League had caught the man, Kara put on her bracelet to dull her super strength and beat the hell out of him. The police and Alex had to pull her off. Kara refused to go near a mirror for days until Oliver made a comment about her hair in the gallery. She bravely faced her glass nemesis. Oliver was on track to break six figures in salary, but had limited contact with Felicity. Thea had of course started speaking to him again and to his credit, Oliver never asked about his blonde ex. He had promised to let her go and did, no matter how much it hurt.

Kara had been offered to be showcased in New York by a famous art gallery but refused, to Oliver's consternation until he found this made her even more mysterious and New Yorkers along with those from the West coast flocked to Central City to buy from the woman who turned New York down. The reason was Lexie. Not only did Barry and her enjoy spending all their free time with her, and Kara during the entire day, she was exhibiting powers at a more regular rate and had to be watched closely. As she passed three years old, Caitlin attempted to take a blood sample.

She was unable to break the skin. Kara took her to the red sun room at S.T.A.R. where her skin was able to be punctured until she cried, shaking so hard she began vibrating and forced the needle out. Vibrating at that speed, Caitlin was unable to get any blood so gave up, the two best friends and Lexie opting for a movie at Caitlin's apartment rather than thinking about how a three year old was already impenetrable.

Barry came home from work a few months later and found Kara and Lexie in the backyard. Rather than fighting it or trying to talk her out of flying, the parents decided they should teach her how to use her powers safely and stress that it was a private game that could only be played at home.

In the backyard, Kara and Lexie were both giggling in the air, floating around, playing tag and Barry was once again thankful for the high fence and lack of neighbors. He was also caught by how beautiful the scene was. The two were not flying quickly but instead floating playfully, Lexie trying to catch her mother who let her occasionally but for the most part snuck up behind her, tickling her ribs.

Then Lexie saw Daddy.

"Daddy!"

If he hadn't been a speedster he never would have seen her, she was so fast, like a bullet flying towards him. He had two choices, try and catch her or move and grab her, hoping he could hold her so she wouldn't crash into the brick house. Although impenetrable, neither wanted to test her limits so he took her barreling into his chest, vibrating slightly, healing his cracked sternum and falling on the ground with her on top.

"Daddy, did you see? I can fly as good as Mommy! Did you see? Did you see?"

"Yeah angel, I definitely saw you, felt you, you did good. Maybe slow down a bit, is all."

"No slow down! Lets run! I wanna run! I can go fast like you!"

"I know, but aren't you hungry? I brought home fried chicken."

Lexie's head popped up and she took a long sniff. Smelling one of her favorite foods, she was gone, a blonde blur streaking towards the kitchen. She attacked food like Kara and Barry attacked…food.

"Are you okay?" Kara asked, kneeling beside her husband. "I'm sorry, I didn't think she would fly like that. She hasn't yet and I guess seeing her Daddy home was all the motivation she needed. I should stop encouraging her, huh?"

"No, we talked about this. Its better to let her have her fun with us than doing it when we are away. I'm fine. She ate at lot a lunch and is still hungry. I think she is getting our appetite too."

Tonight she was a perfect angel, sitting in her chair, plate in front and staring at the bucket of deep fried treats in front of her. The parents sat down, Kara preparing a plate for the little girl. She had grown out of a high chair at nearly three but still required a booster seat. Her speech had also gotten much better, if they could get her to slow down long enough for others to understand her.

"Should we say blessin?" Lexie asked, causing Barry and Kara to both look at her with a bit of shock. They had never really talked about religions of any sort, having their hands full taming a flying speedster toddler with impenetrable skin who had shot beams out of her eyes occasionally. She had also demonstrated very powerful breath, cool but strong.

"What… why… Blessing? Has someone said something about blessing food to you? It's okay if they have, but me and Daddy are wondering where that came from?"

"We went to see Aunt Caitlin at the big circle. I thought Jax had fallen asleep over his food and hit him in the head. He said some bad words you told me I couldn't say later and said he was saying a blessin. Its something we are supposed to do before eatin."

"Eating. You had better start pronouncing your g's or Grandma is going to give you another proper speaking lesson." Barry reminded her again.

"Those are borin. What is blessin?"

"Its what we say before we eat anything Mommy cooks, Princess." Barry explained to his daughter, then realized it probably wasn't funny to Kara. He glanced her way and saw he was right.

"Daddy does not like my cooking, even though I am trying very hard." Kara told her daughter, glaring at Barry.

"I like Momma's cooking."

"See?" Kara said, grinning at Barry.

"I like when she cooks the food that comes in the bags. They are so funny. Momma calls it grease that makes the bag wet. She cooks fries in a bag too. I also like the food she cooks in boxes with those pictures on them. Its fun usin sticks to eat, even if they do break a lot. I like the breakfast she cooks and puts in the big box. Donuts are so good."

Kara began chewing a wing, avoiding Barry's amused glance.

"I only give her little pieces smashed up. She can't eat baby food forever. She needs calories. I doubt she is going to have a heart attack."

"Did you run this by Eliza?"

"Rao no, she would find a way to kill me if she knew I let Lexie eat even a bite of this. She would burn our house down if she caught her eating this, after pulling the princess out first."

"Sucks not being the favorite anymore, doesn't it?" Barry asked, already knowing. Kara huffed and admitted it did.

The two parents talked about their days while Lexie talked about everything, commenting and asking why thirty times in ten minutes by Barry's count. Then the conversation turned to Halloween.

Barry made the opening move in defense of his case. "I think she is old enough. She can walk, she can say thank you, her speech is better than many three year olds. She is potty trained, she can almost dress herself…"

"Shoes are hard." Lexie admitted.

"See? Shoes are hard. There is no reason to rush her into anything. She isn't ready for being out around scary things. It could give her nightmares and we don't want that." Kara countered.

"Its trick or treating, not playing with a Ouija Board."

"Trick or Treating? I wanna, I wanna, I wanna! Can I dress up? Can I be you, Momma? Blue you with the red cape? Please? Pretty please?"

Kara gave Barry a withering glare. He simply smiled at her. "See, she wants to be you. I could ask Cisco to make her a suit."

"A suit? Are you nuts?!"

"Not that kind of suit! Just the kind she can go out in for one night. All the other kids are going to be in costumes. She will get a kick out of it."

"Other kids? Like the ones at the Park? I want to play. Mommy can I play with other kids? I want to go to the park, and dress up like you. I could go on the slide. I won't fly down or anything, I'll be good, I promise!"

Kara put her head in her hands, her stomach churning. "You are always good Princess. But the other kids, they can't do what you can do. Remember what we talked about, how secrets are important? What you can't say or do around other people?"

"No flying." Lexie recited.

"Yeah…"

"No runnin fast."

"Thats right…"

"No flying. You said that twice Momma."

"I know I did…"

"No blowing really hard, even though watching Unca Cisco's hair get messed up is sooo funny."

"Yes, but you also can't get mad. If another kid picks on you or… sometimes other kids can be mean, Lexie. They may not mean to be but they can be. If you get mad, remember the other thing we talked about that could happen?"

"My eyes burn." Lexie told her.

"Yes, and if it happens you could accidentally hurt someone. Maybe we can dress you up and we can go to S.T.A.R. and Dr. Stein's house, Ray's place, Grandma and Grandpa, all three of them. We can to Oliver's apartment and Sara's and I bet Aunt Alex and Aunt Nyssa will have a lot of candy…"

"We can go with other kids?"

Barry watched Kara's face and wished he had never brought it up. He had visions of seeing his little blonde angel dressed like her mother, cape and all, and a bag in her hand, going from house to house. He hadn't really thought about the fact that Lexie had limited contact with kids in public and no contact socially. Kara had mentioned that Lexie saw kids in the Downtown park area playing tag and asked why they were running so slow but never mentioned anything else. He now wondered how often Kara had not told him about the times Lexie wanted to play with those her own age. Her control was not great. Today was the first time he had seen her actually fly and it was obvious that she was strong, much to strong for a three year old.

"I… let me talk to Daddy about it and we will see, okay?"

"I promise I won't fly and I will walk really, really slow. You can hold me if you want. I promise to be good."

"Lexie, it isn't that you aren't good. Using your powers is not bad. We just need to work on your control but you aren't bad for using them when you are with me or Daddy. Don't ever think they are bad. I'm just scared that if you get excited or surprised you may not be able to help yourself. Remember? We have to keep what we can do a secret."

"Because other kids will be afraid of me, right?"

"No! No… hey why don't you finish eating and the three of us can clean the table. You want use the dishwasher tonight?"

"I can put them in myself?" she asked excitedly. While she enjoyed watching Mommy and Daddy clean the house in seconds, the machines fascinated her, especially the washer and dryer.

"Yep. I'm going to go get towels ready for your bath and then we can take a bath and get tucked in. Daddy and I will sing together to you. Think about what song you want, okay?"

Kara moved to get up.

"You haven't eaten everything." Lexie told her, frowning. She was not used to seeing food left on either of her parents plates.

"I'm not really hungry anymore. Charlie needs his food too. He needs to come inside and eat. He has been playing way too long. Don't you like playing with Charlie?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't like runnin with me." she told her mother sadly.

Barry and Kara helped Lexie load the dishwasher and even put the soap in herself, bathed her and sang softly over her little bed for five minutes until the little bundle of energy gave out and drifted off to sleep. Kara rushed out as soon as her breathing evened out and Barry gave her a moment. He didn't need superheating to know where she went.

After ten minutes he walked slowly out the back door and found her sitting on the patio swing, Charlie in her lap, staring at the night sky.

"She thinks she is bad because she uses her powers." Kara told him, her voice hoarse from crying. "She thinks when we put the bracelet on we are punishing her. I tell her we aren't but she doesn't understand. I knew this would happen. I knew it Barry. She is starting to figure it out. She can't be around other kids and this is just the start. She is going to hate me, I know it."

"No she won't. She adores you. The two of you are inseparable."

"I know. I'm her best friend. You know who else are her best friends? She plays sticks with the Black Canary. She plays with her little bow with the Green Arrow. She wants Uncle Vibe to blow things up and practically begs Martin and Jax to merge every time she sees them so of course they do. She asks to play with Nyssa's swords and Alex's guns of all things, which is very unsafe, and she wants to fly like me and run like you. She wants bracelets like Donna's because hers don't keep her from flying and she tries to lasso Charlie with his collar and leash so she can be an Amazon princess. She hangs out with a sorceress who shows her magic tricks using real magic. I knew her life wouldn't be normal but this… she should have play dates and be in preschool or at least day care for a few hours so she can develop social skills not revolving around a bunch of superheroes giving in to her every demand."

"She is hard to resist." Barry admitted. Lexie could even talk Harry out of work. Barry found him having a tea party in his lab with her. Harry while looking very annoyed, had done it. It was one of Lexie's superpowers. She asked and the Justice League did it. Even Nyssa was not immune, spoiling her with gifts constantly and reminding the parents that she had never had anyone love her when she was a child and wanted to give Lexie the love she never had. In other words an effective guilt trip to give her free ring to do as she wanted. Nyssa played that angle twice before Alex got her to admit she was just spoiling the girl. No three year old needs a three thousand dollar diamond necklace.

"I know and I love that but what are we supposed to do? She is three and already so smart. She is starting to realize that she is different, that not everyone can run really fast and fly and… and… she can't even have blood drawn! She can still get sick, I think but she can't… what about…"

"Hey, calm down." Barry told his wife, pulling her close as she buried her head against his chest. "We knew we would have these challenges and we knew we can handle them. Nothing has changed. It will be okay. She will never hate you Kara. She loves you. She always will. The older she gets the more she will be able to understand."

"Understand that while lying is bad, it is necessary for us? Thinking that she is a freak if she uses her powers, that she is bad? I didn't want that! I wanted… I just want…"

"Calm down. I know. I want it too, but there are going to be challenges. No she isn't ordinary she is extraordinary and that is a good thing."

Barry kissed his wife's forehead and vibrated his fingers, tickling her ribs, finally getting a chuckle out of the squirming woman. Charlie licked her face as soon as she laughed, tail wagging, ready to play, or go to bed. He was good with either at this point. Kara kissed her husband and asked if he would mind if she took a little time. Barry agreed, promising to try stay up for her and without worrying about changing, Kara shot off into the sky. There were many people she could have talked to. Oliver would listen and not offer an opinion, just let her get it out as he did often when Lexie napped at the Gallery. Alex would assure her that it would be fine and she would believe it because Alex gave her confidence. Caitlin would hold her hand and listen, talk to her about it all night or something totally unrelated to get her mind off her fears.

Tonight though she needed to talk to the one woman she knew would have the answers. Sending a text from the air, she was not surprised, even at Midnight to find Eliza by the front door, ready for her to come in.

Kara sat in the darkened living room on the sofa, while her adopted mother sat next to her. Eliza said nothing, letting Kara take her time, instead patting her hand.

"Dad asleep?"

"No but he knew you would probably want some time with me. What happened?"

"How did you do it?"

"How did I do what?"

"How did you let me out of the house everyday, to go to school, to go to the beach, to go for a walk, knowing anything could happen. Knowing I could be found out, not just the DEO but your friends, neighbors, all it would have taken was one slip and I would have been discovered for what I am. You…how did you do it?"

"She wants to play with other kids, right?" Eliza asked, understanding.

"She thinks using her powers are bad. I've told her they aren't bad but she sees the bracelet as some sort of punishment now. She wants to be around other kids, but what if one pushes her and she becomes angry? What if she pushes one of them and they land fifty feet away? She is three and instead of telling her lying is wrong, I have to explain why it is important at times. How can a three year old tell the difference?"

"She is a very smart three year old, Kara. The IQ test I designed shows for her age she is a genius. But she is also a little girl who is discovering the world. You want to know how I did it? How I let you leave the house everyday, knowing that you were too good for those brats and bullies you went to school with? I made myself. Do you know how many times I wanted to tell you to test out of high school, go to college online, not to protect the world from you but you from the world? Almost everyday. Was I scared of accidents happening? That you might accidentally hurt someone? Yes, but as horrible as this is to say, I wasn't as much concerned about the person you might hurt, rather how you would feel about it. You would be devastated. You would run and hide and I knew if you really wanted to I couldn't find you. You and Alex taught me love and anxiety went hand in hand."

"She wants to go trick or treating. Barry brought it up on front of her. He wants her to go. Now if she doesn't get to go, I'm the bad guy."

Eliza sat back and looked at the ceiling, taking a moment before speaking.

"You really think that is what Barry was doing? Setting you up?"

"No. He wants her to go but he wasn't setting me up. He doesn't think about what he says around her sometimes. He isn't with her all day. Thats not his fault, I want him to work but I am the one who is constantly on edge, watching, waiting for something to happen. Today after we closed, Lexie and I were floating in the back yard. I wanted to see if she could begin to get a feel for moving around in the air. She did fine, we had fun and then Barry came into the backyard. She got excited and flew straight for him. No hesitation, not wondering how its done, she just laid her arms out in front and moved. She was so fast, if it had been Oliver, or Alex or Nyssa even, none of them would have been fast enough to get out of her way. Barry healed quickly of course but I heard his sternum break. What would have happened if it had been Alex or Caitlin who walked out?"

"But it wasn't. Something to learn from. From now on when someone stops by they text or call you first for an all clear. That way Lexie won't be overexcited."

"Thats it? I just make up rules as I go along, hoping nothing else pops up?"

"Yep. Thats it Kara. We hope for the best, make it as safe as possible and keep flying with her, let Barry keep running with her. She is very smart and can handle things easily. She will learn faster than you think."

"She has a hard time with shoes."

"Thats what velcro was made for." Eliza countered.

"I don't know what to do Mom. I love her so much… Diana told me I couldn't keep her isolated. That it wouldn't be fair to her. But still I thought… I play with her half the day while Oliver reminds me I should be painting things he could sell and pay his rent. We sing and play and paint and roll around with Charlie. We hike behind the house… I'm not enough though, am I? She is always going to want to be around kids her own age."

"That's part of growing up. Everyone knows you are supermom. No one is more dedicated than you. But yes, no matter how cool the mom is, she is going to want to grow, explore, learn about the world through other's eyes. Remember your senior year, with Alex at college?"

"Yeah… it was strange but kind of cool too. I missed her but we had some great times, right? Watching old movies and eating popcorn. You made me watch every Three Stooges movies and I pretended to like them."

"You liked them."

"Okay, they were hilarious. I admit it. But we had each other. That was enough."

"It wasn't though. You missed Alex, and no matter what, no matter how horribly you had been treated, ignored, picked on by pathetic brats, if one of them had shown the slightest kindness, you would have been over the moon happy. You wanted to be accepted. Those children never would have accepted you. You were beautiful and good and special and maybe they didn't know how or why, but they knew. Barry was picked on in school as well. Special kids are always outcasts because other kids know they aren't and hate them for it. Still, despite the years of mistreatment you wanted to belong, Kara. I saw the hurt in your eyes when we would travel to the beach and your classmates would be playing volleyball and not invite you. I know you, I know your heart and while I wished I could have been enough to make you happy, I wasn't. Everyone, humans metahumans and Kryptonians need love and acceptance by others, by society. Lexie is going to want that."

"So what do I do?"

"Give it to her."

"How? I can't let her go to daycare even for a few hours. I just can't."

"No, but you can be with her in the park and watch her play with other kids, coach her quietly on what to do, keep quietly explaining why she can't run fast or fly. Maybe some of the Central City police officers have kids her age and she could play with them. That ways you can be with her, talking in the open about it. I'm not saying to throw her into a daycare and let her fend for herself. Lexie has your temper, without the restraint that comes with maturity. If a child pushed her she would send that child through a wall. She is a fighter, like her parents and aunts and uncles. She needs to be exposed to other children. She will eventually come to resent you, all of us, for keeping her away and find a way to play with them regardless or you can control the situations. Ease her into it. Look for opportunities. She wants to go trick or treating, take her trick or treating. Its what kids do until they get too cool for it."

"You think it will be okay? You are sure?"

"Kara, what is sure in this life? We do the best we can and hope for the best. Once I was sure I had lost you to space. Then I was sure I had lost you and Alex forever. I thought… I almost let Clark convince me you were dead. There were many nights I was certain I would never see you again. But here we are. Am I certain she won't ever have any accidents? No I am not. No one is. We hope for the best. Its your decision, yours and Barry's of course, but you know he will do what you feel comfortable with. He will tell Lexie he doesn't want her to go and distract her with some other game or event. Maybe take her to the airfield for a run, or the practice grounds and let her play with the neat toys. Its your decision. He wants her to go and I think he is right. What you think matters though. Regardless of whether you want her to or not, it is coming, Kara. One day she will have to be involved with other children. Its part of growing up."

Kara nodded her head then leaned against her mother, who instantly wrapped her arms around her, like she always did.

"She has such a beautiful smile. Her eyes squint, just like yours. She is so beautiful." Eliza said wistfully, more to herself than Kara.

Kara sniffed and wiped her eyes, kissing Eliza on the cheek and walking out, taking to the sky. She landed in her backyard and checked on Barry seeing him asleep in bed, sitting up, probably waiting on her. She was sure he was exhausted, she knew he had worked a homicide at five AM. Lexie was asleep in her little race car bed. Kara hated taking her out of the baby bed but it was obvious she could get out of it at anytime so something closer to the ground was required.

Moving back to the porch, unable to sleep, she sat on her favorite lawn chair and stared at the stars.

"Please don't cry. I don't have to go. I don't want to go if it makes you cry." she heard after a few moments. She was so lost in thought she hadn't realized there were tears on her face or her daughter's approach.

"Hey, what are you doing up, angel?"

"I heard you cryin." Lexie explained, rubbing her eyes.

"How could you hear me… never mind, of course you can. Do you ever hear anything else at night that seems… strange?"

"I hear you and Daddy train sometimes like at the play pen." The play pen was what Lexie called the police bomb disposal range where the Justice League regularly trained.

"Train?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I can hear you both moving a lot and it sounded like you had both been excercisen…"

"Okay thats enough. Yep, training, we do that sometimes before bed. Its important for superheroes."

"Will I train at night someday?"

"Rao, I hope not." Kara admitted. "I wasn't crying, I was just thinking."

"I heard you." Lexie reminded her. "We don't keep secrets when its just us, remember? You and Daddy tell me all the time."

Kara picked her little daughter up and sat her on her lap, Lexie leaning the back of her head on Kara's chest and looking at the stars with her mother.

"Lexie, I want to tell you some things. I didn't think you would be ready this soon, but you are so smart. Too smart for a three year old."

"Three and a half."

"Yes, don't remind me. I want you to stay young forever. You know we are special, that we can do things other people can't and we have to keep that a secret from others, right?"

Lexie nodded her head quickly.

"We can only tell each other secrets."

"Yeah, do you know why?"

"Because I can hurt people? I don't wanna hurt people. I want to be like you and Daddy."

"I know but that isn't why we have to keep it a secret. You see, your special, you have these awesome powers that you are going to use one day to help people. But others don't have that. Kids… kids can be jealous, if they see that you can fly and they can't. Kids can get scared of people like us who are special because they aren't as smart as you. That doesn't mean you are bad or they are bad. They can just be confused. Because of that, we have to keep what we can do a secret. Thats why Mommy and Daddy wear masks. So no one will know who we are."

"But the police know."

"Uh… yeah, but they are good guys. But I need you to understand this, when we put your bracelet on, its not because you are being bad. Its just because we don't want to have any accidents."

"Okay. I'll wear it. I will if you want me too."

"I don't want you too. I never wanted you too. When I came here, I had a lot of accidents at first and it took me a long time to get control of my powers."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I would get mad and my eyes would burn and I would have to run before I hurt someone or I would forget how strong I am…"

"No, no, no Momma. What did you mean when you say you came here? You mean home?"

Kara relaxed a bit, expecting this question one day. Maybe if she could explain it to her at this age she could grow into it.

"You know how Daddy was born on this planet?"

"Earth." Lexie agreed. She knew that word well.

"Yeah, well this is a big secret, the biggest and we can't ever talk about it outside of our big family okay?"

The little girl nodded her head quickly, turning to her side in her mother's lap and taking her in.

"You know the painting of the dark haired woman and blonde haired man over our fireplace?"

"My grandma and grandpa who are in Heaven." she agreed.

"Yeah, they weren't from this planet. They are from another planet. I was born on another planet called Krypton. I am from outer space. Its why I can do the things I can do like flying and being really strong. Its part of why you can do the things you can do."

"Where is it? Krytin?"

"Krypton. Follow my finger." Kara pointed to a small cluster of dim stars next to Orion's belt.

"See those stars?"

"Yeah."

"One of those stars is what we called Rao. It was our sun. But the planet, it blew up Lexie."

"Blew up? Like Unca Cisco blows up stuff?"

"Yeah, kinda like that but bigger."

"Did people get hurt? Is that why grandma and grandpa are in Heaven?"

"Yeah, it is. Everybody got hurt real bad, except me. My Mommy and Daddy put me on a space ship and I landed here. That is when Grandma and Grandpa here, became my parents. Aunt Alex became my sister. I got very, very lucky. But I had to hide what I could do or people would be afraid of me. So I got used to it."

"Were kids mean to you? Because you were special?"

"Sometimes," Kara admitted. "But Aunt Alex always took care of the mean kids for me."

"I don't want to be around other kids if they are mean."

"They aren't. Most of them are really nice and fun to play with I bet. But I… I didn't have a bracelet when I got here. I had a hard time controlling my powers."

"Like my accidents… and when I do sometimes on purpose?"

"Yeah you little stinker. I know you use them on purpose sometimes and there is nothing wrong with that. We are going to work really hard for you to get really good at them. But you have to promise me one thing. Around other kids you can't use them. If you are getting mad or upset you run to Mommy or Daddy and tell us and we can leave before you have any accidents. Do you think you can do that?"

Lexie nodded her head quickly.

"So I can go trick or treating if I wear my bracet?"

"No. I mean yes you can go trick or treating but you aren't going to need your bracelet. If you get scared or upset you let me know and we can use it together until you feel better, but from now on you only use it if you think you are going to need it to keep our secret. I'm going to trust you. You may have accidents now and then and that is going to be okay but we are going to work really hard not to, okay? You are a good girl, such a smart girl, I know you can handle it."

"I promise I will. So… I can go?"

"Yep, and you can be anything you want. You tell me who you want to be and we will make you look just like that person. I promise."

"I want to be you."

Kara took a breath and wiped her eye, then brought Lexie into a tight hug. "Then I bet Uncle Cisco can make you a costume just like mine."

"A cape and mask too?" she asked, getting excited.

"Yep, a cape and mask too. But what can't we do?"

"Use my powers around other people. That's our secret." she told her mom quickly.

"You are so smart."

"I know how Daddy got his powers. Dr. Martin told me."

"What did Dr, Martin tell you?"

"He got hit by lighting and a cloud of dark energy that was released when a fusion actor blew up. I think I have figured out fusion. That is when things blend together right?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Why does Dr. Martin look sad when we play games?"

"Sad? What do you mean?"

"He was playing that game with number and silly signs. I think he wanted to make a string, but I told him I used velcro still cause tying shoes was still kinda hard. But the game looked easy, just follow the dots like the maze books you let me play with. He uses these silly pictures for numbers, but I figured them out. So he had a hard time with the game and I showed him on his chalk board where he was wrong and fixed it for him. He said I figured out something about a string story but I'm not really sure what he meant. He just looked sad."

"You didn't make him sad. You have to remember though that Dr. Martin and Harry like to play the picture games and don't always know the answer so we leave them alone. Its more fun if they figure it out themselves, okay?"

"Okay. I probably shouldn't have reminded him I was three and a half, huh? I told him he would get it one day. What is the string story? It seemed simple but…"

"It's string theory and it is simple… to people like us who are from outer space. Just remember they have to figure it out for themselves, okay? That way is more fun for them. If you want to start learning numbers, I was going to wait until next year but we can start soon."

"So I will be ready to go to school like the kids on TV?"

Kara took a deep breath. "Yeah, so you will be ready. I love you so much my smart little Kryptonian. You would have aced your early lessons and probably been on level ten by now."

"That sounds fun."

"It was boring." Kara assured her. "Playing is more fun, so if you want to have fun playing at the park tomorrow you should probably get some sleep, right? We can eat lunch there and you can play with the other kids after you eat. Maybe you will make a friend."

"Yes! Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight, or are you going to train?"

"We are definitely soundproofing the rooms in the house. Yeah, you can sleep with us."

"Can we run really fast and jump on Daddy since no one is watching?"

"Yeah, we can definitely do that."

A surprised Barry woke up in shock when two blonde haired females landed on him at a very high rate of speed. He had been sitting up, trying to unsuccessfully wait up for Kara. Once Lexie has settled between the two of them she quickly fell asleep, Barry lay on his side, looking at his wife.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that. I'm going to tell her I don't think she is ready to go. She won't blame you, I promise. Sometimes I don't think and I got excited and…"

"She is going. Without her bracelet. She is three and that is younger than I thought we would have this discussion but she is so smart Barry. I'm pretty sure she is the reason String Theory is no longer theoretical. At least to Martin."

Barry dropped his head. "That's why he was crying in his lab. I asked him if he was okay and he kept mumbling something about three and the picture game."

"You have any idea how many times I have had to watch Harry and Martin struggle over something so simple and I wanted to tell them… but it would break their hearts. I explained to her that they like to figure out their own picture games."

"Well, at least he won't cry anymore. So you aren't mad at me?"

"I should be but everyone screws up now and then." she teased him. "But next time we talk about this away from her?"

"Absolutely." Barry promised. He got overexcited when it came to their daughter. He wanted her to experience everything fun he did growing up before his mother died. It was easy to forget that Kara didn't have the greatest experiences because she was always smiling.

A week later, as darkness fell over Central City, Cisco sat at the controls, using the satellite to watch the Justice League princess walk from house to house surrounded by her entourage. Not all were happy with their costumes but Lexie was overjoyed with hers. True to her word, Cisco had made her a complete costume identical to her mother's without the defibrillator and solar panels. The chest piece camera was in place so Caitlin, Winn and Cisco could see everything going on. Caitlin was monitoring Lexie's cells and would tell Kara if she saw any change in her power levels, flare ups or signs the Speedforce may be activated.

"How much did it cost to make her suit, man?" Winn asked. "It has nearly the same tech that Kara's does. What is her cape made from?"

"A special blend of polymer fabric I made for Kara's first suit. I just adjusted the ratio of alloys to make it light weight. She can use it to fly one day, because it should help the squirt control her aerodynamics. As far as cost it didn't cost me a thing. But the whole thing is worth probably twenty thousand. I did the work myself so I got it under seventeen. You are looking at the most expensive, high tech Halloween costume in the history of this world."

"And Kara and Barry paid for this?"

"Nope, they asked for me to make her a costume like Kara's. Nyssa came in after they left, threw a credit card on the table and told me it had better be perfect or else. She agreed to forgo the nano tech. I doubt the kid needs more sun. Man, with Barry's Speedforce already so active in her cells, if she ever came close to having a power outage like Kara used to have, they would just charge back up quickly. This kid can't be stopped. She would burn the effects of Kryptonite before it had the chance to harm her. I think the red sunlight can dull her strength if she wants it to, much later on in life, but even if someone put her in a red sun cuff, she would just phase through it. Winn, the possibilities this girl has, its a very good thing she is such a sweet kid and has those two for parents or her teenage rebellion years could change timelines. I mean that literally."

"Okay, wow…"

"Yes and right now she is a three year old trick or treating for the first time so if you could both shut up I would like to watch this."

While Caitlin had shut down the conversation to enjoy her favorite little girl's first time in costume, her entourage was less than excited.

"I can't believe I have to wear this." Alex grumbled. She wore a Flash costume, very realistic but without the tech. She had lost a bet to Barry, again.

"Shouldn't have bet on the Indians, Alex. I told you this was the Cubs year."

"Stop complaining. At least you aren't dressed like I am." her blonde sister complained.

Kara had lost a bet to Zatanna, and was decked out in a white, button up shirt, a long tuxedo jacket, a black miniskirt and fishnet stockings, complete with stilettos.

"You told me the Cubs never win Alex."

"They weren't supposed to. At least we don't look like Oliver."

Oliver said nothing, taking it in stride. He had not lost a bet, but instead fell victim to Lexie and Kara's eyes, dressed in a costume of green, a Robin Hood hat on his head, with a toy bow and fake arrows on his back.

Barry of course had not lost any bets, causing all to speculate whether he actually ran into the future to find out sports results. Instead he was dressed as Han Solo, complete with fake blaster and the black leather vest. While the group walked from house to house, Lexie saying hi to every kid on the street, some who complemented her outfit as being "so cool", the grandparents were in Eliza's minivan following and taking pictures. Nyssa watched from Alex's motorcycle, insisting they could all be a target clustered as they were and she would watch from a vantage point of cover should defense be needed. Secretly she would not be caught in a costume that did not involve real swords and was enjoying taking pictures of her little niece. She had documented over three hundred photos in an hour while Eliza filmed from the street. Zatanna discreetly followed, wearing a low cut witches outfit that was probably more appropriate for adult Halloween parties and Donna drifted over head high enough to not be seen but close enough that she could see it all. Lexie was being so social, if the little girl had business cards she would have ran out in ten minutes. Luckily the other children responded in kind.

"We are doing good guys. She is relaxed, heart beat and respiratory rate are normal if a bit elevated probably because of excitement. Sugar levels are tolerable but do not let her eat more than one or two more pieces on the street."

"Caitlin relax. Enjoy this. Come out with us." Kara asked again. Charlie popped out of her purse, mask in place along with a red cape Kara found adorable and barked agreement.

"I can see everything from the perfect vantage point my dear. Just making sure everything is perfect. She has seen two werewolves and ten zombies so far and no spikes in heart rate. She is fearless." Caitlin finished with pride.

"Probably because she knows she can kick their butts. She having fun? Any kids need to be dealt with?" Jax asked, walking up with Sara from the gym where they had been working out. Ray had hosted a Halloween kids event at Palmer tech that was still going on. It had been Lexie's warm up visit.

"Nope, kids are good. She is like Kara, hard to resist." Winn admitted.

Lexie's conversations with homeowners had revolved around the phrases trick or treat and thank you. She was good at both. It was the current house she had the most problems, due to a talkative woman in her forties, with a pleasant smile all recognized as fake.

"Aren't you adorable? And who are you supposed to be?"

Lexie frowned. Even at three, everybody knew who her Mommy and Daddy were.

"I'm Mommy." she told the woman quickly then slapped her hand over her mouth. The woman looked at the cast of characters with the girl, including the woman in the inappropriate dress that resembled a Vegas cocktail waitress holding a masked dog.

"Mommy?" she asked, looking at Kara in disapproval.

"Uh, yeah, I tell her I'm Superwoman. She gets a kick out of it."

"So you lie to your child to make yourself seem more exciting. Interesting parental technique. I suppose not everyone believes in telling their children the truth. You look adorable darling. But your mother is not Superwoman. She is a waitress tonight apparently."

Cailtin began to panic.

"Kara her cells are sparking! She is having a power spike."

"So am I." Kara mumbled, keeping a smile plastered on her face.

"Seriously get her out before she fries the woman."

Barry hearing this, picked up his daughter and held her. He could feel the heat growing.

"Lets go to the next house. By, thanks for the candy and stuff."

He quickly, slowly for him, moved Lexie down the street, everyone following.

"Mommy, I didn't like her." Lexie unnecessarily said. "I almost had to ask for the bracet."

"Its okay sweetie. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, why did that woman say you were a waitress? How did she not know who I am. You are a big deal. I shouldn't have said I was dressed like you. That was bad, wasn't it? I won't do it again, I promise."

"Its okay sweetie. I told you accidents will happen sometimes. You did good stopping it. As far as that woman, some people are a bit stand offish. She probably…"

"She was a bit…"

"Alex!" Kara nearly shouted.

"She was." Alex mumbled, shrugging her red covered shoulders. "Can I take this mask off?"

"No." the entire group told her, Lexie included. Superwoman needed her Flash and that was Aunt Alex's job tonight.

"Whoa! Look at that house! The guy on front is dressed like a monster! Lets go there!"

The group continued to move, breathing a sigh of relief that Lexie had calmed, echoed by Caitlin and the rest in the control room. Zatanna considered doing something truly evil to the stuck up lady she considered to be rude to a mother in front of her child. She stopped trying to determine a course of action when Nyssa approached the house.

"Aren't you a little old to be trick or treating. What is your costume supposed to be?" the lady asked, taking in Nyssa's tight blue jeans with her blood red shirt underneath her leather jacket.

"I am dressed as an assassin. It is important we blend in, look like anyone, anywhere, a friend, a neighbor, a beautiful woman who visits you without warning. May I offer some advice? Do not criticize parenting techniques in front of their children. Ever."

"I'm sorry but who do you…"

The woman stopped talking when Nyssa stepped inches from her face.

"I won't say this again. You will listen to me and take my advice or we will meet socially one day, perhaps when you least expect it. We can trade recipes or compare coupons or perhaps bake something together. Doesn't that sound fun? Seeing me when you least expect it? Try to sleep well tonight. All sorts of noises in old houses like this, especially on Halloween. You never know what sort of tricks might be waiting for you while you sleep. Have a pleasant night."

Nyssa walked away, satisfied that she had left the woman shaking.

Even happily married and deeply in love it was good to know she still had it in her to be the most frightening creature in the night, no costume needed.


	58. Chapter 58

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N A shorter chapter than usual but it is the second of this weekend. Under 10K words anyway, barely. A little drama, a little Lexie adventures and the beginning of the finale of this story. Probably two to three chapters left. Thank you all for the continued support. A lot of you have been favoriting the story and following it, over 600 follows and nearly 600 favorites. You guys are the best. I am going to miss this story when it is done but has been a great experience. I hope you join me and give a chance to whatever I decide to write next. It won't be a Kara Barry story. I've done everything I want to with this pairing and though they are my favorite, the future may bring more or different ideas and pairings. I really want to watch the mega crossover and see how they all interact. I also really want to try and pull off my SG story set way before Season one while the current seasons are going on. Okay, the second chapter of the weekend. We should be done in two weeks. Here we go.

Chapter 58

Barry Allen looked at the raging sea from Boston Harbor. The nor'easter sprung up suddenly but was well within the abilities of the Coast Guard to handle the few smaller vessels that could be caught, unable to handle the high seas. But the storm absorbing Hurricane Gina was a surprise no one had expected, that hurricane forming so quickly it was if hell itself threw it into the fray just to see what would happen. What happened was a massive cyclone turning the Atlantic up and down the East coast into a churning watery hell for any vessels caught on the seas, including the Coast Guard cutters and helicopters out to find any ship still floating. The seas were fifty feet high according to Curtis Holt, monitoring the situation via Palmer Tech and S.T.A.R. satellites. While he could move in the water easily, rescuing people off the boats and bringing them to shore would be easy, bringing them in alive, not so much. The Flash had carried people out of burning buildings and train wrecks but to wrap the Speedforce around the person at the speed he would have to travel was touchy. He could very well burn them up from friction or break every bone in their body if he got it wrong sending them all into the ocean. So he trusted his friends and wife to handle the situation on the water while he tried to help those on shore, caught up in rapidly escalating flooding.

"Barry, follow my directions. Turn left and follow the coastline North. There is a village that is being sunk, buildings are collapsing, cars being washed away. Clear as many as you can out. Run and I will let you know when you are there."

Barry did run, finding the location in a few seconds, in time to empty an emergency shelter before the roof caved in. He was not moving as fast as he could but could not risk the people, especially panicking children, breaking their necks. He had moved forty four people out of the building ten miles inland with three seconds to spare before the structure collapsed.

"Cars are about to be washed away on the Interstate bridge. Sixteen cars and one bus. Take the street in front of you five miles and follow the sign to the right, you will be there." Curtis further instructed, Barry taking off as ordered.

In the Atlantic, the Coast Guard Cutter Salvation had arrived at the location of a distress call. A private yacht, much too small to handle the waves and wind, was floundering and without control. The sailor on the deck shined his spotlight, even in the daylight the dark clouds made it difficult to see, searching for signs of life on the yacht. He saw one woman, holding onto a side rail, life jacket on but in danger of getting pulled under with the boat. A rescue diver dropped from above, fighting the high waves, trying to swim through them and over them just to get to the single person near death.

The diver had almost made it, when the boat tipped over, taking both of them down. Lost in the darkness, neither swimmer or victim knew up from down, just the feel of being engulfed by cold, inescapable water. Both reached out for anything and both though they were hallucinating when they felt hands wrap around their wrists and were pulled up. When the swimmer opened his eyes, he didn't notice the towering waves which were now below him, only the dark form of a winged woman. A winged man was next to her holding the victim by her arm. Soon both were in the chopper, the pilot and co pilot struck silent at the close encounter with the now famous Hawkman and Hawkwoman.

My girl! My daughter and husband were washed away! I couldn't hold her! She slipped away! Please, please find her!"

"Kara?" Kendra called over the com.

"I'm looking…"

Kara scanned the waters below, using her X ray vision to try and see under the surface. She located a floating form, human but too small to be a man and dove, hitting the surface of the water and continuing down twenty feet. The limp body bobbed and twisted but she finally powered through, cradling the body and moving up. Landing on the Cutter, she ran the girl inside as medics began working to save her life.

Kara ran onto the deck and looked once again at the sea.

"Donna! A half mile behind you, there is a hand reaching up. No, its under… back up!"

"I see him." the Amazon confirmed, her lasso reaching out, wrapping around the husband's wrist and jerking him up out of the sea. Pulling him up, she deposited him in the chopper with his wife.

"Your daughter is on the Coast Guard ship. She is safe." Donna hoped. "Was anyone else in the boat?"

"No… she is safe? You know?"

"I know she is there." Donna admitted.

"We are heading in now. Strap up, its going to be a rough landing. Thank you Wonder Girl." the pilot told her sincerely.

"Please don't call me that." Donna mumbled.

"Thank you? Didn't we just pull up one of their own and the wife?" Carter asked, annoyed.

"Kara pulled the little girl from very deep. She may not be alive. Can we focus on whats important?" Donna asked him, causing Carter to grimace. His brand of levity was not needed right now.

"Yeah, I guess that is… we need to follow the chopper, make sure they land. You can get to the Cutter. Kendra and I are strong enough to hold it up the bird if it has problems."

Donna flew, landing next to Kara on the deck, while she looked out over the sea, looking for signs of life.

"Is the girl…"

"Working on her now. She coughed water up twenty seconds ago. The cold temperature may have saved her life. Why the hell were they out here? Wait… yeah I hear her… her heart is beating. The medics did good."

"I don't think we can do much more here. Do you want to check on her?"

"I want to go to my daughter and hug her for hours. Let me see if her lungs are cleared and we can fly. Ray? Where are you?"

"Northeast quadrant, near Canada. I'm seeking out heat signatures and humanoid objects or boats. None found so far."

"Suit is holding up?"

"I told you I waterproofed it, Kara. Why do you doubt me?"

Kara ignored the question and went back into the cabin, where she was happy to see the little girl, pale but her skin gaining color, awake. Checking her lungs with her vision she told the medic the girl had a small amount of water still in her lungs that could cause problems if they didn't suction. With thanks, she walked out with Donna at her side as the helicopter landed. Taking off into the sky, she had to dip back down when Kendra was knocked over by a wave and lift her teammate up. It was difficult for the Hawks to navigate the winds but neither would stay behind.

"Kara, the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton is taking on water. They got hit by a rogue wave from reports. They were responding to a commercial vessel sinking. Head south, sixty two miles and make it quick." Winn instructed.

Donna and Kara took off, Kendra and Carter following as fast as they could. Arriving five minutes later, Donna saw the Cutter tipping over. Diving in the water, she hit the side and straightened the boat, holding strong while a wave crashed on top of her and the vessel she was propping up. Kara had seen that the fishing vessel in distress was also tipping until a wave completely capsized the vessel, sending it under.

"Damn it. I've got the fishing vessel. Donna, you okay?"

"I can hold it upright for only so long."

Ray flew in, scanning the ship for the cause of the listing. Seeing one of the bulkheads had cracked in a hull breach, he flew in close.

"Carter, where are you?"

"Right here above you. What do you need, Ray?"

"I need you to use that big mace of yours and bust a hole in this ship right in front of me."

"You want me to put a hole in a sinking ship?"

"I need to blast through the bulkhead so it can drain, weld it back together, weld the hole you… would you just hit the damn boat?"

Carter did as instructed, while Kendra hovered above the spot Kara and the fishing vessel had gone under. She was beginning to get worried, especially for Kara, not knowing how long the woman could hold her breath.

Underneath the sea, the four fishermen who hadn't washed overboard were in the mess hall of the sinking ship, knowing the end had come. The room was upside down of course so they stood on the ceiling heads above the rapidly rising water as long as possible before there was no air left and the inevitable happened. There thoughts were everywhere, visions of their families, their childhood, the friends and lovers, ex wives, children. The lights had flickered out minutes ago and all felt the freezing water cover their mouthes and were sure this was the end.

Until the water began receding. They could feel the ship rising, the entire vessel groaning, metal under stress but holding.

Those on the Coast Guard Cutter who had ran to the deck watching Wonder Girl hold the ship while Ray and Carter repaired the damaged side looked towards the sound of groaning metal, thinking a fishing vessel would be thrown into them by waves. Instead they saw a sight none would forget for the rest of their lives.

Rising from the sea, was the huge capsized vessel being held by middle deck by a woman in dark blue, her hair slick from the wind and rain, cape flowing behind her, oblivious to the wind and waves that crashed around her, not moving her a bit. She continued to slowly rise above the waves.

"There is too much damage. The crew is safe, the water drained but I can't right the ship in the water. The hull has been breached in three places and the main struts are snapped. I'm going to have to fly it inland. Winn how many crew does a sword fish vessel normally have?"

"Six to eight Kara." he answered.

"I've got four."

"Go, we will do our best to find them." Kendra told her.

"Be careful. If the CoastGuard ship is sea worthy we can continue the search. Barry how is the mainland doing? she asked.

"Busy. Flooding is getting worse but Zatanna is reenforcing levies as fast as she can teleport. I'm near Cape Cod working it now, evacuating people then heading towards Florida and back. Zatanna, I will let you know where I could use you the most. Can you handle it? I don't want you teleporting and not being able to get out."

"I'm in great shape. Tell me where I am needed and I will be there."

Kara flew slowly, her grip tenuous at best, her fingers curled into the top of the metal deck, not the best place to be, considering the empty open spaced freezer underneath her making it difficult to not break the ship in half under stress. Fighting the wind wasn't easy and she often had to readjust her grip due to the metal tearing away from her hands. This would have been much easier with the boat upright but easy wasn't something she was used to in situations like this and didn't expect it now. The men inside were injured but alive, moving around, most likely scared to death by the groaning metal as the wind swayed the vessel in her small hands.

Landing the giant fishing boat tenth miles inland on a high school football field in a small Massacusetts village, she was glad to see Winn had alerted the fire department who were close. She slowly and as gently as possible turned the boat over, placing it on its side. As the Firemen pulled into the open field, in awe at seeing the small blonde up close for the first time, and at the incredible sight of a huge boat in the high school field. She moved quickly to the Captain.

"Any other ships we have to pull out, I am going to bring them here. Can your men handle it?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"If we can rescue the people and leave the ships behind we will but I may need this spot for more than two You are going to need welders. There are four men inside the mess hall towards the back. They are all injured but none life threatening. I'm pretty certain I got them out before the water completely covered them. I have to go."

The men stood still, mouths gaping, seeing Superwoman shoot up into he sky with such force a sonic boom could be heard, even over the thunder.

As the rescue operations continued, the flight crew of the Justice League, working in conjunction with the Coast Guard and the Flash and Zatanna working with fire departments and EMS up and down the East Coast saved lives into the night. The news showed scenes of Wonder Girl and Superwoman landing three more ships in the previous football field and one at a high school field in Florida. The one that Kara would never forget was the one that got away. She had gone to the reported distress call and found the ship immediately, one hundred feet deep in two pieces. A dive and even in the darkness she saw all she had to see. She would come back to recover the bodies but bodies were all they were, faces frozen in fear, eyes wide open. The blonde hero shut down her emotions, as Oliver and Nyssa had taught her in situations like this, and focused. She would remember later but right now others were still alive and needed her if they were going to stay alive.

While rescue operations were being conducted into the night by very tired superhero's and emergency workers, Central City PD had found itself in a gang shootout, attempting to take down an arms deal between an internationally wanted smuggler and the Crips, only to be caught in the crossfire when the Wa Ching attacked, attempting to steal the guns on their own.

Joe had called for back up from every on duty and off duty officer but knew Alex and Nyssa had plans, not knowing if the two were even in the city. With Barry, Kara, Zatanna, Ray and Donna on the East Coast, for all he knew he was alone.

The police were pinned down behind their cars on one side, the smugglers firing at the Wa Ching from the other and a giant van full of arms and ammunition being the cover for both. Joe looked up, hoping to take a shot and saw a man aim a gun at him, then fall to the ground, the dark form of the Valkyrie behind him. An arrow hit the van and exploded setting off a chain reaction, rounds and ammo flying everywhere.

Oliver slid down from a nearby buildings roof and began firing, shooting anything that moved then engaged in hand to hand combat before the untrained thugs had time to aim. Alex turned her gloves to full power, taking out each man with a single blow, shattering four jaws in her race towards the center.

Rather than grabbing her gun, she used her bow, firing arrows into the cars planning on leaving, taking out the tires. The screams of men who's knee tendons were cut filled the air, Nyssa moving low, slicing the bones with ease.

One of the smuggler's men had grabbed an unexploded grenade but before he could throw towards the police line a sonic scream brought him to his knees, dropping the grenade, the pin out. Sara landed on his back, pinning him to the ground on top of the explosive and used the momentum of his body being lifted by the blast to jump into the group Oliver was attacking, swinging her staff.

Seeing the four heroes in the middle of a fire fight, explosions still going off due to burning ammo, the SWAT team and police rushed the scene. A Russian thug stepped out of a dark dumpster corner, rocket launcher in hand and all the combatants in one place. Knowing the cause was lost, he planned to fire an RPG into the group, causing mass casualties and an opportunity for him to escape in the chaos. No one saw him pull the trigger and he never saw the blast that caused the rocket to explode the second it left the launcher, sending him flying back, face on fire, shrapnel buried in his chest.

Cisco in a long black coat, metal gloves and a black visor walked where the thug lay, keeping his arm extended. Vibe had been told to stay back, lacking enough training in street fighting according to Oliver but he was back up and a rocket launcher seemed like a good time to provide support.

The scene quieted, only the moans of the wounded and burned men rolling on the ground, while Central City PD began handcuffing the gang members and foreign weapons dealers.

"Thanks, but we had that." Singh told Alex and Queen, walking up beside them.

"Uh huh." Oliver agreed.

"Yeah, we were just about to make our move."

"I've heard that from Barry before. Your men should have taken into account that a rival gang could intercept. If you had arrived sooner and engaged, you would have been directly in the crossfire with no cover."

"Yeah, he has a point, Cap." The SWAT commander admitted. By this point all had gotten used to Oliver's criticism.

"Hey you guys want to grab some dinner after this?" Jamie, the Green Arrow's biggest fan, asked.

"This is usually the part where I fire an arrow into a building and go away." Queen told them.

"Yeah but… there isn't really a point is there? Not that it doesn't look cool."

"I agree." Joe admitted. "You know I haven't always agreed with your methods but the swinging away thing does look pretty cool. I don't suppose you told those guys they failed this city while Alex stumbled over reading them their rights, did you?"

"Joe, did you just make a joke?" Oliver asked, amused.

"It would have been a lot funnier if you ever let me use that modulator."

"Then he wouldn't feel as intimidating. We can't have the Green Arrow sound any less scary." Nyssa told them, walking up silently. Joe took in Queen, hood covering his face so not even the mask covering his eyes could be seen, Valkyrie in her robo helmet, body armor, guns, metal sticks and bow and quiver on her back, and Sara, wearing her black outfit tonight, checking on her Dad and laughing, staff still gripped in her hands. He admitted they all made an intimidating bunch you would not want to see in the dark anywhere. But something about Nyssa's beautiful, exotic face covered by a small hood, a black scarf covering her lower face and a black long coat over tight black and blood red leather underneath intimidated him the most. She was the only one of the three around him who was smiling, as if she were out for a nightly walk. Alex and Queen still scanned the rooftops, looking for surprises. Sara checked on Cisco who wouldn't stop smiling but it was Nyssa who seemed completely relaxed, even if the katana in her head was covered in blood.

"You are one scary woman. I like that. Don't even need a voice modulator or anything. Have you ever told anyone they failed a city?" Joe asked, grinning.

"I prefer to strike first and talk to unconscious or dead bodies later if I must. I don't have the flair for dramatics that my green friend does."

"I…" Oliver switched off the modulator and took a deep breath "… I do not have a flair for dramatics. I just… I like to scare people. It gives me a psychological edge over them."

"And putting an arrow into their eye before they realize you are there gives you a physical edge over them. We need to get back. I want to see the rescue operations and Barry isn't here to do Alex's paperwork. Our friends have been going well, but the damage is catastrophic. One of my private companies sponsors a relief and emergency response team for natural disasters. I need to contact the COO and make sure he has made travel arrangements and began procuring rations."

"You… are the only woman who can talk about saving lives by feeding and providing medical treatment for disaster victims and putting an arrow in someone's eye in the same conversation and not make it weird." Joe told her, shaking his head and walking off.

Once the scene was cleaned, the four members of the JLA vigilante squad headed back to S.T.A.R. to drink and watch their teammates in action. Caitlin had been keeping track of everyone but her worry was soon gone. She had been closely watching Kara all day. Her best friend was obviously tired even for her stamina but her cells never once lost power. She had dove into water all day, staying submerged for five minutes once without breathing and lifted large vessels, flew them to safety, then flew back at speeds approaching Mach 6. She had never been faster and her cells had never been more powerful, only showing minor power fluctuations that quickly revived themselves almost imitating Barry's restorative powers. While Lexie may have made Kara weaker during pregnancy, she made her much stronger after pregnancy.

Barry also continued moving faster throughout the day. He had started slowly for him, carrying people to safety but sped up as the day moved on. Caitlin wondered if he even realized he was wrapping people in his aura, none feeling any discomfort at being handled at unimaginable speeds for a human body to take. Zatanna needed frequent breaks but her powers were holding stronger than ever and Caitlin suspected this had a lot to do with Sara and Oliver's workouts she was put through.

Jax began complaining the minute the group walked in.

"You said I couldn't go because I would just blow things up. Did I not just see an exploding arrow fly into a van full of exploding ammo? I could have done that, Oliver. I'm getting tired of being sidelined."

Oliver stepped close to the young man who while not merged with Martin was still impressively built and not intimidated.

Oliver leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"You weren't sidelined. Everyone was out and you are the most powerful person in Central City when Kara and Barry aren't here. If someone tried to take or attack Lexie, it is best if it is you protecting her. Cisco still isn't precise with his blasts. I wanted you to take care of her. Thats not me sidelining you, that is me counting on and trusting you with the most important person under four foot tall in my life. Since I am her sworn protector I guess that kind of makes her the most important person in my life. Do you think I would leave her with just anybody, Jax?"

"Nah man." Jax admitted, not having thought of who was still here and realizing if anybody got stupid ideas about attacking the JL headquarters he and Martin were the only defense. "I got you."

Oliver patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you. You are a good man and friend. Never think I want you out of battles. I just want you where you could do the most good and that was here. I appreciate it."

Oliver walked towards the locker room before Lexie found him. She had seen him in his uniform before and didn't seem to mind but he did. Oliver was a different person in his mind when he wore the hood and that wasn't the person he wanted his Goddaughter to see.

Jax shook his head once the Arrow had left. Oliver Queen was the only person he ever knew who could be a jerk and a good guy at the same time. Barry called it his gift. He and Martin may be two people sharing one body as Firestorm, but Oliver was also two people sharing the same body and he doubted Oliver could tell the difference anymore as to which was which.

An awake Lexie, dragged herself out of her bed at Grandma's the next morning, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She had stayed up too late, especially considering she was only a month away from being four years old, an adult in her mind, watching news footage of her Mommy and Daddy saving lives all day and night.

"Momma still swimmin… swimming?" she asked her grandmother followed by a big yawn. Eliza and Jeremiah were camped out on the couch watching CNN coverage. The storm had passed but the destruction was wide spread. Despite Barry's speed, he couldn't be everywhere and hundreds were dead or trapped under debris and rubble on land. All the heroes who had assisted were on the ground now. Barry had been working with fire departments in various cities all morning, using his hands as buzz saws at areas directed by the rescue teams, Kara had been using her X ray vision and strength to save people from toppled buildings, as had Donna, Ray and Kendra, lifting large struts, damaged sections of bridges and helping people caught in wrecked cars. The heroics of the night, well documented by news agencies had given way to simpler acts. They were no longer heroes saving people from danger at the moment, simply aide workers doing the best they can with rescue operations and body recoveries.

Kara had gone to three areas in the ocean she remembered in the night, with body bags, diving down and pulling each victim up before the sea claimed them. While dead, their families would at least not have to visit empty graves. Ray shrunk often in other cities, finding his way through debris to search for trapped victims, only stopping once to make a minor repair to a power cell. Jaw and Martin had flown in the morning, separating and helping to prepare shelters and assist the injured seeking medical treatment.

"No, she is done swimming, but her and Daddy are helping clean up the mess."

"I can help. I'm strong now."

It was true that in the past months, since Kara and Barry, along with Caitlin, Eliza and Alex, began working with Lexie on controlling her powers, she had grown stronger and her skin was impenetrable the majority of the time now. Caitlin also pointed out that for a three going on four year old, Lexie never was sick. No colds, no upset stomachs, not even gas. She ate twice what a child her age should eat and never gained a pound, still remaining thin.

"I know sweetie but you aren't strong enough for this yet. This is something you don't need to see."

"You are watching." Lexie reminded her.

"Yes, but what we see on the news isn't what is really there. Not what your Mommy and Daddy are seeing. A lot of people are hurt and one day you can help them but we have to keep working, right?"

"Can I have a boat to practice holdin up?"

"Holding. Do we need to have another discussion about using G at the end of words?"

"No. I want eggs and pancakes."

"Of course. Let me fix them and we can all go to S.T.A.R. Grandpa and I have some work to do and you can play."

"Awesome! I love big circle."

"S.T.A.R."

"A star is where Mommy is from. The big circle is where Daddy runs around and Unca… Uncle Cisco watches TV."

Eliza sighed while Jeremiah silently laughed, not wanting to argue the point. Charlie came in, seeing Lexie and jumped into her arms. While he used to run when she didn't wear her bracelet, they had come to an agreement that Lexie would not run with him like Mommy did.

Dressed in her favorite pink jeans and Hello Kitty white t shirt, Lexie entered the big circle. Winn and Caitlin had apparently gone to there apartment, exhausted from being up all night, not having superhuman strength like their friends. According to Grandma, Aunt Alex, Grandpa Henry and Aunt Nyssa had taken a helicopter to Boston where several shelters had been set up to assist. Cailtin offered to go as well but the three seeing how exhausted she was denied her travel, insisting that she sleep and monitor the heroes vitals who were there, in other words watch over Lexie if she got sick or had anything unusual happen. Only Cisco and Oliver stayed behind with Eliza, Harry and Jeremiah in the lab for security. Curtis had also gone home after a night of directing efforts with Winn until their eyes could no longer see the monitors clearly.

Lexie got bored watching Grandpa and Grandma look into microscopes and began to wander the halls of S.T.A.R. as she often did. Unca… Uncle Oliver was beating up his piece of wood and she didn't want to bother him. He never would tell her what the hunk of wood did to him but she guessed it must have been something bad. Next he was probably going to use the air ladder and that was boring too.

She moved on, walking into the mannequin room. The mannequins were empty now, except for Uncle Cisco's and Uncle Oliver's. Then she saw it.

Aunt Alex had left her suit behind. Taking a look around, seeing no one, she squinted her eyes and looked through the walls. Lexie had figured out that when she wanted to, she could see through anything, except the metal Mommy and Daddy had put in the walls around their room for some reason. She supposed the training must be secret. No one had noticed her, Uncle Cisco was playin video games and probably wouldn't let her play since she crushed his controller last time. She was clear.

Moving to Aunt Alex's mannequin, she checked it out carefully, even levitating a bit since no one was looking and taking in the helmet. It was so neat. The black visor could do lots of neat tricks but she could not figure out how to get it off the mannequin. There was a small button on the side that she almost missed. Pushing it, she nearly shot into the wall, surprised to see it fold in on itself into a metal circle.

Lexie took another look around and floated back to the mannequin, lifting the ring off and landing softly with it. It slipped over her head easily, but she was disappointed that it was still a ring and wondered if she had broken it. That would not be good. It would be a long, long time out.

The little girl found the small button on the side and pressed it again, hoping to undo the damage.

"Whoa!" she yelled as the helmet emerged and wrapped around her head. The chin piece didn't quite touch her chin and it felt wobbly. Aunt Alex must have a big head. The display came on and Lexie giggled. The world was dark but there were red moving objects she recognized as people all over the place.

"Cool…"

The little hero began running, hitting a wall once and falling on her butt, but standing quickly. Even though she wasn't listening hard, she could still hear all kinds of things, like Uncle Cisco's game and Uncle Oliver playing with his ladder again. Grandma and Grandpa were talking about

some sort of batera, no bacteria, which was sooo boring.

"Speedster room." she realized, running down the halls avoiding the red spots. She could get to the Speedster room and no one would see her in the helmet. Using her fingers for imaginary guns she crawled and jumped, shooting make believe bad guys. Hearing a noise behind her she jumped forward, rolling onto her back and pointing her finger guns.

"Lexie, what are you doing?" Uncle Oliver asked, bending down and lifting the visor.

"Finding bad guys." she explained, as if it should be obvious.

"Who said you could play with Aunt Alex's helmet?"

"Nobody said I couldn't." Lexie fairly pointed out.

Oliver helped her up and flipped the visor back down.

"Say default visions."

"Default vision?" like magic, the helmet's vision was no longer covered in darkness and red objects.

"Why are you pretending to have guns?"

"To shoot bad guys."

"We don't shoot bad guys. We arrest bad guys. Even Aunt Alex uses a bow mostly now. Do you know why?"

"Because we are only allowed to hurt bad guys with sticks and swords and arrows?"

"No… I mean…"

"Grandpa Joe says you shoot too many people with arrows. He didn't think I could hear but he was talking to Grandpa…"

"Okay, lets forget about Grandpa Joe for a minute. A gun does not require discipline. Anybody can use a gun. Don't pretend to play with guns. They aren't safe."

"Can I play with Sara's staff?"

"No, Sara has it."

"What about the screaming toy she has that really, really hurts people?"

"No, that isn't a toy. The helmet isn't either but since Aunt Alex isn't around… I don't suppose it would hurt. Do you want to play with a little bow I made for you?"

"No. I want to fight bad guys."

"Okay, lets go into the training room and practice hand to hand combat on the training dummy."

"You mean the big piece of wood you don't like?" she asked, trying to figure out who the dummy in the room was. Harry called Uncle Cisco a dummy a lot. He said other words Lexie found out she wasn't able to say but lately he was just using dummy.

"Yeah, the big piece of wood. You want to take the helmet off?"

"Nope." she answered quickly. Oliver sighed but figured Alex would never know.

"Fine." he lifted Valkyrie Jr in his arms and walked the girl to the red sun room, leaving the lamps off. Oliver demonstrated a simple technique using hands and elbows on the extensions.

"So its like the clapping game me and Momma do, only we do it a lot faster? When is Momma and Daddy coming home? I miss them. Charlie is in a mood today. Thats what Momma says when she is gone and he doesn't want to play. He spends most of the time pouting. I said my Gs."

"Mommy and Daddy will be home tonight or tomorrow."

"Who said they could be gone that long?" Lexie asked immediately, not liking that answer.

"They are helping save other little kids, like you will one day. Now can you copy what I just did?"

Lexie nodded her head solemnly, the helmet swinging up and down. She followed Oliver's actions perfectly. He showed her another set and she repeated this to his satisfaction. Lexie began enjoying this and seeing why Uncle Oliver liked hitting the wood. She repeated the motion over and over again, even when Uncle Oliver told her to stop.

Oliver stood by and watched the little girl's arms turn into a blur, knocking off the extensions at high speed.

"Lexie stop, you are breaking it…"

His warning was cut off when a giggling Lexie struck out at the main body, cracking it in two and sending it flying into a wall.

"Oops. I think I broke your wood."

"It's… it's fine. I can get a new one. Why don't we take it easy for the day? I think Uncle Cisco is playing games instead of getting better at using his powers. You have more dedication than he does. Why don't you go ask if he wants to play with you while I… clean up the splinters."

"Okay!"

"And leave the helmet."

Lexie tried to pout, but the power of her puppy dogs eyes was lost behind the visor. Oliver retracted the helmet and slipped it off her neck. Defeated she began the trek to Uncle Cisco. Before she got there, she saw Harry in his workshop. Harry had the neatest toys but today he was playin the number game.

"Watcha doin?" the little blonde asked.

"Oh, hi Lexie. I'm working on an equation. Supposedly one that is unsolvable. I don't believe in that though. Never let anyone tell you there is no answer. There is always an answer. You just have to be smart enough and stubborn enough to find it."

"How come you aren't with Anna?"

"Zatanna is helping people with her unnatural powers. I do not have or want unnatural powers so I am here."

"But Aunt Alex and Syssa doesn't have magic either and is there. Dr. Martin is there. Do you think him and Jax are together like on fire or just helpin?"

"Because…I'm… busy."

"You and Anna train together. Shouldn't you be with her?"

"They… wait, what do you mean, Zatanna and I train?"

"You train like Momma and Daddy. I heard you when I came over with Daddy last week, or month. I'm not great at remembering time. You were both breathing hard like when Mommy and Daddy train and both of you said some bad words Daddy said I couldn't say. If you train with her, why aren't you with her?"

Harry froze, wondering why Kara had neglected to mention super hearing with her ever emerging powers.

"Lexie, Zatanna and I would like to keep it a secret. Can we do that?"

"Momma says we are all family and we don't have to keep secrets from family. I should never keep secrets from Momma and Daddy. Besides Daddy and Momma know you train a lot. Daddy told me he knew when he ran me out of the lab."

"Of course he does." Harry sighed. "Still if you don't want to keep it a secret, lets just not talk about it, okay?"

"Whatever. Can I watch you play the number game? Mommy taught me how to read last week I think and numbers too."

"She taught you to read in a week?"

"It seemed simple enough. I don't like Q's. Momma said they are married to U's but I don't see why they can't leave each other sometimes. Daddy and Momma and me go to work at different places. She also taught me numbers. I can add and subtract."

"Fine… yeah, you can watch."

Harry went back to his board looking over one of the great unsolved physics theories in history, the theory of entropy or arrow of time as it was nicknamed.

Lexie sat, watching the poor man struggle, thinking maybe Mommy should teach him numbers.

"Oh close!" Lexie encouraged. Harry was really smart when he tried. "You are getting warmer."

Harry ignored the little girl as best he could, focusing on the problem at hand.

"Nope, colder… colder… freezing…"

"Enough!" the frustrated man snapped. Lexie's eyes widened.

"I was just trying to help. Momma says I can't give you the answer so I was trying to give you hints."

"Really? Martin says you proved String Theory but I find that hard to believe. What do you really know about Quantum physics?"

"I read a book about it. I saw it after I learned letters in Dr. Martin's room. It was big. It took me a whole ten minutes to read. There were a lot of Q's." Quantum. There is that U again. It just won't leave Q alone. I'll be quiet, no more hints, I promise."

"Thank you." Harry turned back, splitting off a separate equation separating the low entropy of the universe in the past and a reevaluation of the second law of thermodynamics. He had written for two seconds when he heard the sigh behind him. Turning he saw Lexie shaking her head.

"Sorry."

"Why don't you try and figure it out? Since you know so much about mathematics and physics? You don't even have to use a U if you don't want to. I won't even make you sound out G's like your grandmother insists." he told her, trying not to become annoyed at a four year old.

"Are you sure? Momma told me not to and if she finds out I won't be able to paint when she comes back. She also makes me sit and stay quiet for five minutes. It isn't fun. I also can't float for a whole day. She can be stricter than Grandma and Grandma is strict. If I do something naughty she makes me sit and listen to what Aunt Alex calls a boron lecture. Aunt Alex is teaching me to tune it out. Thats what she calls it. Tunin it out. Isn't that funny?"

"I promise I won't say anything and you won't ruin my fun. Give it a shot. We can start with simple division if you like."

Lexie hopped off the table, taking the marker from Harry and floated up, even with the board. She erased the second equation.

"Your problem is you are treating BP vari…variashions…"

"CP."

"Thats what I said. Anyhow you are treating variations like they are a separate arrow of time. Uncle Oliver says arrows are precious weapons."

"Precision."

"Thats what I said. They are a product of the second rule… no law,,, separate law of Thermodynamics not a separate arrow. There are obvious exceptions to the principle of causality because you know Daddy has proved their isn't only one possible past. If BP violations observed in weak force decays, it explains why the universe had a low entropy right after the big boom. Do you know what the big boom is?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay taking into account, thats a fancy word isn't it? In account, if you follow this path, it logically, I like that word, gives time a direction that is straight, setting the present distinctly separate from the past, and can change, which has a direct effect on the consciousness. Thats why Uncle Cisco can see past timelines that didn't happen. There isn't two arrows like you think, just one. Now l'll draw it out for you. You want me to use big letters or little?"

"Bi…big." Harry stuttered. He watched the the little girl, nearly four years old, destroy all beliefs regarding causality and explain the low entropy of time after the Big Boom… Big Bang.

"Okay, there you are? Need me to explain it or do you have this?"

"I… why don't you go play with dolls or something?"

"I'll go find Charlie. He needs cheering up when Momma is gone for a while. I'm learning Kryptonese next week. Do you want to learn with me? We can have a spelling bee after we are done? Did you know Kryptonese has 42 letters and not 26 like English? It should be fun! More letters to learn!"

Lexie began walking away to find Uncle Cisco until Harry said her name.

"Yeah?"

"Your shoes are on the wrong feet."

Lexie dropped her head. She tried to dress herself but supposed Grandma was too tired to notice.

"Shoes are hard." she admitted. "Have fun with the picture game and if you need anymore hints let me know!"

With a big wave, Lexie was gone, doing her best to move slow like normal kids. This was important. If she did it in private it would be easier around other people is what Momma told her.

Uncle Cisco was sitting in a recliner in his workshop though it seemed more like a game room to Lexie.

"Hey squirt. Good to see you."

"Hi. Can I play?"

"Nope. Your Dad said this game is too violent for you. You can watch though. He just said you couldn't play it."

"Cooool. Are those Zombies?"

"They were. Hey you think you could do me a favor?"

"Sure!"

"My coffee is a little cold and I don't feel like getting a refill. Think you can give it a quick zap?"

Lexie stilled, remembering she wasn't supposed to burn her eyes unless Mommy was around.

"I can't. Mommy isn't around. Grandma said no hot eyes when Mommy isn't around."

"Barry said you were getting pretty good at controlling the temperature."

"Yeah…"

"But if you can't do it, no problem. I suppose I can walk all the way to the control room. I wish your Mom was here. She could do it but I understand. Its just a little heat but you are right, you shouldn't try it. Maybe one day you will be up to her level."

"I can do it! I'm just not supposed to!"

"Nobody is going to know. Come on, show Uncle Cisco what you can do." Cisco handed the cup to her with a smile. The kid just needed confidence and he would give it to her. She just had to hold back a little. She hadn't shown any real heat since she attacked Wonder Woman at three months old.

Lexie took the cup frowning and then looked around, using her X ray vision. Uncle Oliver was upside down, doing his stomach things, Grandma and Grandpa were excited about something in that microscope and Harry was beating his head on his desk. She seemed clear.

Lexie squinted, thinking about the power building up in her eyes and she could feel it. All she had to do was hold back a little and it wouldn't be too hot. She focused on the coffee and felt it, small beams while her vision turned red. Hot eyes was fun.

Lexie got overexcited at her success and the coffee began boiling. The mug cracked and exploded, causing Cisco to jump away from the scalding beverage and glass pieces, while Lexie stopped her heat vision, surprised. She took a look at herself and screamed.

Eliza, Jeremiah and Oliver heard her scream and subsequent crying. All three rushed towards Cisco's lab, seeing shattered glass and Lexie covered in what was obviously coffee. Cisco lay on the floor with wide eyes.

"What happened!?" Eliza asked, panicking while Oliver and Jeremiah looked for threats.

Lexie pointed to Cisco.

"His fault! I didn't wanna! His fault, his fault his fault!"

"Are you burned?" she asked, trying to be calm while Jeremiah and Oliver glared at the man on the ground.

"No, I'm not burned. I'm in trouble and have to have a lecture and can't paint and timeouts and my Hello Kitty shirt is ruined! I love this shirt! All because Unca Cisco can't get his own coffee!"

"Calm down baby. No lectures, I swear, for you anyway." she finished and then joined the two men glaring at Vibe.

"My bad? Yeah, totally my bad. I just thought she could use some practice."

"My Hello Kitty shirt is ruined!" Lexie shouted at the man.

"I'm sorry…"

"Your fault!"

Further berating was stopped when an alarm that had not been heard in a very long time was set off. Harry ran in, some sort of gun in hand.

"Breach, where is it?" he asked, Cisco scrambled to his monitor.

"Pipeline. Oliver?" Vibe asked.

"Harry take that gun and get Eliza, Lexie and Jeremiah out of this lab. Keep a com in. Cisco suit up quick. Lexie you do not come back into this lab util your grandparents say it is okay, no matter what, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." she responded quickly, letting Jeremiah pick her up and the four running, Harry behind them covering any attacks from the back. Lexie recognized Oliver's serious voice as well as Nyssa and Alex's.

Oliver moved to the pipeline not bothering to suit up, only grabbing a quiver and bow. He ran the circle a half mile and saw it.

"What the hell?"

On the East Coast, Kara and Barry continued to work, now in Rhode Island where high winds had flattened several buildings. Ray had just exited from a Jr High cafeteria where eleven people had sought refuge before the ceiling crashed.

Regaining full size, his usual trademark smile was gone. It had left his face after the first dead body he saw the day before.

"There are four alive but injured. Seven are dead. If I cut the metal I could cause more debris to fall and kill some of the remaining four." he told Barry, Kara and the Fire Department Chief.

"You are saying we can't get those who are alive out without killing some or all of them?" the Chief asked.

"No, there is a solid beam in the middle. It landed on one of the men and his leg is pinned. It could be crushed. If we move it there is a chance he can survive unless it is a crush injury. If your men can gently walk towards the middle and clear a hole, Superwoman can slip in and lift the beam. Its long enough that she should be able to hold the remaining debris up for a few seconds. Time enough for Flash to get in and get out with the four. All have broken bones Flash but no neck injuries that I can see."

"Can't we bring Zatanna in to turn the metal to dust or something?" Kara suggested.

Ray took her in, her suit torn in various places, her face not covered by the mask stained with dirt and her hair darkened by dirty sea water and ash, and saw she was not only exhausted but like all of them, haunted. All of the had seen dead bodies before but not so many spread out among so much destruction.

"She is in Florida, levitating debris in their rescue operations. I'm afraid if she teleports here, she may be to tired to do anything. Her tank has to be close to empty."

Kara nodded, reaching into her boot and finding the waterproof pack, Caitlin had the foresight to prepare. Two tasteless energy bars.

"Eat." she told her husband, handing him one of the bars.

"I'm good. Go ahead."

"I can go without calories, you can't. You have been running for 24 hours non stop. You can pass out underneath the building when I lift it. Please, eat. You can be hurt if you lose speed and I need you okay."

Barry gave in, understanding her point and not able to deny her anything in this state. The last thing he wanted was to add worry over him to the emotions she was feeling. Although they had all seen horrible things, Kara still had the most empathetic nature and had to suppress it more than others. She had seen children injured and worse and wanted her own daughter in her arms.

The firemen gently dug through the debris, clearing a hole above the steel beam and moving down the metal pile. Kara glanced at Barry who nodded his head. She wished he would have eaten both bars but neither thought of food right now. Kara hovered over the debris trying to ignore the moans, focusing on her job. She looked at her husband who indicated that he was ready, dropped into the hole and lifted the enormous beam over her head. Barry moved, pulling three of the four out, then moving the last a half second before the debris moved by the bean collapsed back onto the ground around Kara.

She tossed the beam to the side and hopped to Barry. Firemen and EMS were treating the three but the two over the man trapped by the beam shook their heads. He had a crush injury and the immediate blood pressure loss killed him. Barry bent over, vibrating till Kara pulled him back.

"His heart has stopped. The blood… he's gone. You can't bring the dead back to life." she told him sadly. The two had discussed this in detail before with Caitlin and knew some injuries, especially traumatic ones, could not be fixed. Barry may be able to heal himself in a split second but the time it would take to heal someone by linking vibrations would be too long to repair arteries, especially destroyed femoral arteries. Barry could not create blood.

Barry turned into Kara's arms, wrapping her up, taking warmth from her in this dark day.

A Newswoman asked the Atom for a comment, Ray agreeing and telling the public that blood was desperately needed for the East Coast and to please donate at emergency centers being set up around the nation. With that they began moving onto the next town where Donna was slowly moving vehicles off the road, saving people who could be saved but clearing a path so ambulances could move. Nyssa and Alex were in Virginia directing recovery efforts. Kendra and Carter continued patrolling the seas, looking for life boats and covering areas where ships were still reported missing in conjunction with the Coast Guard.

Three hours later, the JL heard from S.T.A.R. for the first time that day.

"Kara?" Cisco asked.

"Yeah?" Her tired voice answered.

"I know you guys are busy but we could really use you here. Your car is in the pipeline."

"Why is my Volvo in the Pipeline? Please don't tell me Lexie moved it there." she responded, causing Barry to snicker despite his exhaustion. He could imagine this story.

"No, I mean your other car? The one that got you… here? Yeah that car and it has been seriously pimped out. Carter Grant is here and someone who says he is your ex and Cat Grant's older kid? I don't remember him from any of the trips but… Kara, he say's your cousin… you should come here as quick as possible."

"What about my cousin?" Kara asked, her mind going over a million scenarios as to why Adam Foster and Carter Grant would be in her pod in the Pipeline and deciding none of them were good.

"He said your cousin is dead. We could really use you here. How fast can you make it?"

Kara's heart felt like it stopped. She felt bile in her throat but pushed it down. Looking around at the damage, listening to the groans, the wails, the screams for loved ones who were gone, she forced her emotions from her mind.

"Keep them safe, Cisco and keep them there. We will be there… tonight."

"Kara?" Barry asked.

"Kara he said your cousin…" Cisco started to remind her, thinking perhaps she hadn't heard.

"I heard you, Cisco. I understand and so would he. There are a lot of people hurt dead and dying here. We will deal with it tonight. Right now if you could call Curtis back in and Winn, we could really use someone cutting into emergency feeds so we know where we are needed the most. I'll… we will be there when this is done."

"Kara, are you sure?" Alex asked through the com. Kara took a look at the destruction around her, the tears in her husband's eyes and the sharp pain that had bloomed in her stomach, like a knife piercing her.

"Yeah, we are needed here, right now. If he is gone… if he is really gone I can't do anything about it. I can do something sooner everyone is safe the sooner we can be there. I want to get back to my daughter. Lets get back to work, everybody."


	59. Chapter 59

Do not own CW and DC characters.

A/N The end is near. One or two chapters after this one. If it is one it is going to be majorly huge but what else is new with this story. Thank you all for sticking with me, the favorites the reviews, PMs etc. When I started as I said this was the first time writing in a new fandom, any fandom. I've written originals on my site but never really branched out. This whole experience has been amazing through good times and bad. I never expected it to turn into the massive story it is but I have enjoyed every single chapter. More thanks to come in the final one or two chapters. These last couple are going to be tense, not as fun loving as some in the past. Yeah the last chapter was dark, only Lexie seeming to have fun but please remember she is 4 almost 5 and while Kara hasn't changed much, life and experiences have a tendency to change your perspective. I started as a wide eyed paramedic when I was 21 and when I left the field at 26 I had seen too much to be the same person I was when I started. Once you see certain things you never look at the world the same. A friend of mine who was a Marine and served in Iraq was never the same when he came back. Don't worry though, this is Kara. She will always have that light inside her. Enjoy.

Chapter 59

Adam Foster had been having a difficult couple of weeks.

First, war broke out, not nuclear, or biological or even countries against other countries. Instead a war between an alien army full of weird human resembling androids and some the Government swore were completely biological entities, and the militaries around the World. The cities of his Earth were being bombed from giant bolts of light from the sky, destroying property, homes, lives.

He had been hustled off the street by a gang of men dressed in black, on his way to his apartment to watch the news and taken to the remains of Watchtower industries, what he would soon find out was the headquarters of the famous Justice League his mother had gotten so many exclusives from. The building was rubble but a secret entrance in a nearby corn field that literally sunk into a highway under the corn, leading into a tunnel that eventually ran back under the remains of the building.

Adam had found himself in the sprawling underground complex that was the real headquarters of the Justice League and the men who had taken him were the Justice League's support team. Inside the complex were his mother, Lois Lane and his little brother he did not know well. He knew his mother and Lane continued to broadcast from an unknown location and supposed he just discovered the location.

He had stayed for a week, sleeping in a bunk resembling a prison cell without the bars, watched the heroes of the world monitor the war in space between some weird aliens dressed in green who fired at a huge ship that had only been orbiting the Earth but all knew it was where the invaders had come from. The heroes had come and gone, multitudes, many he had never heard of, to assist the militaries, to try and destroy these four alien bases around the world and fail.

Then to make matter worse, someone set loose a creature, not alien, but from this world, whose apparent purpose was to fight aliens. The thing, the only description he could think of, went berserk, attacking cities, nearly leveling 90% of Metropolis, feeding off the energy sources of major metropolitan areas and any flesh it could consume, animal, human it don't matter, then began a path of destruction across the United States.

Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, had returned from their attempts to get into the alien bases and began battling the creature. Batman had several weapons and a jet and lasted a day. He was eventually knocked from the sky, ejected and caught by Superman before the monster struck the parachuting man with his clawed hand in a single leap. Superman and Wonder Woman continued to fight, the battle covering half the country. Despite the green rock under this thing's skin that the support group called Kryptonite, Superman fought it, using a radiation blocker on his suit. The battle was joined by the Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, even Aquaman had left planning an attack in Antarctica against one of the bases to try his luck. Nothing worked, only Diana Prince and Kal El able to give the thing much of a challenge. Kal tried everything, taking shot after shot, even attempting to take the creature into space, much the way Kara had taken Fort Roz into space. He was beaten down though and the battle continued until the killing blow struck Superman, a blow to the Man of Steel's head and chest, a direct shot that dropped Kara's cousin to the ground, from which he did not stand up from.

Diana broke from the fight to bring his broken and bloodied body back to Watchtower, hoping something could be done, but it was too late. Clark Kent, Kal El, Superman was no longer breathing, his heart not beating. He was dead.

Diana, in a rage, continued the fight and had been battling the creature for days, while Batman tried to formulate some defense, some form of attack.

That was when Adam's mother had called him and his little brother over to a section of Watchtower he had never seen before. He saw a spaceship, Kara's ship.

"You are going to get into this thing with your brother. He can lay on your lap. It is going to take you to where Kara is. Her Earth will be safe. Tell her what is going on and to stay away, stress this. Her cousin couldn't defeat this thing, these heroes are being overrun, the militaries have no effective offense and those green idiots in space are doing no good. Tell her to stay. She will help you and Carter. You are going to stay there Adam. Take care of your little brother."

"I'm staying here and you are going. He needs you."

"And I need both of my sons safe."

Adam never saw Dick Grayson move behind him, barely felt the pinch in his neck, and was unconscious when Nightwing caught him from behind and loaded him into the pod. Carter hugged his crying mother tightly and then sat on top of his reclined brother and the cockpit closed under the pod. Adam never saw Bruce Wayne in the control room activate the ignition sequence, praying that the Tachyon Device they had developed and basically turned Kara's ship into, would work and get them where they needed to go. Cat and Dick ran to the observation room and watched the ship blur, sparks fly, then lightning, a breach open up and the pod was gone in an instant.

"Thank you Bruce." Cat had told him gratefully. "No matter what happens I can be at peace now."

"Nothing is going to happen. We are going to win. Kara and Barry Allen will come and we will win this war."

"Bruce… you know I told Adam to stress to Kara not to come here." Cat told him, trying to sound strong and stern, in control.

"Yes, you did. For someone who knows Kara so well, I think I will be waiting regardless. She will be here in less than two days, her and Barry or their whole League. I will take her and Barry gladly if that is all the help we can get. Kara is more powerful than Clark. Barry is something this universe has never seen, especially the madman in that spacecraft."

"She won't come. She won't leave her daughter. She will protect Carter."

"I have no doubt that she will leave your sons in good hands as well as her daughter and be back to her when this is over. Kara has a mission in life, a purpose and we both know there is no way she will sit idly by when she finds that this world, any world is in danger of being destroyed like Krypton was. You want her to stay away but deep in your heart, you know she won't."

Bruce and Dick walked away until an angry Cat stopped him.

"I thought you were doing this to help my sons!"

"I did it to save us all. The decision is hers. Your fear is you know what that decision will be. Have a little hope, Cat. Kara and Barry will come and we will win."

"And she will die fighting the thing that killed her cousin?!"

"No, she can't beat Doomsday. Diana can battle the creature for years, keep it busy but eventually she will fall. Only Barry Allen can destroy that abomination and he knows it."

While this discussion was going on, Adam slept in the pod, Carter Grant on top of him, taking in everything. He saw so many worlds, visions of heroes, visions of natural wonders, he saw the past, the present and what he thought may be futures or very advanced Earths. The trip in reality was only seconds but it literally felt like years to the boy.

The pod was roughly thrown into a hallway of some sort, subtle curves, and Carter knew that though he had never been here in this section, this was the pipeline under S.T.A.R. Harry had told him about, the miles of circular tunnel under the lab that once belonged to the particle accelerator. Adam woke with a start when the pod had landed, his head pounding and forgetting briefly why his brother was sprawled out over him and where exactly he was. Carter pressed a button, being very familiar with Kara's spacecraft and the cockpit opened. He slid over the side to the ground, while Adam struggled to clear his head.

Before the older brother had a chance to figure out how his mother had knocked him out, a shirtless man appeared in front of the ship, twenty feet away, body covered in scars with a bow in his hand, a quiver on his back and a very sharp arrow pointed at him.

"Get out of the space craft now."

"Mr. Arrow? Oliver? Its me, Carter Grant? You remember me, right?"

Oliver glanced at the boy but kept his arrow aimed at the man in the pod.

"Carter, get behind me." Oliver ordered. Normally shy and uncertain, Carter ran behind the Green Arrow.

"What the hell, Carter?" Adam asked.

"He told me to get behind him. People generally do what he says. I figured that out when he was in the hangar."

"Who is this person, Carter? Did he take you?" Oliver asked, eyes never leaving Adam Foster. Adam almost stood up to explain until an arrow buzzed past his ear, sticking into the seat he had been sitting up from.

"Dude! Carter, tell him I'm your brother!"

"He is, Oliver." Carter said shyly, not adding that he hardly knew the man.

"Look, where is Kara? I'm supposed… she knows me! My mother sent me here to look after… look just contact her. We used to date. She can vouch for me." Adam tried. While he and Kara had never officially dated, he had taken her on two attempts including one kiss and any good will he could garner with the man who nearly took off his ear and had another arrow aimed at him, he would take.

"Get out of the pod." Queen ordered.

"You won't shoot me if I do, right?"

"He won't, Adam. I don't… I don't think you will, will you?" Carter asked.

"Depends on how long it takes him to do as I say."

"You heard him Adam! Do as he says! Everybody does! Just do it!"

Adam slid out of the pod, in time to see another man run behind Oliver. This man seemed out of breath but didn't look nearly as dangerous. He was shorter, had longer hair, wasn't shirtless, covered in scars and a strange tattoo on his chest or pointing a sharp object at him. He was wearing some strange sunglasses and metal gloves but other than that seemed harmless, including his torn jeans and Wrath of Khan t shirt.

"Can I talk to him? The less violent looking guy with the weird glasses? Please?"

"Cisco take Carter by your side and walk out of the pipeline. You walk behind them, at least five feet back. I'll be right behind you." The Arrow told Adam.

"No problem man, just don't shoot me, okay? Kara would be really, really mad at you if you did and she is Supergirl. I am guessing you know that? Wait… Cat told me about you… you were the one at the hanger in the green hood? The one with the arrows… yeah, the Green Arrow, right? She said…"

"You said Cat." Oliver told him.

"Yeah…"

"I thought she was your mother?"

"Oh… Uh…"

"Oliver? He didn't grow up with Mom. He just met her a few years ago. Kara is actually the reason they reconnected. He is my brother and is a good guy, I promise." Carter told him. Oliver took the boy in, took another look at Adam Foster and dropped the bow.

"Fine, follow Cisco and your brother. I'm still following you."

"No problem. So you are like one of Kara's superhero friends, huh?"

"I'm not a superhero."

"Oh… so what do you do?"

"I'm an art dealer. Move. Cisco when we reach the top, call Kara."

"Hey when you call her… look she needs to know, her cousin? Superman? He died a few days ago."

Oliver and Cisco looked at each other, both their faces going pale. Neither knew Kal El well but both knew she loved him a lot. This was another blow on top of yesterday and today's mass casualty count. Kara would be… her last blood relative dead. Oliver still had Thea and if she ever…

"Lets move. Cisco will let her know and when she gets here you can tell us all why you are here, and how you turned her pod into a giant Tachyon device. Harry are you listening?"

"Yeah, is the lab clear? Lexie says she wants to burn her eyes again and save you and we are having a hard time keeping her outside. Funny thing about 4 year old super strong speedsters with laser vision, when they decide to do something you can't just stop them easily."

"Put the com in her ear."

A few seconds went by when he heard her voice. "Unca Ollie?"

"You can come inside but calm down. Everything is fine. No burning eyes, no beating anybody up. We have some visitors, one who your Grandma and Mommy know well. Relax."

"Yes sir."

"Seriously? She just says yes sir?" Harry complained in the com. "Why doesn't that work for us? She argues with us."

"Harrison, please escort the three back inside. The situation is handled. I need to speak to Eliza and Jeremiah now."

Later that night while Adam sat in a conference room, Jeremiah bringing him food while Oliver sat and … watched him, making it difficult for the man to eat, a red streak ran into the lab, followed by a blue streak with a red cape. Lexie, who had been watching TV in Mommy's room with Carter, heard the familiar whooshes of air even from inside the room and ran, Carter slowly try to follow the direction he was pretty sure she ran.

Kara and Barry both looked like hell, both stunk, both were covered in dirt and Kara's mask was barely holding on. Her normally full beautiful blonde hair was nearly as dark as Alex's and stringy. Eliza hadn't known what to expect when they returned, not sure how Kara would handle being around such a large disaster area and not be able to save everyone. Then for Cisco to tell her about Clark's death over the com link, she was sure Kara would be a blubbering mess. Instead both just seemed stoic. Kara taking what was left of her drenched mask off and tossing it onto the floor and Barry pulling his mask back to reveal even suited up, he had managed to cover his face and hair in mud and from the smell of it, soot.

"Kara…" Eliza started when a small blur ran by her and jumped into Kara's arms.

"Mommy! Daddy! It wasn't my fault, it was Unca Cisco's, Grandma said so, he messed up my Hello Kitty shirt, wow you both stink, I'm really hungry, can we go home now?"

Kara held her daughter closely, despite how she smelled and Barry wrapped them both up, keeping Lexie between the two parents. Every injured and dead child Kara had seen made her want to grab Lexie and run, build a fortress somewhere to keep her safe, not only from danger but from ever having to see something so brutal. She had focused as best she could on helping as many as she could but on the flight home she could no longer keep her thoughts from the news that her little cousin, the one she was supposed to protect, was dead.

Charlie and Carter Grant ran into the control room, Charlie jumping up and down on Kara's leg until he realized the horrible smell was her, then backed up. Kara, still holding Lexie tried to give a small smile to shy Carter Grant who had grown taller in the past few years.

"Hi Carter. Are you okay?" she asked.

"Ye… yeah. Kara?"

"Yeah, its me."

"You look different. Eliza told me what was going on but…"

"Yeah, I'm a little dirty. I rushed here."

"Yeah but your eyes… are you okay?"

Kara ignored the question. Was she okay? She had her daughter in her arms, her family was safe and that usually was enough to constitute okay but right now she was definitely not okay.

"Carter, is it true? About Kal El?"

"Yeah." he admitted quietly looking at the ground. "Adam can explain it better. He is with Green Arrow. When did he become an art dealer? But yeah, anyway, Adam was told not to say anything until you got here. He is in that big room I think you have meetings in? There is a big table and…"

"Yeah, I know the one, Carter. You've gotten taller. I guess it has been four years since I last saw you. Fifteen now?"

"Yes."

Despite the height, he was still the awkward shy boy Kara had loved, the kid that loved playing games with Winn on his mother's giant television screens in her office.

"Caitlin and Winn are with Cisco. Whenever you are ready we can talk to Adam." Eliza offered. "You can clean up first if you like."

"Carter, where is my pod?" Kara asked, handing Lexie to Barry to hold.

"In the pipeline."

"I'll be right back, little one." Kara told her daughter.

"You can take a shower if you want. You both can. I'll be good while you do it. No one will mind, trust me. Even Charlie doesn't want to lick you." her daughter reminded her with big smile, causing Kara to smile a bit. No matter what, Lexie could always make her smile.

"I'll do that. Daddy why don't you get a head start? I will be in the locker room in a little bit."

"I think I'll go with you, if thats okay. Lexie, let Grandma get you some pizza maybe, and me and Mommy will get cleaned up, okay? Order some for me and Mommy too?"

"Okay. I love you, I missed you." the little girl told her both parents and hopped into her grandmother's arms.

Kara moved quickly, Barry right behind her, letting her lead the way. In less than five seconds both were standing in front of Kara's pod. Cisco hadn't been lying, the craft had definitely been pimped out. Running the sides were thick translucent wires as well as on the bottom and the top leaving only the cockpit uncovered. The back, where the ignition system had been, a mounted Tachyon Device was in place, quite a bit bigger than the one Barry had worn when he first met Kara.

"So they figured out how to use Quark matter to control Tachyons. These colorful hoses must be electrical conduits, generating the power needed and matching the vibrations. I wonder what they put under the hood that let them mimic the vibrations without breaking the ship apart."

Barry stopped taking when he realized Kara was not following him on his tour of the craft. Instead she stood in front of it, staring, lost in the past.

"Kara?" he asked, worried when she remained unmoving for a minute or two.

"I suspected when we were in the Hangar. When Eliza and Alex found us in the pod? I knew but I didn't want to know. I had so much fun, being touched like that for the first time, my mind tried to force it out, not dwell on it. But it was obvious. I just didn't want to admit it."

"What… oh." Barry stopped, realizing what was obvious.

"Carter is what? 5'9"? Adam is Oliver's size, maybe a little smaller in height but thicker in build. Carter and Adam both got here, together. A young girl and her mother wouldn't have had much trouble fitting together inside it, would they?"

Kara shook her head. This didn't matter. She had always known, but didn't want to. Her mother could have came with her, she just chose not to. It didn't matter anymore. Still, the woman had to see for herself. It was important to Kara for some reason.

"Let's shower and… I need to find out what happened to Kal El. I need to know who killed him."

"Okay." was all Barry had to offer, not knowing what else to say. The idea had occurred several times to him over the past five years as well but he never would have brought it up to Kara.

Twenty minutes later, Alex and Nyssa, courtesy of Zatanna, Caitlin, Winn, Cisco, Eliza, Jeremiah, Oliver, Kara and Barry sat around the large conference room table looking at a very nervous Adam. Charlie had barked at him once but sat quietly in Kara's lap now. More interested in his mother being back and not smelling like a sewer.

"Adam, I would say it is good to see you but something tells me you have more bad news besides just my cousin being de…gone. We won't say anything, we won't ask any questions until you stop so right now, please tell me everything that has happened that has led up to you and Carter being sent here for your protection."

Adam was a bit surprised at Kara's tone. She wasn't hostile by any means, very calm and collected rather. Her voice was the same friendly tone he remembered. He knew her briefly but what precious time he had spent with her he knew her to be soft hearted, unsure of herself but so sweet and loving. Not to say she wasn't now. He really knew nothing about her now, except how different she looked without her glasses. She was beautiful, didn't look as if she had aged a day, but her eyes were different. He had expected weepy, mournful, expected to see her husband comforting her while she sobbed about the death of her only blood relative. Her eyes reflected a young woman who was tired and he suspected it was not just from the last few days. She was no longer the unsure adorable girl he could have loved and almost did, even after a short time of knowing her. Her eyes had seen things and done things he imagined he would never know and wasn't sure he wanted to. The kindness and love was there, especially when her daughter hugged her before leaving with Carter to Kara's secret room or something, but he saw a hardness also reflected in her husband and Oliver Queen's eyes. Alex's were not far off. Only Alex's wife's eyes remained unreadable.

Taking a deep breath, Adam told them everything and true to Kara's word no one asked a question until he was done.

"And thats it. I woke up here, in that… pipe, with the Art Dealer almost skewering me."

"If he wanted you dead you would have been dead. Breachers we are not aware of do not happen, unless we bring them or they want here for some reason that usually isn't good. He was being cautious and protecting our family." Kara told him, as always quick to ward off any criticism of Oliver. He was hard enough on himself without others adding to it.

"I didn't mean anything… bad. It just kind of freaked me out. Anyway, yeah…"

"Tell us about Doomsday, again, please?" Barry asked.

"He was late to the party. Someone was convinced this thing was the only chance humanity had against these alien bases. The League has a support team, the team that kidnapped me, I heard they were working on tracking where he was let loose from. The leaders of the Order were supposedly dead but there must have been someone else. I didn't hear much. I was kept in the… I suppose the residential area? I snuck around as much as possible, trying to find out about what was going on. I was there when Wonder Woman…I think I heard her called Diana, she brought your cousin in Kara. Bruce had come back three days before, pretty banged up, but I guess word is Superman saved him and sent him and the Martian back to figure out some weapon that could kill this thing. I know Wonder Woman went back alone to fight this thing and Batman and her argued before she left."

"About what?" she pressed.

Adam shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I was kinda pushed out in the frenzy but it sounded like he wanted her to call you from some island but the Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman didn't want you involved."

"Why not?" Kara asked, controlling her temper as best she could.

"The rumor was… some of the support staff wanted you to come… save the world again. There were arguments between Wonder Woman and Batman but the others didn't get involved. From what I could tell those two butted heads over this. Batman wanted you and she and the Martian said you had a kid and didn't need to be involved. Thats all I know. The base was underground. I knew Cat and Lois had been broadcasting messages to those who still had TV reception and cell phones near surviving towers and I guess that is where she had been. Carter told me he had been there for weeks. Cat was trying …"

"She sent you off with Carter because she loved you. She sent a team that probably had more important battles to fight, to bring you to safety. She has been in your life wanting the best for you for five years and stayed away for your protection longer than that. You still can't call her Mom?" Kara asked, a tinge of bitterness in her voice, then shaking her head. "I'm sorry, it's not my place. Tell us everything you saw of Doomsday before you were taken and afterward."

"It is huge. At least ten eleven feet tall, maybe taller. He can regenerate. Youtube video was taken before most of the communication satellites were shut down. Wonder Woman cut his arm off and it grew back. Every time he was near a city he absorbed the electricity from the power lines. At least it looked like it. He also… ate people, animals, anything live that he came across. He can jump incredible distances and he can take punches from Wonder Woman and Super… he could I mean… anyway he gives as good as he takes. Better."

"And the man behind this space invasion?" Kara prompted.

"No idea. Sorry, the big topics of conversation were the two battles. The militaries and superheroes getting their butts kicked from some sort of space beams and an android army building up four bases around the world and the giant monster tearing its way across the United States, eating everything in sight and fighting Wonder Woman for days. Word is she was still fighting him, it must have been for days, before Cat…my Mother… had me knocked out and I woke up here with my little brother laid out across me. I want to go back. Carter can stay here but…"

"You aren't going anywhere. Your mother sent you to protect her baby. Do you know what an obligation that is, a responsibility, a sacred duty? She put her trust in you to keep both of you safe. Sending you both away was the hardest thing she has probably ever done but at least she didn't send either of you alone. Now you are here and you are going to protect your little brother. Do we understand each other, Adam?"

"I want to fight!"

"Then fight for him! Unless you want to be food for Doomsday, what chance do you think you have there?! It sounds like the military isn't having any luck, none of them! The heroes of that Earth are losing. These green lights you see in space, this star war going on? Apparently whoever or whatever is up there isn't having much luck either. You will stay here until this is over."

"And how will you know if it is over, Kara? There were rumors, concerns that these alien bases, the four of them, could destroy the world. I heard one guy talking to a control officer about the Earth maybe blowing up. I don't know if there will be anything left when this is over."

"There will be. Adam there is a kitchen… Harry can show you. When you leave turn right, the third door on your left, he should be in there. He said you and Carter can stay tonight with him at his apartment. We will set you up with something more permanent tomorrow. I would ask you to come with us but… the past 48 hours have been kind of a nightmare and our daughter is probably on edge. When she is on edge, its best to keep her as calm as possible."

"She has… powers I guess?"

"Yes. I want to talk to Carter before you both leave with Harry, so please give us time. We all need to talk."

"Kara, Cat… my mother told me to beg you… not to go back. She said you can't defeat this creature. She doesn't want you there."

"I don't work for her anymore. Would you give us a moment, Adam? Thank you for everything you have told us. Your job, your only job now, is to take care of Carter."

"I hardly know him Kara. We haven't spent a lot of time together and…"

"Get to know him. He is yours now." the blonde told him with no room for argument.

Adam nodded his head and stood up, moving around the table to the door. It had not escaped his attention that he had been sat at the end of the table with everyone in the room between him and the door.

"Hey Kara?" he stopped before walking out. "It's really good to see you. I'm sorry about this. I know you guys have…"

"Stop Adam. I'm sorry. It's been a long couple days but I know you and Carter have been through worse. I don't mean to come off rude. I am glad you are both okay. We are going to make sure you stay that way."

"Thanks."

Adam left and the room was silent. No one said a word, everyone lost in their own thoughts.

"We can't get to that Universe anyway. There is nothing we can do." Oliver told them, finally breaking the silence.

"Thats not true, is it Cisco?" Barry asked quietly. Cisco didn't stop looking at the desk but nodded.

"The vibrations from Kara's pod… I know the vibrational frequency now. I can get us there. You realize if the vibrations of that Earth changed the space ship with the big death beams and invading alien army that this ship is a breacher, a very powerful one. He could be in any number of universes if he destroys the one…"

"It won't happen. I will go back. Whatever is there can't beat me." Barry told them confidently, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"You are not leaving us." Kara told him.

"You can't be there. I can destroy Doomsday and I can take out these armies. I can outrun beams from the sky and alien weapons. I can end this and be back in two days."

"No, you can't. If you even think of leaving me behind… I will take that pod and follow you back Barry. I know how to build a tachyon device. So do Harry and Martin. I am fast enough to use it. Don't you even think of leaving us."

"Someone has to stop this thing, both of them, before our universe is next."

"We have to protect our daughter."

"Which is why you are staying." Barry stressed.

"No I am not! You are staying! I have to pray over Kal. I have failed him completely and he should be sent into Rao's light with the prayers! I have to go! You think I want to?! You think I want to leave my baby behind!?"

"Can we all calm down?" Jeremiah asked. "I have to go. Nobody knows that monster better than I do. It is my fault…"

"It is the fault of whoever kept working on that thing and made it stronger, not your fault!" Alex told her father immediately.

"What if I went back and brought his wife and his body here, Kara?" Oliver offered.

"I'll go with him." Sara told the group, walking in. "The gang is back and we were all listening from the control room."

"Its too dangerous." Barry told him immediately.

"When has that ever stopped me before?" Oliver asked. "Besides if it is as bad as it sounds, Roy is there. I sent him there."

"He made that decision." Kara reminded Oliver.

"And I can't have his death on my conscience. He never would have had to make that decision if he hadn't taken a fall for me, become a fugitive for me, had to go to another universe for me, one that is in danger of blowing up and all life being either eaten or destroyed by some death ray. I have to go back and I can get him, get Kal El and Lois and bring them back."

"Really Oliver? Because it seems to me that you would send Sara back with them and stay to fight a war. You swore to protect my daughter, your Goddaughter and that means you have to do it. You swore an oath. You are not leaving to fight a war in another universe!" Kara told him quickly.

"I will come back Kara. I swear."

"You don't have to swear because you aren't going. None of you are. I can get…"

"You aren't going!" Barry shouted.

"Don't yell at me! You don't get to make that decision!"

"You are going to leave Lexie like…" Barry stopped when he saw Kara's face turn pale. "I'm sorry."

"No you aren't. You think this is easy for me? I was supposed to protect him! I left him and he is dead! I don't want to leave her but I have to… I can't fail him again!"

"He doesn't need the prayers! He isn't Kryptonian! You are. You did not fail him! He is a man and he made his own decisions!" Barry yelled.

"And I am going to make mine." Kara told him, both standing up, face to face.

"There is no you. Our souls are bound, remember? Since one of us has to stay with Lexie, that means we both stay. Nobody is going to that Earth unless it's me. I can handle it. Jeremiah, you are staying here. Those bastards from the Order took enough from you. Doomsday is not your fault. I killed it. It was whoever resurrected it that is the problem."

"You can't go if I can't go." Kara reminded him. "Bound souls, remember? Marriage vows, any of this sound familiar to you?"

"Mommy? Daddy? Why are you yelling? Are you mad at each other?" Lexie asked, slipping in quietly. Even in Kara's room, she had heard the yelling and raced away from a confused Carter to find out what was going on. Mommy and Daddy never, ever fought.

Kara and Barry both dropped their heads before looking at their daughter. Barry moved towards her, Lexie running into his arms.

"No we aren't arguing. We were just disagreeing about something… loudly. We shouldn't have done that. We are sorry."

"Everybody looks so sad. Is it because of the storm or Mommy's spaceship?"

"It's because of both Lexie, but it will be fine. I promise." Kara told her, taking her from Barry's arms, glad she had showered and changed out of her uniform. Lexie was always on edge when her and Daddy were in their suits. Though they never told her details of what they did, she knew when the red and blue came out bad guys were around or people were in danger.

"Where does everybody can't go? I heard can't go a lot."

"I'm taking a trip Lexie. Your Mommy isn't happy…" Winn started before Caitlin glared at him. "No one knows alien technology better than I do Cait. If anyone can hack that ship, I can. Maybe I can turn this death beam on Doomsday. I'll stay at this Watchtower. It should be safe."

"You think going to an Earth that could, according to our visitor, blow up, is safe? You promised… you can't make me love you and… you just can't Winn. I won't take it again. I'm not going to sit here and wonder if you are ever coming back. If you go, I go."

"No one is going." Kara decided. "Barry is right. I've already failed Kal El. He wouldn't want to be sent off, away from Lois." Kara told them, lying. Too much was at stake. Her daughter, her family, her universe could be next. The men and women who helped free her father were there, fighting for their lives, their planet and losing from the sound of it.

"You still aren't much of a liar, Kara." Jeremiah told her, recognizing the look on her face. Her and Barry both sat down, no one in the room talking, all deep in their thoughts.

"We can't leave her. Neither of us, none of us." Kara realized.

"Why would you leave me, Mommy? Is there another storm?"

"Yeah, something like that sweetie." her mother admitted. "Why don't you find Carter and make sure he is eating. Have you eaten?"

"Half a pizza. I like Hamburga better than Pepper."

"Pepperoni, baby. Go make sure Carter is eating."

"You and Daddy won't yell anymore?"

"No baby. We are sorry. Mommy and Daddy shouldn't lose our tempers like that." Barry admitted, a multitude of emotions going through him, guilt about Lexie hearing him and Kara argue one of the biggest.

"Okay. I'll be listening." she warned her parents, hopping down and running off.

"We can't leave. If the Government ever thinks she is alone, that we aren't there, they will get over their fear and take her. They will figure out a way." Kara mumbled.

"Then you two and your family stay behind…" Sara started.

"You can't win without us. No offense Sara, I know you want to help fight but we need you here. They have thousands of soldiers and their own Justice League. Apparently there is some green glowing force in space fighting this thing. I know you want to fight but we need all of you here. Barry and I are the only ones with the pure power that we could maybe make a difference."

"No you aren't." Jax told the group walking in. "Our whole League can make a difference, and we will. Thats the whole point of this group isn't it? When one of us is in need, all of us come. They came to help with security for your wedding, they helped fight Harvest's group with us in Antarctica. We are all going. Cisco, you are going to stay out of this. You stay at this fortress that is supposed to be safe. If it even looks dangerous you can get everybody out of there. Grey and I will stay there and keep fighting. We can help. This Doomsday may be able to grow back body parts but I'm betting he can't grow back from ash. Kendra and Carter are on their way. I just got off the com with Donna and she said she was gonna make a quick stop by Themyscira and would be here by morning. She also said if we leave without her we won't want to see her when we get back."

"Jax…" Kara started.

"No discussion. We are going with or without you and Barry. We all agreed. Lexie stays in Watchtower with her two guardians and Vibe and his big blasts, and the rest of you geniuses work on figuring out a way to win this war before this bastard shows up in our universe. If we have learned anything, its that if it is going to go down, it is eventually going to go down here. We stop it and we are back for work on Monday. Okay you guys are back to work, I'm going to sleep in. Burning up monsters and fighting aliens is going to make me a bit tired. Might even take a whole week off from being Firestorm."

"Awesome! So we are going to another universe? One for all and all for one?" Ray added, walking in.

Kara and Barry looked around at the table, Kara met Alex and Cailtin's eyes, trying to read them. Neither gave away anything.

"I'm going. I swore an oath to protect your daughter and taking out a threat before it arrives here is a solid strategy. I may not be able to take this creature or whatever aliens there are but I will not quit killing until I am dead or they all are." Nyssa told the group. "I will lead whoever follows."

"Cisco? You swear you will stay out of this, stay near Lexie at all times and if it even looks like there might be danger you take Lexie, Caitlin, Winn, Jeremiah and Eliza out of there?" Barry asked. Cisco met his eyes and nodded.

"I'll get them out but I am staying and fighting after they are gone. My blasts are more powerful than Kara's heat vision and Firestorm's power and you all know it. Harry will get out too, so he can fix Kara's ship, make it bigger and they can keep skipping universes as soon as trouble arrives."

"I can't…" Jeremiah started.

"You have to." Kara interrupted. "If you have to leave, you all have to protect her, hide with her, keep her safe until she can protect herself. You have to swear it or we get ready to fight this war here."

"Fine. We will go, we will beat whatever these things are and I will figure out a way to kill Doomsday that doesn't involve Barry ripping the Earth apart and killing himself. Then we come home." Jeremiah decided, not liking it but seeing no other option. If they did not all go, Barry or Kara would race the other to get to that universe and he had no way of beating them to it. He knew it was pointless to try and convince Eliza to stay behind.

"We leave in the morning I suppose." Kara agreed, not sounding enthused. "We need to go home and get Lexie some… I can't believe I am doing this. I can't believe Kal…"

After 48 hours of controlling her emotions, trying to be strong, logical and a source of confidence for her family, Kara broke down. She raced out so quickly, all anyone saw was a blue blur, Barry following her. She didn't go far, only outside and to the top of the roof where she sat, Barry right behind her. He held her while she wailed, hoping Lexie didn't hear. After a few minutes she stopped, trying to regain her breath.

"When did we become this, Barry?"

"Become what?" he asked, expecting questions, fears, anxiety, but not that.

"This. We yelled at each other in front of our daughter. I had to close off my emotions when I heard my cousin was dead. The worst part is I was able to do it! I honestly don't know what to do right now. The best option we have is to take our daughter with us to hide in a bunker so we can fight war against some galactic invader and an unstoppable monster and hope another planet doesn't blow up beneath our feet. I feel… I don't know what I feel. Anger, depression, anxiety, I can't deal with this. I've become cold, haven't I? Has Lexie noticed? She is so smart, do you think she has noticed I have changed? We have all changed. I don't know what to do. I miss the person I used to be sometimes. I love being a mother but I wanted to be a mother and the person I used to be. What kind of example am I setting?"

"You are still the same, just a little tougher. We both are."

"No, maybe you are but I'm not. I never would have yelled at you in front of other people, much less where our daughter was concerned. I'm scared of losing what we have. We have fought so much evil it just never seems to end. Why? Why does it keep… why are people like this? I'm starting to understand why the Amazons stay away from this world. I wish we could take our family and hide somewhere. Just be happy. Haven't we done enough?"

"Yeah we have, but unfortunately we decided this was who we wanted to be." the Flash reminded her.

"And look at what is has gotten us. Oliver was always concerned about us becoming more like him. As much as I love him, I know what he meant. He stopped enjoying life a long time ago. He is just getting to a point where he is beginning to enjoy life again, enjoy living and this has to happen. I'm becoming like he used to be. I'm afraid I am not enjoying life anymore, just trying to survive because others need me. I don't want to be like that anymore. I'm haunted, haunted by those we couldn't save. It is weighing me down and I don't know how to stop it."

"You haven't changed Kara. I ran into the Gallery Tuesday and you and Lexie were singing a Spice Girls song with a karaoke machine in the back very loudly. You were dancing and laughing and so was she. You haven't changed. You are still the best mother any girl could hope for. You take her to the park and let her play with other kids, you help her control her powers. She adores you. You still refuse to leave Charlie at home. Yeah, we have seen a lot more than most people have but that is part of growing. You should see a rookie come onto the police department. Wide eyed, wanting to make a difference, optimistic. After a year of seeing street crimes, shootings, spousal abuse, drug abuse, people who die in car accidents… Kara, they change. They see the world as something that is always going to have pain and suffering. No one person or group of people can stop it all, no matter what powers we have. We aren't gods Kara, no matter how much Diana throws that title around."

"I know."

"Do you? I'm sorry. You weren't the only one yelling. We should have talked about it but the idea of you going there, to a planet that…"

"You were about to say I was abandoning Lexie like my mother abandoned me." Kara reminded him.

"Yeah… I was out of line. I was so afraid you would try and go without me. I really believe I can help win that war. I don't… I knew or at least suspected that you would try and take that pod back. I planned to break it in half before you did. I can't lose you Kara. I just can't. Maybe we fight here instead of there but Diana didn't want your help. I admit I always thought this was the sort of thing she would want you for. I guess I was wrong."

"She had no right to keep me out of it. If she hadn't, Kal El may still be alive. I'm the one who told him to continue to fight, to keep protecting the people of that Earth. I told him he would be dishonoring our family if he didn't. All he wanted was to be with me. I let him down. I failed him. After we got Jeremiah back I should have brought him with us. Now he is dead. Another family member, another link to Krypton gone forever. Its my fault. I should have protected him. Now he is gone, Lois is a widow, the world saw its greatest hero fall. He didn't even fall fighting some space monster. He died fighting a thing, created and perfected by an organization with ties to the people who tried to kill me. They couldn't get me but they got one Kryptonian."

"Kara… enough. We are going, all of us. We have faced worse and won."

"I don't really think we have faced worse. Everything Adam told us makes it seem like this is the worst. Space beams, alien stations set up for some purpose with the end result being to blow the planet up, our friends following us, deciding that this is their fight…"

"It is. It is our fight and that makes it theirs. We aren't forcing anyone to come with us. They want to go because like you, they are heroes. They know people are hurting, dying and like us they want to make a difference. Right now, they need to see us strong. Lexie needs to see us strong. Everybody is counting on us. If we lose hope, if we think we can't win then they are going to think that."

"Can we? Can we win? Or is Cisco going to be sending our daughter and my parents away from us?"

"You tell me. What do you feel in your heart?"

Kara thought for a moment and looked at the stars. Naturally out of habit her eyes wandered to the area in the sky where a certain Red Dwarf Supergiant, millions of light years away dimly sparkled in-between the other brighter stars.

"I know I won't lose again. I know I don't want to see that ship over our Earth, and if we don't do something now then… I guess we need to pack. Lets tell the others. We leave tomorrow at noon. Let everyone know who needs to know and we move. This can't take long. When we get there we have to have a plan and we have to win quickly. We don't know how much time they have. You realize when we breach he is probably going to notice if he is a breacher too. He is going to know our signature. We are basically putting a bullseye on our Earth if he succeeds there."

"Then we make sure he doesn't succeed."

"Jeremiah… Doomsday has evolved past what he envisioned. He won't be able to stop it. You are going to have to disintegrate it, right? You are going to have to…"

"Yeah, probably. Maybe I can go slower and have the same effect. Either way, I will destroy him and I will come back to my wife and daughter. I swear to you Kara. Our souls are bound, right?"

"Right." she told him, kissing her husband and the two moving quickly back inside where the Justice League members present, waited.

"We are going. We are going to do this quickly. We strike hard and fast before he can be ready for us. Then we all come home. Anybody that doesn't want to come is more than welcome to stay. It would honestly make me very happy, no matter how much I want you all by our side. If this thing gets past us, my daughter and family will need protection when this spacecraft invades this Earth. You will have to protect her and prepare for battle if we are not back in two days. So does anyone want to stay? Please?"

No one said a word, Kendra and Carter had arrived as well, giving no indication on their faces of staying behind.

"Then let's make arrangements. We leave here at noon." Barry finished.

"First, I need to show everyone something Harry and I have been working on. I call it Justice League 5.0." Cisco told them, heading to the control room where the mannequins stood empty. The League followed, confused until Cisco hit a button on the wall. The old mannequins sunk and new ones lifted up in their place.

"Dramatic huh?" Vibe asked. His own suit had changed, a black leather jumpsuit with new goggles resembling sunglasses. The metal gloves were present, lightweight, thinner and flexible.

Valkyrie's mannequin held a new suit, the helmet the same but the weapons different. On her back was a shotgun holster, a thin sword crossing it to form an X. Her handguns were in the same area but neither were typical handguns, resembling some sort of blasters one might see in a sic fi movie. On her gloves mounted above her hands were small darts, resembling miniature missiles. The body armor overing her chest was different as well, resembling a plastic mold, fitted to her body.

Nyssa and Oliver's outfit were on either side of hers, the same but different as well. Oliver's was long sleeved and the hood was Shado's. The mask was the same but the quiver was different, stretching all the way across his back as was Nyssa's.

"Alex, the rifle you are going to carry and the handguns are compressed light pulses, the same as Ray uses. He and Harry have finally gotten them to the point they can be used in handguns and rifles without overheating. They are very thoroughly tested. The sword on the back is almost indestructible. I have wove enough of the metal I based the body armor on, into solid steel, infused with quartz and heated… anyway it will cut through steel. Your bow is on your back near the base of your spine. Extended and you have it. I only gave you three arrows that are attached to it. They will extend as well and have grappling capabilities in case you need to get out of somewhere quickly. The rifle has greater blasts but the handguns are deadly. You should get a thousand combined pulses before the power dies. The gloves still have the same shock ability but on the top of your hands I have added basically small bombs. The detonator is voice activated by your helmet. Oliver and Nyssa you have the same. The charges won't take a tank out but they should breach locks.

Speaking of you two, the arrow quivers are specially designed delivery systems. Each arrow is two inches long and will expand when pulled, the next coming up behind it. Before either of you complain you have about ten hours to practice and I think you will find the weight and feel are exactly as you prefer your own arrows. There are seven rows, 40 in each row, the tips made of the same metal as Alex's sword. One row is exploding, one is grappling, two rows are the kind that go between someone's eyes, one EMP, one magnets and ones really explosive. Like big boom, clear the area, fire in the hole. There are also holsters for guns and I don't want to hear it Nyssa. This is war and you need a fall back weapon. I know you have used guns before Oliver. Your swords and throwing stars are new so check the balances. Sara, you have a new black suit and as much as we all appreciate your incredible cleavage. This is covering your neck as well and is completely impenetrable. The only place you will be exposed is your head so keep it down. I've tweaked your sonic device so it can cover a large area or a small, targeted area and it is a lot more powerful. If you use the wide blast, make sure your friends are behind you because it is going to fan out in front of you. Your staff has electrified ends. I thought it would be good for regular use but should be great for attacking androids. You also have one of my Cisco .45s since I know you love guns, even if you won't admit it.

Kara, I prepared you one six months ago in the event you needed a back up or we ever had to go back to Earth 3 for any reason. The solar panels are present but it is impenetrable and includes a radiation blocker. If there is any Kryptonite radiation around, the lightning bolt through your family crest is going to vibrate. Your old mask is ruined from salt water but since that hold world knows the name Kara Zor El, I doubt you will need one.

Carter, Kendra, you have rifles as well. I know you love your weapons and thats fine but you don't need to fly close to an enemy unless you need to. You also have body suits to wear under your armor, just in case anything gets through."

"Why is Speedy's suit upgraded?" Oliver asked.

"Because the call went out and I came. I'm still an active member in case you forgot, big brother." Thea told him, walking in with Zatanna.

"You wanted to get away from this, you have a new life, a job…"

"That I told my boss I needed time away from. Family leave. My family needs me."

"Felicity isn't coming, is she?"

"Nope. I didn't say a word. You are no longer Spock, Winn. You are the new Overwatch. Curtis is staying behind to try and contact Fairchild, track her down to warn her, to warn Vixen, to warn A.R.G.U.S. if we don't make it back and help prepare places for Lexie and her grandparents to hide if they have to come back."

"Speedy…"

"I'm a member of the Justice League. One for all and all for one, right Kara?"

"Yeah, I guess so Speedy." Kara admitted, still in shock that Cisco had been working on all this.

"Kara, I'm sorry about your cousin but we will get you to him, we will win. Its what we do." Thea told her. "We don't quit, ever, right?"

"Yeah, right." Kara told her, smiling at her friend.

"Zatanna I have you a regular body suit just to protect your body to wear under whatever you want. I have no idea what these androids or aliens will be firing or if these suits will give us protection. I started developing them after the Volcano incident. We needed better tech."

"You paid for this yourself?" Alex asked him, knowing how much this must have cost.

"No, Nyssa did."

Nyssa noticed all eyes were on her now. "I won't have my army in anything but the best. We are better prepared now. Once we assess the situation we will plan, we will attack and we will win. Lexie starts school in a year and I am anxious to take her shopping for school clothes in New York. I certainly cannot have her school being turned into a pile of rubble by space ships. You all heard Kara. We leave at noon. Sleep, eat, rest, try your uniforms on and practice with your new toys if you need to. Time is short."

"We are ready." a tiny voice told the group. Lexie had walked in, wearing her Halloween costume and holding a masked Charlie. "This sounds fun. I'm hungry again. I'm also sleepy. Can we go home before we have to fight the aliens Mommy? I want a peanut butter sandwich and a nap."

"Yeah, we are going home. See everyone in the morning."

Barry and Kara left, deciding to bring Carter and Adam home with them instead of leaving them with Harry, so Carter would be more comfortable. Barry decided the best place for them would be housesitting until they got back. Both had to sleep in the guest bedroom tonight, Kara talking to Carter for an hour, assuring him that it would be okay.

"I know it will Kara. You never lose."

Kara didn't argue, tucking him in and finding her husband with Adam in the living room.

"This is Curtis's phone number. I am leaving mine with you. If we aren't back in three days, call him. He will set you both up with ID. The card I am leaving you has ten thousand on it and won't be traced to us. This is very important so listen. If we are not back by the third day you are to go to S.T.A.R. Take our car and stay there. Eliza, Jeremiah and Lexie will be back. Hopefully Cisco, Winn and Caitlin will be as well. Curtis knows the protocols for going underground so to speak. The Government has not watched us since I took out Area 51 and Kara almost dropped the President thirty miles from the ground but…"

"Wait, what?"

"Doesn't matter, if we aren't around, they could check in, see you and Carter and you are persons of interest then. We have had plans in place for our family to run since Lexie was born. You are going to stay with them, go where they go and keep your head down. You won't use this card anymore, Eliza and Jeremiah know the accounts to use. A guy named Joe and my Dad and friend Iris will probably be with them. Stay low, protect your brother and help them, okay Adam?"

"Okay." he told the man.

"Everything Kara has told me about you in the past, she didn't know you long but she said you were a good person. Thats enough for me. If the worst happens, I am trusting you to be there for your brother and my family, okay?"

"You can count on me,,, Flash?"

"Call me Barry. I hope you have many more opportunities to do so. Relax and check on your brother. You are going to have to calm him down. You are Mom and Dad to him now. He is sensitive, more sensitive than most from the interactions I have had with him. He may be holding it together but there is a lot going on. Don't let him down Adam. Don't let any of us down."

"I won't. I swear." Adam offered his hand to Barry who took it, standing and guiding Kara to their bedroom where Lexie and Charlie were already asleep in the middle. Lexie was still in her costume so they let her stay in it, rather than waking her. Neither said anything, just lying in the darkness, looking at each other.

"No matter what happens, you have been the best thing to ever happen to me. Every good thing I have, my whole family together, my baby, Charlie, its all because if you." Kara whispered.

"Same here. Kara, this isn't the end. It's just another crucible. We will get through it together, all of us."

"Oliver told me someone told him once that there are three types of people who go through crucibles. The ones who survive and become stronger for it, the ones who die and the ones who learn to love the fire and stay in their crucible because it is easier to embrace the pain when its all you know anymore. What kind of people are we Barry? We used to survive and become stronger. Have we become to embrace it now because its all we know?"

"Look at her." Barry told his wife, taking in their sleeping daughter, curled up into Kara. "What do you see?"

"Love."

"Thats what we embrace. She won't ever let us embrace pain. We won't let each other. We are going to survive and she is going to grow up with us in her life. We won't leave her. You believe that, right? I need you to believe, Kara."

"I'll always believe in you. You always find a way."

"I will this time too, I swear."

The next morning at S.T.A.R. while Charlie ate his breakfast taco and Lexie began her third breakfast taco, still in her Superwoman costume, Kara was alone in a corner with her sister and best friend.

"Nervous?" she asked both.

"Yes."

"No."

Caitlin and Alex stared at each other. "You are such a liar, Alex." Caitlin concluded, bringing a smile to Alex's face.

"Yeah, maybe a little. Kara, we have seen and fought some scary things but this is one for the books." Alex admitted.

"Caitlin, you and Winn have to convince Cisco to go into the breach if you have to take Lexie and run. You are all going to need his power. Not only for protection but if this thing gets past us into our universe she needs a way out of there too. She has to run until she is ready. We can't rely on that pod."

"I know. I've got the whole guilt trip speech planned out. It won't happen though. We are going to win this. I am scared to death but thats because… because, I don't know why. But despite that I know we will win. We will find a way. If I didn't think so I wouldn't have agreed to let any of us go. You know how great I am about nagging until I get what I want. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"It might not Cait. Alex…"

"I'm with you sister. The best chance we have of protecting our kid is to stop this there. I'm not leaving you behind to fight. Never have and never will. I believe we are going to win because I believe in you."

"Not everyone in here may make it back." Kara told her, looking around at her friends, her family.

"And that is their decision. Its what makes them heroes. You have to have faith in us." Alex told her.

"I always will Alex. Its myself I'm worried about. I already let Kal down. I don't know how I can face Lois…"

"He made his decision, and that is not on you. Not everything is on you, Kara. He wasn't a little kid you were in charge of no matter how much you have thought that in the past. Failing him would be quitting, hiding because you are scared. You aren't. You have never hid and you have never been scared. Not scared enough to use common sense and stay back anyway."

"I know you did not just tell me I didn't have common sense. You? Miss I'm going to tackle a meta so I can be transported back to his secret lair?"

"I admit, I may not have made the smartest decisions in my life but I have gotten better. So have you. We all have. I'll follow you anywhere baby sister. If we go down we go down together and we aren't that easy to beat."

Further conversation was cut short by the arrival of the final member of the League. Donna Troy walked into the room. Everyone stopped talking, taking her in.

"Been shopping Donna?" Zatanna asked. She herself had been dressed in jeans, flat heels a white button up shirt and black leather jacket. Despite what she considered her battle gear, she admitted Donna's was much better.

The Amazon was dressed in a black body suit, with silver sparkling very small points of light that blinked on and off, never in the same place on the fabric, like a starry night. Her normal silver bracelets were gone, in their place, long silver gauntlets of the same type as Diana's golden ones. Her lasso was silver as well. She wore her standard boots, only in black and a silver belt wrapped around her waist. The hilt of a sword was on her back, covered by a shield.

"I figured it was time for a wardrobe change. Ares was kind enough to let me borrow his shield. Hera gave me her sword, and Aphrodite told me this outfit was hot. She is the expert."

"And the gauntlets?" Alex asked, impressed.

"Zeus owed my mother a favor." Donna walked to Eliza. "If you have to come back for whatever reason, and we have to stay behind, a guard of four Amazons will be waiting here in three days. They will escort you to Themyscira. Your family is welcome, male and females. Alexendra will be protected by the Amazon nation. Let us hope it does not come to that."

"Thank you, Donna." Eliza told her gratefully.

"So, are we all ready?" Kara asked, after hugging her friend, grateful that at least Lexie will have a place completely hidden from the Government.

Barry nodded his head and picked up Lexie, handing the costumed little girl and her best friend Charlie to Oliver. "Cisco, its time."

 **Earth 3**

"We have a breach!" Oracle shouted, checking the cameras in the launch room. Cat Grant had prayed that Kara would not come but it seemed Bruce's prediction was true.

"The pod is back?" Batman asked, while Lucy assembled the support team assault team in the event it was not their Earth 1 friends.

"Nope, just a breach from the… the camera just burned out. Definite breach from another side."

"Lucy have the team stand down. I will handle this by myself. Oracle, if my monitors show I am dead, then by all means send in the assault team, prepared to battle aliens and androids. I have an idea they won't be needed though."

Batman pulled his mask over his face striding down the hall quickly and rushing down the stairs, ignoring the elevator. As soon as he walked in, he saw the hole in the universe. Before he could blink, Barry Allen's vibrating form was in front of him as if he had teleported, no lightning anywhere, no sound.

"No back up?" he asked Wayne, not surprised.

"I guessed I wouldn't need it."

The team and support group walked from the breach, Kara at the lead, Lexie behind her, holding a masked Charlie. Lexie insisted and Oliver gave in.

"We heard you were at war so we brought warriors." Kara told him.

"Hi scary man. I like your costume. You look like Dark Rader… Dark Vader. Is it Halloween here Mommy? Can I go trick or treating?" Lexie asked and waved at Bruce with a big smile from behind Kara's legs.

"I also brought my daughter, my puppy, my parents, friends, support team… you get the idea."

Bruce laughed. It had been a while since he had seen Kara and she was still the same, only her and Barry's chest pieces different, the coat of arms of the House of El with a lightning bolt through it, adorned both their chests.

"We will take all the help we can get."

"Is it safe here? For my daughter?"

"Watchtower is very secure." Bruce assured her.

"Okay… take me to my cousin. I have to see him, now."

"Of course Kara. I… I am truly sorry."

"I am too Bruce. Adam told me how he died."

"And I need to know exactly what happened to him. I need to see the autopsy report. I am sorry but I have to make sure before we go any further that the same doesn't happen to Kara. I need to know how the Kryptonite under Doomsday's skin affected his cells and to what extent her radiation blocker may protect her." Caitlin told him as gently as possible. They were here now and her number one priority was protecting her best friend and her little niece.

"Autopsy? We weren't able to do an… he is indestructible and we don't keep Kryptonite anywhere near this place." Batman explained.

"He is indestructible? Still?" Kara asked.

"Yes."

"Take me to him now. He is still alive."

"There is no heartbeat, no brain activity, he hasn't breathed… Kara, I am sorry, but he isn't alive."

"Kara has lost her powers from overexerting herself in the past and from pregnancy. I was able to operate on her when she was near death. If he is dead, his cells would not be metabolizing solar energy making him indestructible. No cellular death, no death." Cait argued.

"But, he has no signs of life, not for days since Diana brought him back." Bruce argued, confused but understanding Caitlin's point.

"He has a habit of sleeping through crises like Myriad." Kara pointed out. "He isn't dead, he is asleep. Take me to him now. Barry is going to wake him up."


	60. Chapter 60

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N Sorry for the delay. This was a long chapter with a lot of meetings and such and explanation, planning and preparing. The next chapter is going to be complex to since it will involve fights in three locations so it may take a while. So this one, the next one and an epilogue of sorts and we are done!

Chapter 60

Kara and Caitlin followed Bruce Wayne quickly, slowly to Kara's taste, down a large corridor, surprised to see the place went even deeper than she had imagined. Taking a look with her vision, she could see four stories below and three stories up until the ground which was littered with rubble that must have been a sky scraper. She had no doubt the building stood out in the middle of Kansas but Kara couldn't say anything. Her Justice League wasn't that subtle about using S.T.A.R. as a base of operations either. She knew Barry, her daughter and Charlie were behind her by the sound of their heartbeats. Eliza and Jeremiah were closing in and she heard the rest of the League decide to follow since no one else appeared to take them anywhere.

Batman opened a sealed door and the cold hit Kara immediately. Though it didn't bother her she knew what this was, a morgue, and wondered how many bodies were behind this door.

"Alex?"

"Yeah, I got her. C'mon with me Lexie dear. We got a lot to explore." Lexie hopped from her Daddy's arms into Aunt Alex's and Kara handed Charlie to Winn and walked inside. As she suspected there were multiple bodies and she didn't have the heart to ask who they belonged to.

"Where is he?" she whispered.

"Here." Bruce walked over to a table in the middle of the room. A large table was in the middle, a body on top covered by sheets. Barry pulled the sheet back gently and Kara gasped. She had prepared herself for this, but seeing him not breathing, no heartbeat, she could always hear his heartbeat.

"I… I'm sorry Kara." Bruce whispered. "He saved my life, many times, and he became one of my best friends. He was a good man, one of the greatest I have ever known and he loved you so deeply… he died a hero."

"He's not dead. I can't see through him." she pointed out.

"Let me look." Cait told her, feeling for a pulse and then trying to pinch his arm. The man was naked but at least he had a sheet over much of his body.

"Lois wasn't sure what to do, she wanted you to come… she wasn't sure if he should be sent to space or buried in the ground. We haven't touched his body since he came in, other to undress him, hoping we could find some Kryptonite in him, something we could remove to save his life."

"He was beaten to death?" Barry asked.

"Yes, Doomsday struck him directly in the chest. He had multiple bruising and lacerations before this but I think that was the blow that stopped his heart and caused traumatic brain injuries."

"Yet the lacerations are gone." Kara reminded him. "No bruising. Cait, do you see bruising?"

"No, I don't. He is healing." she whispered. Batman looked surprised. They had laid Kal El in this morgue of fallen heroes and left him undisturbed after Lois had tearfully looked at him one last time.

"I hadn't noticed…" the man admitted.

"What the hell is going on in here?" a new voice asked, walking in. All turned to see a large white man, dark hair and eyes, probably in his mid forties walking in quickly. He seemed to be in decent shape, broad shoulders, large muscular arms and obviously strong.

"Dr. Michaels, thie is Kara, Kal…"

"I know who she is. The whole world does." the doctor admitted, his anger falling away quickly. "I apologize for my rudeness. I wasn't sure who was… there are family members of the support team and staff staying here and I didn't want anyone disturbing your cousin. My condolences… I understand it is Mrs. Allen now?"

"Yes doctor. We don't believe he is dead. I understand that he has no heartbeat or brain activity at the moment but…"

"Ma'am I understand. I know the two of you were close. He was a great man…"

"He's not dead." Caitlin told him.

"And who are you?"

"Dr. Caitlin Snow."

"And you are a medical doctor?"

"No, I am a bio engineer and the foremost expert on Kryptonian physiology. He has been healing, the bruises are gone and he is still indestructible."

"He is Superman, of course…"

"He isn't a machine. When I first met Kara, the Kryptonite inside her nearly killed her. It prevented her from metabolizing the sun's energy and weakened her body. Have you ever performed surgery on a Kryptonian Doctor?"

"No but… she needs air, doesn't she?"

"I have studied Kara's cells for the past five years. I know what makes her tick, I know when her powers are in danger of blowing out, I know when her cells aren't metabolizing solar rays at an acceptable rate. Whenever she is in battle I watch every vital sign and how every part of her reacts, down to her normal blood pressure when using heat vision. When she is harmed by Kryptonite she can be weak, she can be killed. Once the Kryptonite is gone she is fine. He probably doesn't have any further signs of life because he is underground with no solar rays. I need a scanner to be sure but if his cells are obviously still emitting some power and there is no Kryptonite in him, he can be brought back, the same way a drowning victim can be brought back after being in freezing water for longer than ten minutes."

"You are not going to scan his body. Has Lois found out about this Bruce? She is his wife. Supergirl is having a difficult time coming to grips with this and if you fill her with false hope…"

"Sara?" Kara asked, noting the blonde was standing behind the doctor. Sara slapped the man's brachial artery from behind and Ray caught him, gently placing him on the ground.

"No offense Bruce, but I don't need anyone telling Caitlin what she can't do. She is a miracle worker. He has a point though, keep Lois away for now, have someone get whatever sun room I am sure you have here ready and let the good doctor sleep it off. Oh, and we need that cellular scanner please. He has been like this too long and though he is healing we need to kick start it, if it will be safe."

"Kick start it how?" Bruce asked, while sending a text to Lucy to bring the device Kara needed to the morgue quietly without alerting suspicion and to have someone prepare the sun room.

"I was near death, my heart actually stopped because of the Kryptonite in my body and Caitlin used a defibrillator on me. She saved my life. No Kryptonite or red sun rays, no death. Even when I blow my powers out my body heals before my power comes back. If he took the beating you say he did then he is probably in a comatose state, one that resembles death, but he is not dead. If he was placed underground, no sunlight at all or like he is now, eventually his cells would depower and there would be no coming back. Thats why time is of the essence."

"So we need a defib?" Batman asked.

"My husband is the strongest defibrillator in any universe." Kara told Wayne, pulling Barry close to her. Barry just looked at Kal El, his mind going back a little over five years ago, seeing Kara on that operating table and thinking that this could have been her. She was injured so severely, the Kryptonite in her system weakening her, blood leaving her body, that there would have been no coming back.

Lucy was surprised to see the entire League here, only expecting Barry and Kara. She recognized them all from Nyssa and Alex's wedding.

"Kara? I am so glad to see you, but you shouldn't be here… Is that your dog Winn is holding? Where is Lexie?"

"With Alex on the level just below us." she said, her eyes still on Kal El.

"You brought her here?! Kara this planet could explode…"

"Not going to happen Lucy. I went through a lot of trouble to save this world once. I'm not letting some galactic goon destroy it now. I have a lot more help now also. Alex and I both do. We will win. Just have a little hope, okay?"

Lucy nodded and directed the two new men to roll the cellular scanner inside, not knowing why Kara wanted it and trying to ignore the fact that Dr. Michaels was passed out on the ground. Considering the blonde standing over him, she doubted he fainted. It was obvious by the way Caitlin had pulled open Kal El's eyelid that they were looking for signs of life. Lucy had been comforting her sister for days while also trying to organize some sort of attack and defense of this base and knew it was hopeless. Perhaps this was Kara's way of coming to grips with it.

Cait moved the scanner over Kal El's body, looking at the screen. She checked the magnification a couple times while Jeremiah and Eliza joined her.

"He is emitting power." Caitlin concluded. "It is weak though. His body may continue to heal but he is going to need a jolt and a lot of solar rays or it could eventually use up all the stored energy and true death would begin. No Kryptonite or other radiation in his system so we should be good. Barry, you are up. If we can't get him breathing before his cells run out of power all the solar rays in the universe won't bring him back."

Barry stepped up and took off his gloves. He laid his hands on Kal El's chest and began vibrating. Everyone in the room stepped back except for Kara. Lighting was swirling around him and his form was less solid. Barry for his part, never took his eyes off Kal, and reached for the man's cells. He strained to get through, his body different than Kal's. He and Kara had an easier time matching vibrations when… he let that thought go and concentrated.

Once he felt joined to the man, Kal El began blurring as well. The table he laid on shook but did not break. The lightning began to break the light bulbs and everyone backed out of the room completely, Batman dragging the chief of medicine for the Justice League out into the hall.

Kara stood completely still next to her husband, ignoring the lighting around him.

Barry screamed as if he was in pain. Kara nearly stopped him until the entire room lit up, even her hair standing on end and Kal El's body glowed. Barry stopped, becoming solid and fell into his wife's arms. He as breathing heavily, taking Kara's attention away from the table until she heard it.

Kal's heart was beating, slowly but there. He took a shallow breath and continued, his chest slightly rising and falling. Kara steadied Barry who was smiling.

"That was not easy. He is a big guy. Looks like it worked though." he whispered, out of breath. The gathered crowd walked back in slowly, Batman and the support team shocked to see the Man of Steel breathing. Kara picked her large cousin up in her arms.

"Where is the sun room?"

"Two levels up. Get a rolling bed…" Bruce ordered before realizing Kara was gone. She had made it up the two levels, taking the stairs she had seen earlier and used her X ry vision to find the solar powered bed, the same type she was very familiar with. It could have been the one she used at the old DEO. Turning the lights to full strength, she stood by his bed, watching every breath he took.

"You can wake up anytime now. I know you like to sleep when I am trying to save the world but I could really use you this time." she whispered in his ear.

"Kara?"

Kara turned and saw Lois in the door, Cat by her side.

"What are you doing here?" Cat demanded.

"Saving this planet and my husband and best friend are saving my cousin's life." she answered.

"Saving…" Cat started before Lois gasped, looking around Kara. On the solar bed, her husband was breathing.

"How…"

"He wasn't dead, just in a very deep coma. The power in his cells were keeping him from completely dying. If he can't be cut or injected then he is still alive. We Kryptonians are hard to keep down, unless radiation is affecting us like Krytponite. Or magic. Yeah magic definitely sucks. Caitlin figured it out and Barry gave him a couple million volts of electricity directly into his cells. He started breathing and his heart started beating. He just needs time and sun, a lot of sun. "

Lois threw herself at Kara, wrapping the woman in a hug that had she been human, would have crushed her.

"He's really going to be okay?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.

"He really is. We all are. Take care of him. I need to find out everything about this monster in the spaceship so I can beat the hell out of him."

Kara moved towards the door but stopped, calming down, her emotions and adrenalin on high, she stopped in front of Cat and wrapped her arms around the woman.

"Adam and Carter are safe. They know what to do if we don't make it back and we have friends left behind who will help them. As soon as this is over, we will get them back to you, I swear."

"And your daughter? Is someone taking care of her who knows how special she is?"

Kara sighed. "My daughter is here."

"What?! Do you not realize this planet could blow up any second?"

"I couldn't leave her behind. Too many people would be out to get her if they found out we were gone. If it looks bad, Cisco is getting her and everyone else out. The planet won't just blow up randomly. When a core becomes unstable, there are earthquakes all over the world. Massive earthquakes, underwater as well. The seas boil, volcanoes erupt, random wild fires happen, animals will die in mass, then the real big earthquakes really begin and do not stop. Sinkholes open up around the world, tectonic plates shift and tsunamis occur all over. Trust me Cat, I know the signs. I lived them and it won't happen here."

Kara moved off, looking for Bruce Wayne. She needed to find out exactly what was going on and formulate a plan to stop it.

While Kara's husband and friends were bringing Superman back from near death, Lexie was wandering the halls of Watchtower, holding Aunt Alex's hand. The halls were brightly lit but the place had the feel of a Cold War fall out bunker.

Neither said anything until they walked into a room called the Hall of Honor, judging by the plate on the door. Walking inside, Alex was shocked, not only due to the size of the room but the artifacts in it. Picking up Lexie, the two looked around, seeing costumes on mannequins and photos on the cases.

"What are these? Is this where they keep their costumes like we do at the big circle?"

"I'm not sure." Alex told her until the two walked up to a glass case holding a red spandex body suit. Alex couldn't quite place the fabric but the date under the name of birth and death told her what she needed to know. The name Eel O Brian meant nothing to her but the words Plastic Man underneath gave her an idea that he had been a League member.

"He was a good guy." a deep voice told the two. They turned and saw who Alex thought was Victor Stone. She remembered him from Kara's wedding but he did not look like this. Half of him was robotic and she understood the name Cat Grant had given him now.

"Victor right?"

"Yep. Pleased to see you again, Alex. Wish it was in better circumstances. Now you little lady, the last time I saw you, you were a little pea in your Mommy's belly."

"You are like half robot." Lexie whispered in awe. Alex internally groaned, hoping Lexie didn't say anything too offensive.

"You look soooo cool." she said a bit louder, causing Victor to smile. "Your eye is red. Can it burn like mine?"

"Burn? Oh you mean like your mommy? No, I don't shoot lasers from my eye but I do have a really big gun that I can attach to this arm where my metal hand is now."

"Sweet! Can I see it? I wanna see it. Want to see me burn eyes? If Mommy or Daddy are here I can show you and then you can show me the big gun. You should see Aunt Alex's helmet! It is so cool. I played with it yesterday. Can you make things turn red? I can see people in her helmet but they are red. I like looking through things better but it…"

"Who told you that you could play with my helmet?" Alex interrupted. Lexie looked at her, frozen for a moment, then smiled.

"Unca Ollie."

"That figures. So, I guess this is to honor the members who are no longer… with you?"

"Yeah some of them. Others are still around. We haven't had a chance to put Kal's suit up yet. Lois couldn't handle it right now anyway. Poor woman has been a wreck. But some of them are just reminders of heroes who went above and beyond, risked their lives for others or saved a lot of people at once. Check out the far wall."

Alex walked around the different mannequins, noting some of them had no birth or death dates, glad not all of them were gone. Her breath stopped when she walked around the last mannequin and saw the uniform she had not seen outside of the capeless one in Kara's private room at S.T.A.R.

The bright blue top and red skirt were present, as well as a replica cape. It was framed and on the bottom a plaque that read _Kara Danvers, Supergirl. She saved the world._ Next to it was an enlarged photo, probably from the video Diggle had seen at Wayne Manor of Kara lifting Fort Roz into space, one of the top three worst days in Alex's life.

"Is that Mommy? I sort of saw that costume in her room but it was tore up real bad. She would never tell me how that happened."

"Yeah, thats your Mommy. She told you about different Earths like the one we are on now? This is where me and Mommy and Grandpa and Grandma lived, on this Earth. That big thing she is lifting was something that was going to hurt a lot of people. Mommy sent it into space."

"Cool… why doesn't she wear the costume anymore? Its pretty."'

"I think she likes to match your Daddy." Alex said, not wanting to get into that story.

Victor laughed quietly at the girl's wide eyed wonder. It must be something, having female role models like she had in her family. "Check out the one next to it." he told Alex.

Alex hadn't noticed the frame next to it but she did now. Her old DEO uniform was inside, including two service weapons she had used when she first joined. Next to it was a photo of what looked like a satellite photo of Kara's pod… and Kara floating in space. She looked back at the frame not wanting to relive that moment. It was then she noticed the engraving on the bottom of her framed suit.

 _Alex Danvers, Supergirl's hero._

"I wanted to put Alex Danvers, she kicked Alien ass but J'onn said no. He is the one who put it together. He said of all the things you both did, that was the bravest thing either of you had ever pulled off. It is something, Alex."

"Mommy always says Aunt Alex is her hero. She said Daddy and Caitlin are too, but Aunt Alex is her biggest. She said I wouldn't have been born if not for Aunt Alex and not being born would have stunk. Did you know we have the same name?"

"Yeah, J'onn talks about all of you all the time. Did Aunt Alex ever tell you about getting your Mommy from space?"

"No, but Mommy did. She tells the coolest stories. She said she got lost in space and Aunt Alex helped her find her way home again. I've never gotten lost. I have really good eyes and can see far away."

"We all get lost at some point in our lives. When you got good people like you have watching over you, then you will always find your way back home. Why don't you guys come up to the top level. I know a lot of people will be glad to see you."

Alex nodded and let Lexie slide down as she obviously wanted to. Standing up straight, the little girl straightened her mask, checked her boots were on the right feet and twisted a bit to see if her cape was appropriately swooshing. Finding everything in order, she took Alex's hand and followed her out.

"This is gonna be fun huh? I've never got to save a world before. Do we get to do this a lot?"

"More times than I would like." she told her niece.

On the top level, the Justice League of Earth 3 who were not in the field stood in the cavernous room. The level was a circle with work stations and giant monitors covering every inch of the walls, monitoring situations around the world. Vasquez sat in the middle, next to Oracle, keeping track of the world and the members fighting while Barbara continued to try to hack into one of the four stations, or the space ship above and having no luck. Many of the heroes had just returned, being replaced by others to battle the android armies and help the population centers blasted by the ship above. Others were evacuating towns and cities when Diana couldn't steer Doomsday from a populated place. The entire room looked as if it were playing multiple sci fi war movies but these were real. The elevator opened and most of the room turned to look, knowing Batman had greeted some breachers and wondering who they might have been.

Valkyrie and her short sidekick in a blue suit and red cape stepped out behind Victor Stone.

"Oh crap, some villain must have shrunk Kara. We are screwed." Dick Grayson whispered.

"What does screwed mean? Like with a screw driver thing?" Lexie asked Alex, hearing Grayson from across the room. Not that is was hard considering silence had filled the space the conversations had been.

"Hi everybody?" Alex offered, waving slightly. The door that led to the stairwell opened and the larger version of Kara walked out, the Flash by her side, followed by Batman and the rest of the Justice League.

Kara picked up Lexie and walked around, looking at the screens, smiling at people who said hi. Dick gave her a soft hug, not wanting to press Lexie and shook Barry's hand. Batman made quiet introductions, not wanting to cause a big scene. Work was going on, battles were being fought and this wasn't time for a party. The party would happen when they had won. He had all the pieces he needed now. He had made a gamble, one he felt was necessary. The solution to the problems they faced were not more superheroes, more soldiers, more weapons, more powers. The solution was having the right people in the right places at the right time and it could be dealt with quickly.

The Lanterns had been fighting this Darkseid for two years and tried to take him out using brute force. Brute force was not the answer. He had taken a risk sending off the pod. He wanted to send Dick or Dinah but neither wanted to leave the fighting and he himself was needed here. He also knew J'onn would try to stop him. The minute J'onn had left to join the fight in Wyoming, Batman had given Cat Grant what she wanted. The woman wanted her sons safe and Kara and her daughter safely away from the fighting. Bruce gave her one of those, betting that she wouldn't get the second and he was right. As expected Kara and Barry Allen had come, those loyal to them following as he had no doubt they would. The two inspired people.

While the new arrivals and current residents took one another in, two women locked eyes.

Slowly making their way across the room they met in the middle.

"It's really you. I mean… not… but it is." Dinah told her sister. The girl who despite their differences and Sara's wild lifestyle she still loved and grieved for after all these years.

"Yeah it… wow." Sara told her, tears streaming down her cheek. "I never thought I would see… I know its not you but it kind of is, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Dinah admitted. The two stared at each other, those around them not existing at the moment.

"Uh… I know that we aren't really the us that we know or whatever but could I … hug you?" Sara asked.

Her Laurel threw her black clad arms around Sara, both of them gripping onto each other as if they were afraid the other would disappear again. Everyone in the room knew what was happening and walked away, conversations quieted while the two shared a moment. Oliver watched from across the way, hood up so no one could see him cry, Speedy didn't hide the emotion in her eyes.

"Unca Ollie? Why is Sara cryin?" Lexie asked, having heard Unca Ollie upset, something she was not used to hearing. Thea picked up the little girl.

"One day, I bet you are going to have a little brother or sister." she told Lexie. "When you do, you will understand why there is nothing siblings won't do for each other. Despite the differences and the arguments and brothers almost beating to death a guy you were seeing, nothing will ever break that bond. Laurel and Sara are sisters and haven't seen each other in a long time and are happy."

"But they found each other now? Kinda like how Mommy and Aunt Alex always find each other?"

"Exactly like that." Thea agreed.

"Then be happy Unca Ollie." Lexie hopped out of Thea's arms and raced to her Daddy, jumping on his back in one leap. Barry grunted a bit, surprised but knew it was her. He let her stay for the moment since nothing was being talked about at the moment that was gruesome. He and Kara were listening to Bruce give them a run down of events. Oliver walked up to them, pulling Lexie off of Barry's back, holding the little caped super heroine but focused on Bruce.

"Lets cut to the chase Bruce. What is your plan?" the Arrow asked.

"What makes you think I have a plan? It doesn't appear as if I am having any luck." Bruce said neutrally.

"Because if you didn't have a plan you would have sent us a warning to prepare for war in our universe. Instead you brought us here. If you wanted us here it is because you need us for a specific job, a job you think can win this thing. You always have a plan Bruce, so tell us what you need. I have appointments next week and am arranging a showing in Coast City Kara doesn't realize she is having yet."

"I am? You are? I told you…"

"That you don't like to spend time away from Lexie to do an exhibit but since you have a very nice penthouse there now we can all make it a weekend getaway that will not require leaving your daughter. You can even bring Charlie. He will help out the free spirited artist rep I have been building for you. Lets get to business."

"Kara!"

The blonde turned to find her sister in law, walking up, not happy. Then she saw why.

"I came to battle, not babysit your dog! Take him."

"I thought Ray had him?"

"He did and passed him off to Jefferson who caught me by surprise and tossed him into my arms. Now no one will take him."

Kara took Charlie from Nyssa and Bruce indicated they should all follow him.

"I need to know where the lab is that is working on the Doomsday creature. I need to know everything about him. I have to figure out a way to kill it." Jeremiah argued. Bruce looked at Lucy, who escorted Jeremiah away, Eliza following.

The team walked through an exit door that slid up as Wayne approached and were immediately in a giant conference room. Some were already seated, a host of characters Kara had never met before including one guy in a hat and overcoat that resembled a detective from the forties. The hat covered his face and he looked down at the table so she couldn't be exactly sure of his facial features but he seemed mysterious if nothing else. Another man had a gold helmet on and a gold cape, the rest his body covered in blue.

Everyone took a seat, including Lexie.

"Uh, Kara we have a play area for the kids of employees…" Bruce started before being interrupted by the little girl.

"I'm stayin."

"Lexie why don't you let…" Sara tried.

"I'm stayin." the girl told her again.

"Aren't you hungry though? We could get you some lunch? Do you like chicken nuggets?" Dinah asked. Lexie's ears perked up.

"I'm listenin."

"We have french fries…"

"Curly or straight?"

'Both."

"Straight are borin. Any ice cream?"

"I bet we can find some." the Black Canary told her with a smile.

"Lets go Sara. By Mommy and Daddy. Come find me when I am done eaten then we can save the world."

The two Canaries walked out, Superwoman junior between them, leaving Bruce Wayne actually smiling.

"Okay, first I deeply thank you for all being here. I recognize the sacrifices and risks you are all taking. Oliver was correct, I do have a plan, but I needed you all. I especially needed you Zatanna."

Zatanna looked up from her nails, surprised. "Me?"

"Yes. I will explain shortly. The situation as we have it…" Bruce stopped talking when the door slid up once again, two men walked in, one black and one white, dressed identically in black and green costumes, the green glowing. Kara noted both men had rings on their right ring fingers, glowing bright green as well. Barry tensed and began vibrating, nearly standing up, thinking they may be Kryptonite.

"Calm down Flash. No Kryptonite, just epic awesomeness. Hal Jordan, pleased to meet everybody. I was actually supposed to join up with you guys a couple years ago but we have been busy getting our butts kicked across three universes in the past few years. Hopefully when this is over we can hook up. I heard you guys were the fun Justice League. That would be a change. Only one brooding guy and he doesn't have a bat fetish right?"

Bruce sighed.

"Everyone, the man who never shuts up is Hal Jordan. He is a member of the Lantern Corp. Next to him is the man who is much smarter, John Stewart. John is a founding member of our League."

"Excuse me, Lantern Corp? Who does the naming around here? I know Cat Grant can do better than that." Cisco pointed out.

"Our power comes from… our corp is known by many titles in many languages across the universe. The best translation in English is green lantern. The color is referring to the glowing radiation that powers our rings and gives us the power to confront the forces of evil who threaten to destroy the balance and harmony of the universe. The lantern translation is because our corp is s symbol of hope of light in the darkness for those…"

"Look at the symbol on our chest guy. Look at the glow. Green Lantern. If you can do better I am all ears. I'm not married to it, okay?" Hal offered, cutting off Stewart who could be kind of preachy at times. Cisco nodded his head in respect.

"I'll give it some thought before you get to us, Hal. I can tell you are going to be much more fun than this dude."

"I am not here for fun." Stewart told him calmly. "Many Lanterns have died trying to defeat this creature. This is not a game."

"If it was I would question your strategy." Oliver told him.

"Excuse me?"

"You have been fighting this battle for three years, lost many of your brothers and sisters and still are not any closer to winning while billion of lives are being destroyed. Bruce, you were saying something about a plan?"

"Have a seat you two. We can do introductions for everyone who is not familiar later. This is our situation. A ship breached our universe two years ago. We watched it move closer to our planet but were not aware of its intentions until John told us. The ship had been siphoning off heat from the liquid outer core of the Earths and any planet that had a liquid or outer liquid core. The man in control of the ship calls himself Darkseid. We believe he uses the power to further fuel his weapons and is storing some, perhaps for some planet of his own. Regardless when John told us this…"

"Why were we not called immediately?" Kara asked.

"Because … Because Diana, J'onn and Kal El wanted you all to not be at risk. They were convinced we could handle this. Some of us wanted to contact you immediately but we couldn't exactly overpower the three most powerful members of our league. I convinced J'onn to allow the work on the pod to continue in the event that if defeat was imminent we could send a warning to you all. Once J'onn left yesterday to assist Diana, I sent Carter and Adam with Cat's blessing. She thought her sons could convince you to stay away. I knew better. Now that you are here we can end this."

"Thank you. So this ship entered your orbit?" Barry asked.

"Yes, and once it did, it struck quickly. We knew it was coming of course but it accelerated. The Lanterns have been attacking by the thousands, the reason the sky glows green at night. They have yet to breach the hull. He was able to send massive armies to the ground through a teleportation device of some sort."

"He actually beamed them down? Cool… I mean horrible." Cisco corrected.

"The armies are android from what we can tell, powered by the ship remotely. There are humanoids with them, women of differing superpowers who John calls Furies. One is stationed at each base. They spread out and set up bases within ten hours of landing. The bases are impossible to get into. The androids stay outside of the field with a Fury who seems to be in command. We aren't sure who is inside the bases. The base is a giant half globe from the outside but inside there is a mechanism that is drilling into the Earth and setting up reactors to absorb heat. These bases are in Yellowstone National Park over the Yellowstone Caldera, Lake Toba in Indonesia, Aira Caldera in Japan and Taupo Caldera in New Zealand. From what Barbara can determine these reactors are going through the easiest paths to get to the core, the super volcanoes already present. We all know what happens if even one of these erupts. If the molten lava is pulled out, the outer core hardened from loss of heat, the tectonic plates fall in on themselves, magnetic poles shift, eruptions happen all over the world and eventually the Earth actually loses its integrity, collapsing then…"

"Exploding." Kara finished, fighting off the shiver she felt. She would always remember the explosion of her planet as she left but she would also always remember the quakes and boiling seas.

"Yes. The androids outside aren't the most technically advanced, but they are tough. It takes a more than a few shots to kill them and anything less than very high caliber weapons won't put a dent in them. The superpowers the women have differ, we can go over them shortly. One of the problems we face is the power plants themselves. We have no idea how many androids or creatures are inside. The heat signatures underneath makes infrared obsolete. We do suspect that if one is turned off a defense mechanism will send the others into immediate shut down mode. Barbara is guessing this is a worst case scenario. That means lava is sent back into the core, at an uncontrolled rate, still causing massive casualties on the planet. The eruptions and shifting of plates would bring extinction level events. They all have to be turned off at the same time to be safe, meaning four teams have to breach these bases and take control at once. Arthur has the Atlanteans ready in Indonesia, and Queen Hippolyta has offered us the services of an Amazon strike team in New Zealand. I will take one team in myself and I was hoping your League could take another? The militaries of the world have agreed to do as we ask. They have realized they cannot defeat these androids. It isn't just that they are hard to kill, they are also easily replaceable, never seeming to diminish in number and have weapons including rifles that can take down fighter jets with one shot. They can't beat this army but they can distract them."

"And how do you plan to bring down the shields?" Nyssa asked.

Bruce sat back and grinned. "Magic. Meet Dr. Hector Hall, the man once known as Hector Hall anyway. He is now known as Fate…"

"Doctor Fate!" Cisco added quickly. "Thats mine. Too cool not to have a doctor in it."

Bruce ignored him and continued. "This lady," he indicated to a corner no one, not even Kara had noticed anyone in, "is known as Raven."

A slim woman walked out, her body covered in a tight black dress with slits up the side high enough that if Barry ever saw Lexie in something like that he would forbid her from ever leaving the house. She had stilettos on underneath adding to her height but the real mystery was her face. No one could see it, covered by a simple black hood over her head, and a long flowing black cape that reached the ground and wrapped around her arms.

"Good name." Cisco admitted.

"And this man is… well, how should I introduce you?"

The man in the overcoat and brown fedora hat looked up from the table. At least everyone thought he looked up.

"How many people are we going to meet that have no face?" Barry asked before Kara kicked him under the table.

"I have been called many names throughout history." the eery disembodied voice told the room. It seemed to emanate from him. "The walker, the ghost, the phantom, the stranger…"

"Phantom Stranger! Called it. You are welcome. Be glad its me and not Cat okay? She would have given you something totally lame, trust me. Like Captain Faceless or some equally unimaginative crap… she isn't near right?. Probably not, Okay so yeah Phantom Stranger."

Everyone in the room looked at Cisco, who threw up his hands.

"I'm done, okay? But c'mon we came to this universe to save their butts. I got us here. I think I should be allowed to name a few, right?"

"He has a point." Carter admitted. "Did you say your name used to be or is Hector…"

"We can talk later Khufu. Yes I know you and your priestess. Let us concentrate on the task at hand, then I can tell you all you want to know. Now that we have a fourth powerful sorceress, we can take down the walls at once by linking our magical energies even from great distances."

"You can't just teleport a team in? Zatanna can." Ray bragged.

"No I can't. I had a hard time getting through Shadow Walker's dark matter field to bring John back. Without knowing exactly how strong this energy field is and what exactly is on the inside I could open a portal inside a reactor, killing them the second they appeared. It has to be brought down and the team has to enter, unnoticed. I've never linked magic. My spells work through speech…"

"Because you honor your father. We will help you break that block tonight, if you will work with us." Fate offered. "You are more powerful than you think. You only limit yourself."

Harry stood up. "That is a wall of energy. Energy can be manipulated overcome, blocked, countered. No magic is needed."

"I assure you our brightest minds have come up with no physical solution to the problem Dr. Wells." Batman told him.

"Your brightest minds are idiots compared to Martin and I… and Lexie. I will go and… she… we aren't going to base the fate of this world on magic. I need to be there… she is our team…"

"Give it up Harry, we all know you two have been sleeping together for years." Ray told him, his mind already on a solution to the problem at hand but tired of the back and forth these two played. If he was worried he should just say he was worried.

"Whatever…" Harry took a deep breath, looked at Zatanna and sat back down. "I'm going with her."

"You can't. I need you here Harry." Barry told him.

Before the man could ask why, Stewart spoke up. "You have forgotten about one small thing, Bruce, the very large ship above. It is in orbit but can be anywhere in minutes. It has a massive weapon, a laser than reaches a quarter mile in diameter and destroys anything it touches. Trying to breach the ship is impossible. If one gets to close the weapons automatically fire, powerful enough to breach our protective barriers. Many of us have died trying to get into that ship,"

"Then I guess we find another way. You are sure that Darkseid is a man?" Kara asked.

"Yes, from what we can tell."

"And the only humanoid figures you have seen on the ground are super powered females?"

"Yes."

"Then I will breach the ship. Winn can you hack it?"

"He won't get a chance to." Oracle told the group. "The system is not using our satellites or wi fi towers. It is using its own form of communication. I know it is cybernetic in origin but I don't have a target to hit. Whatever form of wi fi he is using I can't find. If we can get in, from what I have heard about Winn, if anyone can crack an alien ship it is him. We just don't have a way."

"And if I can get a device of some sort onto the ship, is it possible to establish a connection?"

"Possible. I don't know. He could be running the ship on magic for all I know." Oracle admitted.

"Okay. I will figure it out when I am on board." Kara decided. Barry dropped his head but didn't say a word. He knew what they would both be facing and had somehow come, not to terms but an acceptance. Neither thought this battle would be fought from the safety of Watchtower.

"On board?" Stewart asked. "You plan to find a way on board that has eluded the most powerful force for peace in the Universes and take on a monster while hacking into its system and disabling the weapons? Your cousin could not stand up to those weapons and can't fly in space. This man landed on the first Earth he destroyed with his invasion force. Ten Lanterns attacked him and ten Lanterns died. He is more powerful than anyone in this room or the Lantern Corp."

Kara looked over at Hal Jordan and winked. "I'm glad you are coming to join us too, Hal. You seem to be the fun Lantern. I need a way to communicate with him. Can I at least send a request he may pick up?"

"I can handle that Kara. I can't send a line to him but I can broadcast a series of radio signals that I am sure his sensors will pick up." Winn offered.

"Take Barry and me with you, Kara." Oliver asked quietly.

"You are needed on the ground Oliver. Our League have to take one base. Barry has another job. No matter what Jeremiah finds, he isn't going to be able to kill this thing, is he Bruce?"

Bruce shook his head.

"Who created this monster again? Are there any others we are going to have to worry about?" Barry asked Batman quietly, looking at the desk.

"We watched Luther in prison, thinking he may have had someone who could have taken this creature from the Order to hide. That was a dead end as he is kept in complete isolation in a high security black site prison. Next we looked at Max Lord. Since Max was kicked off of Dr. Danver's team we suspected he would try something. Instead he did nothing. It was business as usual, selling rich men's toys and high tech gadgets, out in public, holding press conferences and basically being Maxwell Lord. After Doomsday appeared we tracked him down and he was at a beach house in Maui. Then it occurred to me, that a man who was zealous enough to take a brain dead girl and turn her into an exact replica of Kara would not just give up. I did a little more research into those around him. Three days after Maxwell Lord's removal from the inter dimensional travel project, his Chief Operating Officer Simon Garrett, died in a small plane crash over Alaska. Bodies were found but unrecognizable and because of personal items on the bodies DNA checks were not done. I believe this was due to bribes or carelessness of local investigators. Garrett's age, height and weight were similar to Lord's. Lord disappeared for a few months, maintaining a low profile then emerged once more, making headlines, glorifying himself. It didn't fit. I tracked down the so called Maxwell Lord, who I deduced was actually Garrett and beat him until he gave me the location of the real Maxwell Lord. Helena and I found him in lair built into a cavern in New Mexico. He and a small staff had been working with this monster, improving it so to speak. He had been working with the Order and given control of Doomsday three days before we arrived at the final Cadmus hideout. They didn't think the creature could be controlled under Metropolis much longer. He began to feed on energy and the energy of the city made it difficult for him to be drugged. Massive amounts of sedatives were continuously administered on his cross-country trip."

"And the lack of an abundance of electricity in New Mexico made him easier to handle right?" Wells guessed.

"Yes, and when the energy fields went up around the enemy bases, Lord figured Doomsday could feed off the energy and destroy the armies. He was certain a neurological implant would give him complete control over the monster. He was wrong. Instead the creature went for the nearest city and began a path of destruction that hasn't stopped. Lord was holed up, not having any plan or anywhere to go." Wayne finished.

"And where is he now?" Alex asked, desperately wanting the man in front of her so she could beat him to death.

"In Nanda Parbat. I have recently become reacquainted with Talia Al Ghul…"

"Reacquainted themselves for a few weeks right here at Watchtower." Cyborg added. "Reacquainted all night sometimes. This place isn't as sound proof as Bruce seems to think it is."

"Regardless…" Batman continued, scowling at his friend…" Talia was kind enough to take him off our hands. He is in the hands of the League of Assassins, her League and will be subject to her justice. That is all I know and all I care to know. He will not be a problem again. Barry, what do you need from us? I know you have given this thought since you found out…"

"I've been thinking about this for five years Bruce. Diana is fighting this thing now? Donna, can you and Firestorm accompany me to their location? I am sure she needs a break and we need to lure this thing to the Coahuila Desert in Mexico."

"Barry…" Caitlin started then gave up.

"Its largely uninhabited. Where is the creature now?" he asked.

"Diana has it in Utah at the moment. She managed to bait it into the salt flats. She is nearly done but won't come in." Victor told the man.

"I will take her place." Donna told them. Jax and Stein stood up and touched hands, the room growing much warmer as they merged.

"Tell Diana to come back to Watchtower and rest." Kara told her friends. "I need her as healed as possible. Also if anyone can figure out a way to wake up my cousin in the next 24 hours I would appreciate it. If he sleeps through another world ending scenario I'm so done with him."

The meeting broke up, Kara and Barry finding Lexie, who had just finished off her 24 chicken nuggets, two orders of curly fries and pint of strawberry ice cream before the wide eyes of Dinah Lance.

"You get used to it." Sara told her sister with a soft laugh, looking adoringly at the Justice League Princess with her mouth covered in pink.

"Hey princess." Kara greeted her. "Ready to get cleaned up? Daddy is going to have to go for a run in a little bit and then we are going to play for a bit, take a bath and go to bed."

Barry picked up his daughter, who wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Don't go. Please?"

"I have to but I will be back soon. I am going to beat up a bad monster so he can't hurt anyone again."

"Me and Mommy can come!"

"Not this time. You both have your own jobs to do. This is your first mission, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Mommy is going to have to fight another bad guy and you are going to have to protect everyone here. Cisco, Harry, Winn and Caitlin, Grandma and Grandpa, you understand? Only use your powers if you have to but you won't. Just do what Grandma tells you. She will let you know if you need to use them. If she says to follow her through one of Cisco's big breaches you need to do that to and Mommy and Daddy will be right behind you."

"Why would I leave?"

"Because if there are too many bad guys you have to get them away. Thats why Cisco is going to help you. You have to protect them right?"

"Yeah I guess. Is Charlie staying here too?"

"Yeah, he is. We are going to give you both baths and put you both to bed so you can be strong tomorrow." Kara told her.

"Do you have to leave right now, Daddy?"

"No he doesn't. We will get a head start Barry. It will take us that long to get to the battle site." Donna offered, walking up behind her with Firestorm. "You will know when we are there and can be there in seconds. I think you should probably rest. It may take us all night to get him where he needs to be. You are going to need your strength. Rest and spend the night with your wife and daughter. When we have him where he is needed you will know."

"I can't let you…"

"Barry, we got this." Jax told him, then walked out behind Donna to figure out a way to the top so they could fly.

"Lets find a place to let her relax. Alex could you talk to Dad? I know he won't stop trying to find a way but explain about Max Lord. He needs his rest, they both do. In case Lexie has to protect them tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to him." Alex told her, giving her a hug and walking out. Cat found the family and began charming Lexie, taking in the beauty of the little girl. It had been too long since she had seen her but as expected, she was an angel, adorable dressed up like her mother. Even her golden hair was nearly as long as her mother's falling past her shoulders in little soft waves. Barry took their daughter and Charlie to a room Lucy had arranged and Kara stayed back with Cat, knowing the older woman wanted to speak privately.

"There is nothing I can say, is there?" she began. Kara crossed her arms and looked at the ground.

"No. I know Cisco can get her out and we have Amazons on our Earth too was you know, who will be waiting to hide her and our family if they return without us. She won't be alone. Thats the most important thing."

"The most important thing is you living Kara." Cat told her quietly. "She needs you, both of you."

"She needs a planet that won't be blown up one day by this Darkseid. So does Carter and I am going to get him back to you. I know its dangerous and I know the risk we are both taking but it has to be done Cat. Something like this can't be fought safely. People have already died, my cousin died technically. He didn't but he would have eventually. This has to happen."

"I know." Cat admitted. "I just wish it wasn't you. Of course that is what makes you who you are. I have two great sons, but I always wanted a daughter. You filled that role for me. Even when I couldn't get to you, knowing that you were safe, happy, it was enough for me. I knew you might come but I hoped Lexie would hold you back. I didn't want this Kara."

"And I don't want you to die, or Bruce, or Lucy or anyone. I want to end this and go home. Now that we know the frequency, we can hang out again. I can show you the ridiculous prices my art is selling for. I actually made a pretty big profit last year. I'm apparently having a show or something soon. I'd like for you to be able to be there. So I am going to beat this, we all are. We are going to survive. You have to believe in me, okay?"

"I always will. Go be with your daughter. I suppose you want to talk to this monster? I heard Winn asking Barbara about a radio signal?"

"Yeah, I have a plan, a reckless plan but better than anyone else has seemed to have. It will work, it has too."

"Then go rest, be with your daughter, find me before you go to save the world, okay? I love you Kara."

"I love you too Cat. I missed you so much." Kara told her, hugging her mentor. Checking with her vision, she held back a laugh watching Barry two floors below, singing Thriller for Lexie while Moonwalking. Lexie was going through her Michael Jackson phase for Daddy but had just gotten over demanding Pink songs from Mommy. She was sure Rihanna wasn't too far away.

While Kara and Barry sang to their daughter and kept her thoroughly entertained through bath time, Diana Prince was still fighting a battle against an enemy the likes of which she had never faced. The thing that killed her friend, that had killed countless. She had lost track of time days ago. She knew the sun rose and set but not how often. Her body hurt and she had not slept in a very long time but still she kept moving, using her shield to block strikes, slicing, stabbing the creature, lassoing him, until the energy was too much for her to even hold onto.

She had wounded it and it healed. She had been wounded but was healing slower and slower. The only way she could continue to fight this thing would be to completely heal herself, dropping to the Earth and drawing the power of Gaia straight into her body. Such an act took much out of her, leaving her vulnerable for over an hour. She simply couldn't afford to take the time.

Instead she blocked another swing with her shield and slammed her gauntlets together, the blast forcing both woman and monster back. Diana tried to stand, raising her sword, preparing to strike when she saw that Doomsday had made the first move and swung towards her on the ground.

Wonder Woman raised her shield, prepared for the blow but it never came. Dropping her shield, she saw the arm of the creature had been lassoed from above.

Donna Troy. Doomsday prepared to jump towards her, until his head was struck by a blast of nuclear energy by Firestorm, high above. Firestorm continued firing, Donna releasing her lasso so the creature could follow him.

"He feeds off energy! Jackson will make him more powerful! He is going to get killed! What are you both doing here?"

"Saving you. You look like hell. Don't worry about Jax. He and Stein know what they are doing. We are just going to bait him a bit, a couple hundred miles anyway. We don't have long."

"How did you get here?"

"Why didn't you bring us sooner would be a better question."

"This is not your fight!"

"It is now. Go back to Watchtower but heal yourself first. We have this. Once we get him in place he will be ended."

"How?" Diana asked, taking her sisters arm and standing.

"Barry is going to kill it." Donna explained. Diana did not need further explanation. She knew when her and Kal El could not take this thing that Barry Allen would be the only person who could possibly do what was needed to destroy the monster. She also knew that he could very well die in the process.

"Alexandra is in Watchtower, I assume?"

"Yes and Cisco is ready to take him and Kara's family back at a moments notice. Once they are back, Mother has arranged for our guard to accompany them back to Themyscira. She will be safe."

"Then I shall continue to fight with you. Give me an hour to heal and I will be…"

"Kara has a plan. She needs you at Watchtower, ready to move when the time is right. By the way, Superman isn't dead. Barry brought him back to life. Or I guess he never really was dead, but was just… I'm not that into science. You can probably ask your friend in black."

"He is alive?"

"Yeah so if you know any tricks to help him wake up Kara could really use him too. Go, we got this. Trust me sister."

Diana took Donna in. It has been nearly three years since she last the girl and she was no longer a girl. She had a warrior's look in her eye.

"I do."

Donna grabbed her sisters forearm in acknowledgement and left, taking to the air. Diana, exhausted, lay face first on the ground, pressing her hands deep into the soil as she prepared to heal.

That night in a field near a secret escape tunnel entrance to Watchtower Nyssa Zorel, lay on the grass looking at the stars, ignoring the green lights to the North and focusing on the constellations to the South sky. She was deep in thought but still heard the sounds of her wife's footsteps even over the soft grassy ground. She said nothing when Alex lay down beside her, gently taking her hand.

"Deep in thought?"

"I try not to be. Its peaceful to let your thoughts, your worry and fear go, but unfortunately tonight I am unable. We leave at Dawn, teleported by Zatanna to a location I have never been before, faced with thousands of robots and super powered women in command, all in attempt to raid an alien dome with a world destroying machine underneath it, not knowing what forces we will face. The odds of all four teams doing this successfully are…"

"Pretty damn good. If these Atlanteans are all like Arthur Curry and we know the Amazons won't lose, we should be fine. Wayne has his team ready, you have yours and we will win."

"I did my best to ignore the assumption Wayne made that Oliver was in control of our team."

"Yeah, I knew that pissed you off, but at least Oliver corrected him. He and Speedy have been fighting for the last hour in their training room. It's their method of bonding I suppose. He trusts you to lead his friends and him. I can't imagine that is easy for him."

"Perhaps. Alex, no matter what happens, you cannot protect me tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know. You can't protect me either."

"Yes I… listen, you have to swear, under no circumstances are you to take any brave actions to save me if I am in danger. Alex, I don't want to live without you. I would rather die. If you should fall, know that I will be behind you."

"What? Nyssa you can't…"

"I can and I will. I won't lose anymore and I won't go on without love. You are the only woman I will ever love. Without you I have nothing. So if you want me to live, fight for your own life. I will not leave this Earth alive if you are not alive as well."

"You are the leader. If I fall you still have to lead, you have always known that." a shaken Alex told her.

"And I will lead. I will fight to my last breath to do everything I can to see us successful. However you are the only one skilled enough to disable this machine. Oliver will not have Felicity in his ear, being his brain. Harry will be with Barry, and while we will have Cisco, his focus will be on his family, especially Lexie and Barry and Kara."

"Winn has Kara."

"My point is in the past we have fought together. This time we will be split, working with unknowns. working with soldiers, fighter planes, tanks… those who have not trained with us. It will be difficult enough for us to get through the battle field,,,"

"Oh, you haven't heard?"

"Heard what? I am the leader of this expedition. There is nothing to hear."

"I uh…" Alex started, wondering how to put this gently…"I thought you knew or would at least assume. I was upstairs finalizing the plans for the … plane."

"Plane? I am not a fan of planes unless I am in First Class."

"Yeah but, our teams could be destroyed going through the battle. It will be waged on all sides, especially since once the shield goes down, the base will be very vulnerable. The military has orders not to attack the base, only the androids if possible. We can't risk going in through the battle. We are going to have to jump. Once the field is down we enter from above. There are exhaust vents we think we can rip apart. The Atlanteans are going under the lake and the Amazon's are attacking en masse to form a path through but since we don't have super powered magical shields and swords and thousands of horses in battle armor, us and Wayne's team and parachuting in. We are going to hopefully do this before sun up in a few hours. Zatanna is sending us to an airfield."

"I did not agree to this!" Nyssa told her, turning on her side, taking in her wife and praying she was joking.

"It's the only way Nyssa."

"I'll be damned! I don't even know how to… jump out of a plane! This is ridiculous!"

"You are going to jump with me. You will be strapped to the front of me and I will handle everything. Tandem jumps are not a big deal. We have this, so relax."

"I will not relax. You plan to carry me as well as guide us… we could end up anywhere." Nyssa continued to argue.

"No we won't. I trust you in everything especially on the battlefield. Now you need to trust me. Wayne said J'onn is already on site. If we get taken by a strong crosswind and caught in trees he can help us and get us to the base. But it won't happen. I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

Nyssa took a deep breath and nodded. "I will always trust you, love." The woman laid back, Alex leaning over, placing her head on her wife's chest and relaxing, focusing on her wife's heartbeat. If she didn't she would worry about her parents, her niece, her dorky brother in law and her even dorkier sister who was planning something crazy. For now, for the next few hours as the moon moved across the sky, she only focussed on Nyssa's breathing. It was enough right now.

Barry and Kara lay inside the underground complex, Lexie finally having fell asleep between them, alternating looking at her and each other.

"Barry, if this actually works and I can pull it off, at least the first part, if I die…"

"Kara…"

"Run back in time, and let me know this is a bad idea, okay?"

Barry laughed, already having planned to do that, unless… he wasn't around to make it happen. He wasn't naive. He knew Jeremiah's concerns, he and Harry had talked about the risks, but he also knew he had no choice. He could end this before that monster killed anyone else or more heroes died trying to kill it.

"Barry? That was a joke. If I can take this ship down, don't do a thing. Who knows if every plan I come up with is not going to work? What if you accidentally change something that hurts other kids, causes them to lose their lives or even our daughter? She is the number one priority. If this fails, take her, take our family and leave. Do you understand?"

Barry gritted his teeth but said nothing.

"Barry? Swear to me. She is more important than I am. She has to be. If I die taking this thing down then leave it alone unless he succeeds in destroying this Earth. We all know the risks. I love you, I want to spend eternity with you and I do not plan to die but I have to know she is going to be safe, no matter what. Swear to me."

Barry took a deep breath and looked at his daughter lying between them, sleeping peacefully, still in her Superwoman suit she refused to change out of. Lexie was on a mission and if Mommy and Daddy were dressed for bad guys she would be as well.

"I swear." he whispered. "Please come back to us Kara."

"Make sure you are around when I do, okay?"

Barry nodded his head, hoping he could keep this promise. Though he knew he could run fast enough, he worried what would happen to him, to the planet, to the universe. He wanted to be there for Lexie and Kara, but the Flash could not allow a creature to live who was designed to kill his wife and now daughter.

"Kara?" Winn's voice cut into her com.

"Yeah?"

"He has responded. He has sent a wave out that I can break into and initiate conversation. I guess he is curious."

"Thank you Winn, I'm on my way." Kara turned off her com. "Only two hours. He is full of himself."

"What was the message you had Winn send out?"

"Kara Zor El challenges you. Anybody with that big of a ship has to have an ego to match. Stay here with Princess. You can listen on the com."

Kara moved, the League and support teams clearing a way for her to enter. She didn't recognize many of the heroes, she knew some were aliens but did not recognize the species. She asked for the lights to be dimmed and everyone stepped against the wall. She also noted Jordan and Stewart, in all his brooding greenness, had walked in.

"Cut me in Winn." she told him then took a deep breath. The lights turned completely off except for one lone light above Kara. She was the only visible object in the room the camera could capture. She wondered how long it would take Winn to cut in and didn't wait long. The monitors all went dark except one, the one with a face of a demon on it. He was as described, grey, thick skin resembling an alligator or perhaps what dinosaurs looked like. He was humanoid but she had no way to tell how tall he was, only that he was large from his width. His skin was gray and his lips and eyebrows darker and his eyes were a deep blood red and very large with no pupils. She had heard enough from the Lanterns to know what he could do with those eyes.

Around his head and under his chin was some sort of blue armor leading into an armored chest. While his body was most likely protected by this dark blue armor his face was open, no doubt to not interfere with the powerful blasts emitted from his eyes.

 _"_ _Kara Zor El. Shall we speak in Kryptonese or do you prefer English? Perhaps Latin? You studied the language in High School correct?"_

Kara was impressed by his mastery of Krytonese, even his accent was correct. She was not happy that he knew her educational records.

"English will be fine. Earth is my home."

"I suppose you had to find a home somewhere. Since unfortunately your cousin died due to mankind's abomination, I suppose I should thank you. I devised my plan to take energy from planet's cores from Krypton's success. Of course I wouldn't commit such a foolish action on my own planet. Our core has been dead for many centuries. Borrowing from others seemed more prudent if I want to keep the ground under my people's feet intact."

"Borrowing? Interesting term for committing genocide. How do you know about me?"

"I have studied this planet's heroes. If you had not saved the human race before it would have been much easier to follow through with my plan now. Not that I mind. I live for the glory of battle. Of course you ran off to another universe, didn't you? I am a breacher, I felt you reenter. Have you come to try and stop my army?"

"If you live for the battle, why do you hide behind your defenses on your ship?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Because I do not wish to waste my time with these annoying space enforcers. I need a real challenge. Should I battle them, they would no doubt bring thousands against me. Not honorable, these so called warriors."

"So you let women lead your armies on the planet's surface."

"The green … what would be the word in English… idiots? The green idiots are more interested in trying to find a way to destroy my ship than attack my armies. They leave the battle on the ground to heroes but chase a battle they cannot win in the sky. As far as my Furies, they are very special, trained and completely loyal to me. I have collected them from different universes and given them a home and purpose. Something you have not truly had in a long time. Has your new universe tried to kill you as this one did?"

"Not yet. So are you offering me a job?"

"A job? You are the one who challenged me. Or were you not the one who sent the radio wave? A crude method of communication but successful."

"We both have something the other wants. You do not have a woman as strong as I am. If I were left to my own devices, I may not be able to destroy your armies but I could certainly kill your Furies. You want me. I want you to leave this Universe and my Universe alone. I propose a battle. If I submit I will serve you. You have my word as a daughter of the House of El. If I win, you leave, find uninhabited planets, I really don't care. You leave my Earths alone."

"Why? Where is my incentive? I can continue on. My machines have been fitted and activated. If you were to destroy one now the Earth dies regardless."

"I'm your incentive. If I'm not enough, I give you my word that if you defeat me, the Lanterns will leave you alone. You can leave your ship as much as you want, not be confined or attacked by thousands."

Kara heard Stewart hiss in the background and heard Bruce whisper in his ear to shut up. Thankfully Stewart listened.

"You have that authority?" Darkseid asked doubtfully.

"I do. My cousin is dead and I have been asked to travel from my universe to here for the task of defeating you. Since they have had no luck, they have no choice to follow my commands. If they continue to hound you afterward, I will of course, as your servant, destroy them all. We both know as long as the sun is yellow, I cannot be defeated by them. I have gone through changes in my new universe. Not even Kryptonite can harm me now. Those are my terms. Do you agree?"

"Where is this battle to take place? Planet side, no doubt?"

"Of course not, I do not take you for a fool. I will board your ship. The Lanterns will disengage, your weapons will not stop me and we shall battle there. Just the two of us. Do you agree?"

"Yes, I accept your challenge. Having you as a Fury will be…entertaining."

"For one of us, no doubt." Kara told him, shivering at what something like him would do to a woman enslaved to him.

"I shall send a transport…"

"Don't bother. I am tracking your orbit. In one hour, the Lanterns will leave, your defenses will be turned off and I will be there."

"How do you propose to get to me?"

"I'm flying to you. I'll make my own way. I don't trust anything you would have on a transport and I doubt you would trust me not to bring a friend, despite my word. See you in an hour."

Winn cut the transmission and double checked that it had not been backtracked nor were they being listened to now. Bruce activated Watchtower's own scramblers ensuring privacy and the lights were turned back on. Kara dropped her head, taking a deep breath, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was not a pat on the back. Stewart attempted to turn her. He failed. He tried once again and Kara turned quickly, locking his wrist and twisting his arm, forcing the Lantern to the ground.

"Touch me again without my permission and I take that arm and the hand that pretty ring resides on." she hissed. The room quieted as she let go of Stewart, only Hal Jordan in the back, snickering.

"What gives you the right to make decisions for the Corp!? You had no right!"

"Of course I didn't. But you guys are going to have to back off to make him think you are following through with your end. I need him to not shoot me out of space while I am flying. So back your forces off. I won't yield. He will have to kill me first and I do not plan on dying. Have your Lantern Corp ready to move to my location when I get him here. Have some of them assist the militaries and our teams who will be fighting. And make sure Diana Prince and Kal El, if he is awake, are present when I have him on the ground. I could really use Firestorm and Donna once Barry takes over."

"But you gave your word as a member of your house that if he defeated you that you would serve him." Stewart reminded her.

"Yeah, I lied. A guy destroys a planet, kills billions then destroys another, I could give a damn about the honor of my word. I want to win. I had to get up there so I played to his ego. I'm blonde with a great body. He has females who control his armies and are most likely slaves to him. He couldn't resist. Now do as I say and call your Lanterns off. Once I am there, the battles on the ground begin, Barry takes care of Doomsday and I am going to hold him off as long as I need too."

"Until what?" Bruce asked, thinking Kara planned to defeat him in battle or fly Darkseid out of his ship and having to hope that she was strong enough.

"He is probably stronger than me. I have to assume he is and I can't win. But I can battle and he cannot be allowed to do this to anymore universes. I will hold him off until Winn figures out a way to crash the ship. Get the teams ready. When I am on board, Winn will be able to hack into its system. I told him an hour, so we have that long to prepare. I need to see my Husband before he risks his life to destroy Max Lord's monster and we both need to hug our daughter. Lets move people."


	61. Chapter 61

Do not own DC or CW characters.

A/N one more chapter after this one. 600 K plus words and we are just about done.

Chapter 61

"Your fate was to die in your apartment. Your cousin Kal El would have gone mad, your sister would have gone mad, war would have started, between the heroes of this world and Kal El. Your sister would have murdered over thirty agents as well as the President while the woman was transferred from the prison to the courthouse. She would be killed afterward by Federal Marshals. Jeremiah Danvers would never have been found, and Eliza would have developed alcoholism, eventually committing suicide."

Kara froze listening to the voice behind her. She had thought she was alone in the cafeteria, preparing a glass of milk for Lexie, along with a stack of pancakes, Eliza could heat up in a few hours once their daughter woke. She never even heard Fate's heartbeat, making the Kryptonian wonder if he even had one.

Kara turned slowly, taking in the golden helmeted figure.

"If that is supposed to help, you really need to work on your motivational speaking skills."

"Your husband and Cisco Ramon defeated the Fates. I can foresee events at certain times, whatever I am granted. The night before your attack I foresaw a great darkness engulfing this world, the likes of which I hadn't felt since World War 2. Afterward, I was struck with multiple possibilities, numerous paths the world could take. None of them made sense. Not only did they save you from your dark destiny, you were taken to another universe, throwing the plan of the Fates of two worlds off balance, destroying carefully woven threads."

"My husband does have the habit of altering reality. Do you have a point? I need to prepare my daughter's breakfast so Mom doesn't have to worry about it and I have to say good bye to my husband."

"My point, Kara, is you have no destiny now. Some are clear to me, others are not but yours is absent. You and your husband are… wild cards I suppose you can say. Your destiny is what you make it. What you are going to do is being considered a suicide mission by most of these here. I cannot tell if they are right but what I know of you Kara, what I have seen with my own eyes, I believe you can do this. You have beaten many odds, fought to survive, fought for other's survival. You must be wondering when your luck is going to run out. I am here to tell you there is no luck, only what you make. Everything in the universes tend to be preordained in some manner, except for you and your family. Everyone who becomes involved in your world is cut from Fate's plan. I believe in you Kara Zor El… excuse me, Kara Allen. I hope you believe in yourself."

Kara took a deep breath and felt the tension leave her shoulders.

"I do believe that his ship will never travel to another universe or destroy anymore Earths, no matte what I have to do. Is Zatanna ready? Can she do this?"

"She can. I have spoken to her, unlocked her true potential. She will be fine."

"If she isn't and I survive, can you guess what your fate is going to be?"

The man did not laugh, did not move and she couldn't see his eyes under those black slits but he did nod.

"I would imagine it would be the same as Vandal Savage's. She will be safe."

A slight breeze, crossed the room and Dr. Fate faded into nothing, before her eyes.

"Show off." Kara grumbled and continued cooking one of the few items she was good at. Barry was with Lexie and as much as she wanted to be there, she had thirty minutes before the battle began and the stress of waiting was killing her. Instead she cooked for her daughter, something she loved to do. It reminded her of nursing the girl when she was an infant, one of the happiest times of her life.

Doing everything she possibly could, setting out the syrup, slicing the bananas and setting the pieces to the side, all Eliza would have to do is heat the cakes up and breakfast was served. She walked back towards her husband and daughter but stopped at the Hall of Honor, lingering for a few moments in the room and finding her and Alex's clothes, framed in the back.

Five minutes later Barry saw his wife enter the bunk where Lexie slept next to Charlie, hopefully both having good dreams despite the circumstances. The Flash's eyes opened wide, taking in his wife and seeing her in the costume she had not worn since the replica on their wedding night. She laid her regular uniform on the bed next to Lexie, folded neatly.

"If the worst happens, this is hers. Are our rings and my necklaces in her bag?"

"Yeah. I told her to make sure she took her backpack with her if she had to protect Grandma and Grandpa on our Earth."

Kara unzipped the Minney Mouse backpack and placed her uniform in it.

"You sure you should wear that? The tech…"

"I doubt Caitlin would be able to ready vitals in the ship and I'm not certain I want her too. There won't be any sun inside the ship to help regardless so solar panels are useless. I doubt my com will work."

Barry stood up and kissed his wife gently. Kara met his eyes.

"Do you think you are going to have to hit light speed to do this?"

"Probably." the Flash admitted.

"Any idea what will happen?"

"No, I don't know. Do you really think you can control your gravitational field?"

"I've been working on it." Kara told him. "I know I can. It's the speed I'm worried about."

"Mach 33. Its three times faster than you have ever gone before. I know we have worked into tapping the Speedforce but…"

"You are going to get me up there. Send me your speed and I can do it."

"I've never sent it to you when you were far away from me. You have always been next to me."

"And I always will be. Just get me to the speed and I can hold it, I promise."

Barry smiled at her confidence, though he should be used to it by now. There was nothing Kara did not believe she could do. She was always right.

"Come back to me?" Kara begged.

"I'm going to do my best. You know that. Just make sure you jump out of that ship before it hits the ground. She needs us both."

"You know I want to be with you both more than anything Barry. We should go." she reluctantly said. Neither parent woke Lexie up but both kissed her forehead, petted Charlie once and then left, as Cat Grant and Eliza walked in, prepared to be there when Lexie woke. Both women hugged the couple, both fighting back tears and then Kara and Barry were gone.

Walking into the control room, Cisco immediately prepared for an argument. The last time he had seen her in that costume she had died for a moment on the table.

"I can't monitor your speed in that." he told Kara.

"You can track me with radar. I will have my com in. If I don't reach speed it will be too late to do anything about it regardless." Kara admitted, cutting off any further arguments Cisco may have. Caitlin turned back to Winn, not saying a word. She hadn't been sure if she could watch Kara inside the ship and now she was certain she wouldn't be able to. Kara had never been in a fight since they met where Caitlin wasn't watching every hit she took, monitoring every wound, her power levels, everything. Though it scared her she also felt like her best friend was never alone, that in some way, she had Kara's back. Now Kara would be alone, isolated in space, inside a space ship none of them had any idea about, fighting a powerful galactic warlord. No one could help her.

Alex walked up to her sister, suited up as Valkyrie, prepared to be transported to an airport in Wyoming.

"Really? Is this your suicide mission costume? I hate that thing." her sister grumbled. "Although it is better than the Red K outfit."

"I prefer to think of it as my good luck costume. Think about how may times I should have died in it and I am still here. You ready for this?"

"I have a team I am familiar with and am skydiving into an alien power plant, planning to kill whoever is inside and reversing the machine. Its business as usual for me. You are the one going into the unknown. So you left your uniform for Lexie? I am betting your necklaces and ring?"

Kara tried to smile but couldn't, instead just agreeing silently.

"She also has Barry's wedding ring. They are all in her backpack so when you make it back, if I don't…"

"Shut up. I've almost lost you too many times. I won't lose you again. I flew in space for you, I came to another universe for you. If I have to go into Rao's light to bring you back I will. You aren't getting away that easy. Just make sure you win, okay? If not I am going to have to fly up there and handle it and I would really like to just take a nap after this mission, instead of completing yours."

"Yes Agent." Kara flipped a mock salute.

"Hey? Just so you know, I've always liked you in that uniform. Go kick his ass for me. I love you."

"I love you too." Kara told her, wrapping Alex in her arms. She then walked to the desk where Winn and Caitlin sat. Tapping Caitlin on the shoulder, it hurt her heart to see her friend gaze at her through tear stained eyes.

"Please?" Caitlin begged. She didn't have to clarify what she was begging for.

"Yeah. This isn't the end." Kara told her, hoping she could keep the promise. Five minutes later Kara and Barry stood in a field, two hundred yards from the secret emergency exit of Watchtower. Kara took a knee and Barry stepped back, channeling the Speedforce, feeling it wrap around him. Kara pressed to the ground with her fists and began vibrating, then enjoying the feel of the Speedforce flowing from Barry and wrapping around her.

"Ten seconds and you can launch Kara. If you can reach escape velocity and maintain speed you will meet his ship as it orbits over head. He must have tracked the source of our transmission. Five seconds…" Winn told her.

Kara focused harder, pressing her fists into the ground, coiling her plant leg. The combination of Speedforce and pressure on the Earth caused the ground around her to tremble, break up and float in the air around her. She looked up towards the dark sky, her eyes settling on the space ship barely seen through the early morning, still dark sky.

"3…2…1" Winn counted down. "Launch!"

Lighting flashed in Kara's eyes and she pushed from the ground, the force of her launch knocking Barry back a few feet, but he kept his focus, continuing to channel the Speedforce into his wife as she reached higher into the atmosphere.

Winn and Caitlin sat around the console, surrounded by every staff in the room, including Alex and her mother and father.

"She just reached Mach 20, fifteen seconds till she escapes gravity." Cisco mumbled.

"She needs more speed Barry." Harry told the Flash through the com. Barry strained, pulling kinetic energy from as far as he could, the movements of those in Watchtower slowing noticeably. He pushed, focusing on Kara, sending as much as he could, lightning following her path. If she didn't reach escape velocity she would lose momentum when she hit space no matter how hard she pushed her gravitational field. If that happened she could float away if she couldn't control her thrust. Until she ran out of breath at least.

"Mach 30!" Cisco shouted. "Almost there Barry…keep going!"

Kara instinctively knew where she was, though she couldn't hear the com at this speed. She was thankful J'onn had commissioned a suit identical to the one Winn had made and Alex had improved, the poly threads holding up to the friction so far. The heroine kept pressing, feeling her gravitational field and using it as an elevator under her feet, pushing her higher and faster. She could feel Barry's speed sharing lessening the higher she went and then felt it stronger, knowing he was straining himself.

"Mach 33…she reached escape velocity, now 34…" Winn told the group, no one breathing yet. "She is gone. She broke the atmosphere."

As Kara saw the darkness and noted the bitter cold, even at the speed she was moving, she had taken a last breath. The woman knew she could hold her breath for over five minutes, having worked on this before but never while using this much of her strength. All thoughts and worries ended when she saw the massive space ship moving over her. The Speedforce had left her but her gravitational field held strong and her momentum never lessened. Using her X ray vision, she was relieved she could see through the metal and saw a landing bay open for her. Kara ignored it, seeing instead a room that appeared to have multiple servers of some type. She ignored this as well and finally saw a set of rooms, that appeared to be sleeping quarters, no doubt for Darkseid and his Furies.

Folding her arms over her head and closing your eyes, she clenched her jaw, then felt the metal give way, another level and then another, until she burst into a spacious bedroom, knocking the bed into the ceiling. An alarm sounded, most likely indicating a hull beach. Kara looked over head, using her heat vision to carve out a square piece of metal, then dodging as it was sucked over the woman sized hole she had made. Using her heat vision once more, she welded the metal to the floor, followed by her freeze breath for a quick cooling. Immediately the vacuum and the alarm stopped.

Kara continued to hold her breath, desperately wanting oxygen but not sure of the atmosphere of the ship. Ray Palmer flew out of her boot, checking the air with an atmospheric monitor and satisfied it was breathable, took off the face plate that had covered the one open area of his suit, grew to full size and gave Kara a thumbs up. The Kryptonian took a deep breath, followed by another and bent over to put her hands on her knees.

"You okay?" Ray asked her. Kara nodded her head.

"What about you?" she whispered breathlessly. "The mask and oxygen supply worked I guess. Any problems holding on?"

"Are you kidding? I wasn't able to hold on after a bit, and the wind was pushing me down even through those tight boots… I just got smaller and slid under your foot. Thankfully you don't sweat much. By the way, before we broke atmosphere and the wind got to me, I saw up your skirt. As corny as that costume is, it is definitely Ray Palmer approved." he finished with a thumbs up. Kara looked at him in disbelief then smiled.

"I'm not going to make Ollie apologize the next time he nearly beats you to death."

"I don't care. I figure I have a 62 % chance of dying up here and you have an 89.2 % chance of dying. Look on the bright side though, as far as places to die, a Star Destroyer is as cool as it gets."

"Your bright side needs work, Ray. I don't know how long I can hold this guy off. Get Winn access and when we hit atmosphere, get the hell out of this ship, understand? I will be right behind you."

"Will you?" Ray asked.

"If I can, I promise. I want to get back to my daughter, husband and puppy. No matter what you hear, do not come to help me. We both have jobs to do. Lets get to it."

Ray agreed then grabbed Kara, hugging her tightly. "You have to make it." he told her.

"We both do. Now figure out a way to take control of this thing so Winn can guide it down. It has to hit in the Sahara. This thing has to be destroyed. You can't survive that Ray, but I can so as soon as it is done, get out. I'm going to need you on the ground."

"I understand, Go find Darth Vader. If he says he is your father, don't be distracted, it isn't true. Luke got distracted and lost a hand."

"Luke lost the hand before Vader dropped the paternity bomb on him." Kara told him with a smirk and moved, using her X ray vision to find the monster she came to fight. Ray shook his head.

"I can't believe she caught that. Just when I think I can't love her more… okay, time to get to work." he finished, shrinking and heading to an air vent, prepared to help Winn hack an alien spaceship.

In the control room, everyone was tense but took a breath as soon as Winn lost her when the ship moved over head. Checking the nearest satellite they all saw the blue rocket streak break into the massive UFO and disappear from the screen.

"She is in." Winn told them as Barry zipped into the control room, heart racing.

"She made it? You are sure?" he asked. Winn nodded his head. "Then I guess I am up. Eliza, Kara has Lexie's breakfast ready in the kitchen. Just heat up the pancakes. She likes her syrup warm too…but you know this."

"Barry from what I have seen, every time this creature loses an appendage it hits the ground and turns to dust before he grows a new one. If you can get me a sample of those remains then I can…" his father in law began.

"Yeah, if anybody could it would be you, Jeremiah. I know that. Just like you know it would take time, a day, a week, a month and more people can be killed. This creature isn't your fault. I'm going to end him and then head to the Sahara. Good luck Winn."

Barry was gone before anyone could stop him. On the Arizona border, Donna and Firestorm flew high above the monster, not engaging it unless it slowed. Firestorm would simply blast him with energy and rejuvenated, the creature would jump incredibly high towards him. Thanks to her numerous training sessions with Kara, Donna's agility in the air had vastly improved and she was able to easily cut appendages off, arms, legs, depending on the easiest target. As Jeremiah had seen, the appendages decayed seconds after a new one growing in seconds, before the creature even hit the ground. She had tried to hit Doomsday in the chest once with little success, other than knocking the monster back. Firestorm had turned the sand under it's feet to quicksand, only for the creature to jump out with little effort. Now it had slowed again, frustrated at trying to get to the great source of energy in the sky and tired of being cut by the flying woman in black. It turned towards its last pulse of energy, the nearest population center where it could feed on energy and flesh, growing more powerful.

A bolt of lightning hit it from behind, catching its attention. Doomsday turned to see the source was a blurring man in red, standing close him.

"Barry, the more you feed it, the more powerful it becomes." Jax warned him, Donna landing with him by Barry's side.

"I know. It doesn't matter how powerful he is, I just need him to follow me. Go. I saw Diana flying into Watchtower as I was leaving. Kara is going to need all the help she can get when she lands. Get to the Sahara desert."

"Ray is going to land the ship in the Sahara desert?" Jax asked, thinking as far as landing spots, he should have a lot of room.

"No, Winn is going to crash it and they are both going to jump out before it hits. The Lanterns are moving towards the power plants to help the military, The wizards or whatever they call themselves are setting up to take down the fields and the teams are preparing to jump in, except the Amazons and Atlanteans. They are going to force their way in, the Amazons bulldozing through and the Atlanteans will attack from under water. Start heading overseas. I don't know how long it will take her and Ray but it can't be too long. I will be there as soon as I am done destroying this thing."

"Just be careful. Opening black holes or getting sucked into the Speedforce isn't acceptable. We can find a way to defeat this thing if your plan doesn't work. Do not hit light speed Barry." Donna warned him.

"Donna, I need you to trust me, okay?"

"I do. May the Fates be kind to you Barry. We will go to Kara."

"If I don't make it, tell her… tell both of them…"

"I will Barry, but you are going to make it. You have to. They need you."

Donna and Jax took off, flying quickly towards the African dessert, leaving Barry alone with the deeply breathing monster. It was the same as before, green rock protrusions from its shoulders, large sharp teeth, grey leathery skin with a Kryptonite exoskeleton underneath, no doubt, to go along with the Kryptonite breaking out of his skin. The former one had been perhaps seven foot tall and Barry noticed this one was closer to twelve, higher than Watchtower's estimate.

The perfect killing machine genetically designed to kill his wife and daughter. Barry met the creatures dark, savage eyes and saw no intelligence there, only anger and a need to feed.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time.I knew we would see each other again." the Flash told the creature then threw a lightning bolt into Doomsday.

"I need you to follow me. We are going to have to go where we can be alone. I'll keep it slow so you can keep up."

 **Wyoming**

Roy Harper had been preparing for the upcoming attack against the army guarding the power plant with J'onn. The two had noticed a hoard of Green Lanterns arrive, for the first time assisting in a battle on the ground instead of a futile battle in the sky. Before he had a chance to speak to the Martian about the plan an Army General had practically dragged Arsenal away to a beautiful brunette in tight jeans and a black leather jacket, a woman who appeared very out of place on the battlefield. Before he could ask what was going on, her eyes glowed purple and she snapped her fingers. His vision blacked out for a moment and when it came back he was in the back of a plane of some sort and he was not alone.

Thea was here.

So was Oliver. Nyssa Al Ghul… what was she doing here? Who was the women covered in black with a glowing sword on her back? She was packing a chute. He recognized Sara, dressed in head to toe black that resembled Laurel's old costume rather than the black one she used to wear.

"Oliver… Thea? Whats going on?" Oliver walked up to his friend and pulled him into a tight hug.

"There is a plan to bring down the shield. While the army outside attacks we are going in from the top. We have to get inside and shut down the machine. We don't know what we will be facing inside but it is important that we make it in while destroying as little as possible. Three other teams are attacking at the same time and we have to deactivate the machines at the exact same time. I realize you are used to working with Batman but I thought you might like to run with Team Arrow one more time."

Harper smiled and nodded his head. "You know I'm always ready. So I guess we are jumping?"

"Yep, I got a pack…" Oliver stopped talking when Dinah Laurel Lance walked into the back of the plane. Roy while awkward at first around a doppleganger of a good friend and teammate had become quite close to this Laurel, despite never bing able to remember to call her Dinah. He was the only one who got away with calling her Laurel.

"I thought you were going with Wayne?" the Arrow asked.

"Talia showed up with a few of her associates. He has Dick and Helena with him. I thought you wouldn't mind if the Black Canary ran with the Green Arrow one more time?"

Oliver smiled. "Always. Welcome aboard."

"Hey, not to put a downer on this but that is some kind of alien machine and nobody knows how it works. Not that I am doubting anyone's intelligence but… where is Felicity?" Roy asked. Oliver pointed to Alex.

"Meet Alex Zorel, aka Valkyrie, the brains of our operation. She can hang with Caitlin Snow and Felicity in the intelligence department. She kicks ass too."

Alex flipped her visor up and offered her hand that Roy took.

"We never got to meet when you were back on Earth 1. I've heard a lot of really great things about you, Roy. Glad to have you on this mission."

Oliver patted Roy on the back. "We have the former head of the League of Assassins, two Canaries, and an expert on kicking alien ass who is also a genius and two…"

"If you call us sidekicks I am kicking you off this plane." Thea warned her brother.

"I was thinking of the two people I would hope to have by my side in any battle I could ever face. How can we lose?"

"We won't. I'm worried about a group of underwater savages and armored Greek Warriors fumbling with technology they cannot comprehend." Nyssa countered. "But as with most things, we hope for the best."

"You're hoping for the best? I thought you were Nyssa?" Roy asked, chuckling at the thought of the assertive Green Arrow taking orders from her. Nyssa actually smiled, giving further proof of the bizarre changes his old friends had undergone.

"I'm about to jump out of a perfectly good plane. This is no time for jokes Arsenal. Pilot! We are ready, lets move."

 **Darkseid's ship**

Kara wandered the halls of the massive ship, taking her time and hoping every second Darkseid wasted on this battle would be another second Ray would have to connect with Winn and bring this ship down. In the past Kara would have tried to defeat this creature on her own, but with the fate of the world and others hanging on this effort, she couldn't take the risk. It was agreed by her team that Kara could not fight a galactic demon and try to assist Winn in hacking the controls of this ship. She could not take forever though, knowing the greatest adversary she would ever face was waiting for her around this corner. The blonde took a deep breath and turned into the room. Seeing it with X Ray vision, she was still not prepared when she actually entered the large hall. The hall resembled a circular arena with a raised stage against one wall, a throne type chair on top. Behind the thrown was a viewport that looked out into space, the Earth in the distance, making Kara realize just how far from home she was.

"I opened the door for you. There was no need to breach my hull."

"Like I would trust my enemy opening an entrance for me? I don't think so. I'm young, but I wasn't born yesterday."

Darkseid chuckled, at least Kara thought it was a chuckle. His voice was a deep timber that almost resembled Barry's vibrating voice.

"You are much smarter than your doppleganger from the first Earth I destroyed. I left my ship for the ground and was attacked by your green friends. Once I killed them, I was challenged to a duel by Kara Zor El. She was also a refugee from Krypton, an orphan, a girl without a home. She tried valiantly but her best wasn't good enough. I disintegrated her and sent her to be with her people in Rao's light."

"I doubt she was trained by the League of Assassins." Kara countered, not showing this information affected her as much as it did nor even sure if he was telling the truth. Either way it didn't matter. She had no choice but to fight.

"You can't win."

Kara thought of her husband, daughter and family.

"I can't lose." she told him. Too much was at stake.

"Since you are determined to follow through with this, I should tell you, the Kara Zor El I killed had much more honor than you. She challenged me and fought alone. You however, brought a friend. My scanners picked up another life form when you entered. I have lost track of this life form but have no doubt he or she is still aboard. A sorcerer perhaps? Do you think I am susceptible to magic?"

"My friend won't interfere. I just brought him along in the event you did not keep your word and have me attacked by others when I arrived."

"I had no plans to have you attacked. My androids are on the surface. Most of my Furies are on the Earth and my humanoid slaves are on the Earth. But since you insist on breaking the rules, I suppose I can as well. I held one Fury back. If you can get past her, we can begin the duel and I will overlook your rudeness."

A door next to the throne, Kara had not realized was a door, slid up and a tall, beautiful red headed woman, dressed in what amounted to a skimpy one piece green swim suit, holding a staff that Kara bet packed quite a bit of power, stepped out.

"While she lacks your gifts, I think you will find she is as strong as you and a much deadlier combatant. The American soldiers of the second Earth I destroyed called her Bombshell. Quite appropriate, she is beautiful."

Bombshell ran towards Kara with a vicious scream, staff raised in front of her, no doubt to block the Kryptonian's heat vision. Kara stood her ground, not moving, waiting for the warrior to reach her. Bombshell swung her staff when she arrived feet from the blonde. Superwoman twisted, grabbing the staff in the middle, a leg behind her opponent, turning her completely around and dropping the red head to her knees. Kara stood behind her, choking her with the staff and staring at Darkseid. A jerk of Kara's arms, followed by a sickening crack, and Bombshell's eyes rolled up in her head before she fell to the floor dead.

"Like I said, I doubt the Kara Zor El you fought was trained by members of the League of Assassins. One should always expect her opponent to be faster, better. She underestimated me."

"So have I." Darkseid admitted, impressed at seeing on of his greatest warriors taken out so easily and quickly. The Supergirl of the first Earth he destroyed was young, reckless and impatient. This one would give much more of a challenge. "Shall we begin Supergirl? Or is it Kara Danvers? Kara Zor El? What shall I call you?"

"It really doesn't matter what I am called, does it? Make your move."

As Kara suspected he opened with his Omega beams, his glowing eyes giving her a split second's notice. She dodged, rather than meeting the beams with her own. Feeling the heat from inches away, she doubted hers were as hot. These burned hot enough that she even began to sweat. Tearing a panel from the floor, she tossed it at the monster.

Darkseid caught the projectile easy enough, only to be knocked back as the blonde followed quickly in the air like a missile into his gut. He flew back into his throne crushing the chair and giving Kara hope. He could be hurt. She followed the attack before he had a chance to recover, sending a knee to his face and several strikes to his head with her fist, until a boot caught her in the stomach, sending her flying back across the room.

Both combatants stood up, waiting for the other to move.

While the two had begun the battle in the throne room, Ray Palmer had flown into the main server room next to the engine that ran this goliath. He had never seen anything like it and was quickly trying to familiarize himself with the power source and main controls of not only the ship but the teleportation device and the signal controlling the androids as well as the machine prepared to collect the massive energy being mined from the Earth's core. While he could have spent decades studying this technology he had only one mission now. Kara was locked in a death battle with Darkseid and he had to contact Winn.

Going smaller, he crawled into a conduit and prayed his suit could hold up to the solar energy coursing through. Satsfied he wouldn't be disintegrated, he moved, finding the main control for the android armies and communications with Darkseid's Furies and plugged in, taking control. While it would take him a bit to control the droids he was able to backtrack the signal Darkseid had used to communicate with Kara in Watchtower and sent it back, connecting with Watchtower.

Winn breathed a sigh of relief when Ray's face popped up on the screen.

"Kara is fighting but I have control of some of the communications. The signal to the androids and power plants are more guarded but the engine seems easy. It seems to be running on some sort of Antimatter. If I try to go inside, I'm pretty certain I will be turned to dust."

"It's fine." Winn told him, not feeling like anything was fine at this moment. "Just stay plugged in, I will figure this out."

"I have no doubt Overwatch. Just make it fast. I don't know who is winning or losing but by the echo in this ship, there is a hell of a battle going on."

In the throne room, Darkseid had attacked, not with Omega Beams but his body, rushing the Kryptonian. He swung, hoping to land a disabling blow and preserve the girl for servitude. She would be no good to him dead. His fist connected and flew through her. Regaining his balance, he looked around and saw he was surrounded by six Kara Zor El's all standing perfectly straight. Deciding she must be able to produce holograms of herself, he lets lose an Omega blast, turning in a circle to cover all of them. Once he stopped all were gone and Darkseid wondered if he had disintegrated her as he had her doppleganger. Until he felt a kick to the back of his head, sending him sliding across the floor on his face.

"You are stronger than me, but you aren't faster. Speed is everything. My husband taught me that." Kara told him, standing strong and prepared for another attack. She knew she could not avoid him forever. She just needed to give Winn and Ray time. That was what was the most important thing.

 **Wyoming**

The attack began at near sunrise across the globe. The militaries and superheroes, including the Lanterns attacked the droids and mechanized weapons while trying to avoid the globe in the middle. J'onn Jonzz, while furious that Alex and Kara were not only here but Kara was on that damn ship and Alex was jumping into the power plant, never the less did his job, staying back and protecting Zatanna. Zatanna reached out with her mind, her soul, just as Fate had taught her hours before. Taught might be the wrong term. He had reached inside her mind and unlocked something, a wall she had built around her powers that limited her potential. The sorceress felt lost, somewhere in a haze, until she was found, as if three sets of hands were grabbing her, merging her into themselves. Soon she had no conscious feeling, she didn't feel the ground, or hear the gunfire, she only felt the power, hers, theirs and the large source of protective energy in front of her. A scream erupted in the void, it may have been hers, Raven's, the faceless man, she wasn't sure but her power was concentrated and wrapped around the wall, collapsing in on it, snuffing it out until only her magic was present. Pulling it back into herself, she came back to the world, stumbling back, only to be caught by J'onn's arms.

The Martian saw the familiar light of the barrier go out and took to the skies with Zatanna in his arms, depositing the exhausted and dizzy woman well away from the battle and any stray bullets before taking to the skies himself. As he neared the battlefield, he caught a glimpse of Alex and her friends, landing on the top of the globe.

Nyssa took a deep breath once she was unhooked from Alex. She had seen the energy field still present and wondered fi they would all be fried before they had a chance to start the mission. Sara had opened the large bag that had been tethered to her and passed out the weapons. Armed, the team ran towards the exhaust vent on top. The hair was superheated, none could survive entering this way. This was the first complication in the plan. Oliver considered blowing a hole in the top but was nixed by Alex, who had no idea where the roof would land. The problem was settled when the Martian Manhunter flew through the roof and the vent popped out from underneath. J'onn lifted the cover, able to deal with the heat and tossed it down the side of the globe. The air blew out and dissipated.

"Let's move. John Stewart can get Bruce's team in. The longer this takes the longer Kara has to survive."

The team did move, J'onn swooping down and the rest following lines except for Sara and Nyssa, who flipped down using scarves pinned to the roof by a substance developed by the League hundreds of years ago. Landing, Alex popped up her visor and looked at her wife.

"Show off."

"You got us down your way, I came the rest of the way my way." Nyssa smirked before Roy Harper tackled her from behind, a second before a laser blast hit where her head had been.

"I almost feel bad for the sound beating I gave you in your lair." she admitted.

"You lost." he told her, with a smirk, standing and firing an arrow at the humanoid who had fired.

"Only because I was shot with a gun! That was cheating!" Nyssa argued, standing and firing as well. She counted ten enemies that she could see. All engaged the hostiles, glad to see they were, while alien in nature, not superhuman.

J'onn rushed forward, fist swinging, as did Alex, gloves charged swinging a fist and a sword in the other. The two Canaries fought side by side, each with an electrified bo staff. Oliver Queen took in the area and saw the middle, a power core and drill of some sort, probing into the ground. Though multiple server walls were around them and the objective, he hoped the workers would not give up the plant easily and destroy any of the equipment necessary for shutdown.

The Arrow fired a grappling line into the ceiling above the reactor and clipped it onto Alex's belt. She noticed and dropped the sword, exchanging bows with Oliver.

"You're up Valkyrie."

Alex nodded and retracted the wire, flying over the fray and landing on the side of the reactor. A last guard was present in front of the controls, surprised to see her drop from the sky. Alex quickly pulled an exploding arrow and stuck it into his chest, hitting the detonator on Oliver's bow. He blew apart but his body took most of the damage and force, so she wasn't knocked back. She took in the control board, ignoring the sound of lasers being fired behind her. Speedy fought her way through, sliding under one humanoid, popping up and stabbing him in the back, then stood in front of Alex, ready to take a blast for her.

"This is Valkyrie. I have control and am waiting for shut down orders."

"Batman, I have control." Bruce checked off, praying the other teams had succeeded.

"Curry, we have taken the base, hostiles are all dead."

"Artemis, the enemy has been run through and we are ready."

"Oracle is on the line, I have access. Follow my directions and stay inside once it is done. Its crazy outside, fire from all sides. None of you will be able to leave by ground. First step…"

 **Darkseid's Ship**

Kara and Darkseid continued trading blows, the hulking figure fast and stronger than her. She was faster and fairly strong herself. She had yet to use her heat vision, not wanting to waste energy, knowing it would most likely do no good.

Yet.

She would know when the time was right. Darkseid had torn up the throne room with Omega blasts, but had yet to strike her with one. Kara froze the floor in front of him as he charged. The warlord slipped and she clotheslined him, slapping him into the ground. He recovered quickly, throwing her off and before she could get out of the way, he fired.

Luckily for Superwoman she had not left her cape behind for her daughter, instead turning her back and using it for protection. The heat was overwhelming as was the force and she could feel her skin blistering. Diving to the side, Kara found herself held up by the throat, Darkseid's large hand squeezing. He tossed her in the air and swung. Instead of flying towards a wall, Kara found herself in a whirlwind of punches, circling the room. The demon would not stop and she felt her bones breaking, her nose, her jaw, her cheek bones. Superwoman was delirious, not knowing up from down, caught in a world of pain.

She had been in this situation before. Her mind focused sharply on the memory of the first time she had fought Diana, falling from the sky, taking hit after hit, having only one shot to right herself. Kara forced herself to see, to really look and Darkseid telegraphed a punch. Wrapping her hand around his wrist before he could connect with her face, she flipped him to the ground, vibrating her hand and struck inside his chest. Feeling for a heart, she was surprised to not find one, at least where her's or a human's would be. Darkseid screamed in pain for the first time in their fight, but quickly grabbed her vibrating hand and kicked her off, sending her into a wall. Kara felt bones in her spine snap and fell to the floor. Barely able to open her swollen eyes, the blonde was met with a puddle of blood dripping from her mouth onto the floor inches from her face. Every part of her body hurt, bones snapped, organs bruised. She had never fought anyone as strong as this creature.

Darkseid looked at the woman he thought could be his prize. She was too ruined now, to injured. He had seen dying foes before and knew she was not long for this world. Preparing to disintegrate her, he stopped when the ship changed course abruptly, causing him to lose balance. A look at Kara told him what her friend who had been absent had accomplished. He had not worried, knowing his technology was decades beyond human comprehension or any other race.

Kara was smiling through blood stained teeth.

"Looks like we are heading to Earth, whether you like it or not." Kara told him, laughing a bit then closing her eyes and laying her head on the ground. No matter what, she and Ray had been successful. This ship would never destroy another Earth again.

Darkseid howled in rage, knowing whoever had taken over his ship, it was too late to stop it. An escape pod would be necessary. He would survive and destroy the heroes of this Earth before building a means to return to his dead planet and begin again. Looking at the blonde who he had wasted time on, he once again prepared to disintegrate her, until he was hit by a blast of energy in the back of his head, standing back up he turned to see Ray Palmer, arms raised, staring him down.

"She sucks at PR and lets her employees nearly beat me to death but I kind of like her so if you would step away, I would appreciate it."

"You? You took control of my ship?" Darkseid asked, not believing that a human could best him. He let lose his Omega Beams, and Ray Palmer was gone.

Until the Atom regained regular size and fired another concentrated light last into the monsters eyes.

Kara lay on the ground still aware but unable to move. Her vision was blackening but she could feel the ship picking up speed. A bright light surrounded her and she wondered for a moment if Rao's light had finally come from her. Her thoughts were on her daughter and husband but it was her mother's voice she heard.

"Kara! Get up!"

"I can't Mother."

"Yes you can. You will. You will get up. You are not dying here. Your daughter needs you. Do not abandon her, not the way I abandoned you."

"I'm dying. I can feel it. I'm losing blood."

"Then stop it. You know how. You cannot die here, Kara. You are the head of the House of El and you do not quit! Stand up and fight Daughter! Fight for your daughter!"

Kara opened her eyes with great effort and saw Ray shrinking and growing, avoiding Darkseid's blast and zipping around his strikes. He wasn't supposed to be here. Ray had to get away. Kara took a deep breath and began shaking, slowly at first then faster. Lightning flashed in her eyes and soon she was a blur, forcing her body to heal, focusing on her internal organs to stop bleeding. If she lost anymore blood she would be dead in seconds. Her bones were broken but she could live with that. She had to stay alive.

Ray was fighting to stay alive himself, barely surviving, but knew as long as he was keeping this thing busy, he couldn't hurt Kara anymore. The Atom saw her blurring, she only needed time. Darkseid was fast, faster than anything Ray had ever dreamed of except for Barry. The psychotic alien landed a shot, grabbing Ray by his throat before he could shrink and threw him across the floor. Ray got on one knee and saw the creature's eyes turned red. He knew this was the end.

Darkseid unleashed a blast, one that would destroy the man, wipe him from existence. Before it struck, in the blink of an eye, Kara was in front of her friend, back turned to Darkseid and cape protecting them both. Grabbing Ray, they fell to the side. Ray noticed Kara still looked like hell, her eyes black, her nose cracked and bleeding and her right forearm slightly bent. Despite this he saw the grim determination in her eyes. She flew towards Darkseid, tackling him in the gut. Rolling him over, Superwoman pulled his arms back and placed a knee in the small of his back, pinning the monster to the floor.

"Ray, get out of here!"Kara could feel the ship tip downward. They had reached gravity and broken the atmosphere.

"I'm not leaving you." he told her, falling on the creature, using the hydraulics in his suit to push him down as much as possible.

The ship broke through the atmosphere but the rockets continued to fire, sending the giant vessel plunging towards the Sahara Desert at over 900 miles and hour.

 **Mexico**

Barry Allen had finally, after what felt like a century for him, led Doomsday to the Mexico Desert. He had the creature facing him, looking towards the East. Barry turned his back to the monster and closed his eyes channeling the Speedforce, becoming one with it.

"You've got a clear path Barry. Its all you now." Wells told him over the com. Barry took a deep breath and ran. To those in the control room it appeared as if Barry was standing then an explosion occurred. They never saw him move, he was way to fast for GPS to keep up with, he was just there, took a step and an explosion sent a mushroom cloud of dirt into the sky. The satellite could not see through the dust, so Cisco backed it up. Everything had been going well. Winn had taken control of the ship and sent it hurtling to Earth, The droid army was deactivated, the teams had killed the humanoids and following Oracle's directions the heat was reversing itself back into the outer core, and the heroes had defeated the Furies. All that was left was Barry knocking this abomination fro the Earth.

The dust showed no sign of dissipating and no one in the control room showed signs of breathing, Eliza holding Jeremiah tightly, her mind, knowing Alex was safe and with J'onn, now focused on Kara, waiting for someone any second to tell them all that Kara was free of the ship and her son in law was safe.

"No anomalies detected." Wells informed the group. "His GPS is back. He is there. At least his suit is."

The people in the crowd saw a twister form in the desert, all the sand in the air being drawn in and sent away. The satellite showed Barry Allen standing in the desert in the middle of a crater that was at least smile in circumference, alone forming the twister himself. Before anyone could cheer, all noticed that he was not alone. The torso and head of Doomsday lay on hundred feet away, limbs already growing back.

"Harry, Cisco, what the hell is going on? How is this thing still here?" Barry asked calmly, panicking on the inside.

Harry took a deep breath, glanced at Cisco who looked torn and answered him.

"Barry you didn't hit light speed. You didn't hit infinite mass. Apparently that is what it is going to take."

"Can I do it without ripping the Earth apart?" he asked, for the first time, showing a bit of worry. Harry looked at Caitlin and Cisco then at a Jeremiah and Eliza, who both looked as if they were ready to be sick.

"Barry, I don't know." Harry admitted. "We… I can't predict what will happen. The Speedforce might… Barry, I am sorry, I just do't know."

"Barry come back!" Jeremiah told him, grabbing the microphone in front of Harry. "We can lure him into some cage and blast him into space, we can find another way. Please!"

"I can't. We don't know if that will work. I…"

"Barry what does your gut tell you? I trust you, we all do. If you can do this, if you think this is the only way, we back you."

Barry took a look at the dazed monster. His eyes were glassy, Kryptonite protrusions snapped off and arms still growing back, his legs regenerating first.

"I can do this." he decided. Barry turned around, and focused. He drew the kinetic energy of the Earth, the rotation, the movement of the people, even the ship with his wife plummeting to the Earth slowed for a bit, he pulled it all into himself and ran.

Once again in Watchtower it appeared he never left, but to Barry it was an eternity. He had never felt like this, so out of control and in control at the same time. He could feel particles smaller than any physicist had ever even theorized. He saw the Big Bang, the beginning of everything. He paid no mind to the places he ran through but he did see the past. He saw his mother tucking him in, his father playing catch with him. He saw himself running slowly from bullies, saw the hits he took. He saw the whirlwind of lightning surrounding his mother and finding himself blocks away, only to come back and see his father in handcuffs. He remembered every time he snuck off from Joe's and visited his father in prison.

Barry saw every smile Iris ever shared, the first time he met Felicity, the first time he saw Oliver dying on a table in his lair. He remembered seeing Ronnie smiling at him in the middle of an anomaly, knowing what the man planned to do, catching Stein on the way down and knowing Ronnie was gone forever. He had to face Caitlin. He remembered Iris's face when Eddie shot himself to save them all.

Barry saw Kara, the first time he had caught her, the first time he really saw her face, her joy at such simple things like ice cream cones, the innocence in her face. He saw her on the floor of her apartment, bleeding out, never having felt so much panic and fear in his entire life. He saw Caitlin saving her life, Kara's face so pale he thought she was dead and the moment she did die, another person he loved who he had let down.

He saw the first time they made love, never having seen her so vulnerable. He saw there wedding as if it was happening, the way her face lit up when he vowed himself in Kryptonese to be hers forever.

He saw the first time he met his daughter, Kara's face in so much pain but so happy. He saw Lexie's first step, her first Christmas, Kara filling the living room with gifts and his little girl more interested in the boxes and pretty paper. Lexie crawling in between them at night, snuggling in between and kissing them both on the cheek, before matching Kara's snoring.

He saw himself setting next to Kara on a park bench. Kara had been smiling watching Lexie run around with other children but even with her bracelet on she nearly broke his hand from the tension she was feeling. He saw the two in the back of the gallery, covered in paint on their faces and laughing, Lexie attacking him with a paint brush when she saw him.

Barry Allen saw his whole life as vividly as it was happening at the moment in less time than a normal human could think a single thought. Then he saw the one thing that could hunt and destroy his wife and daughter, the one thing that could not be stopped, that had killed thousands of innocents and would kill thousands more if left unchecked. He saw its chest and he saw his fist swinging out towards it. The moment he made contact, Barry Allen new Doomsday was gone forever.

At Watchtower, everyone was surprised. An explosion occurred once again but this time a blast of red energy reached into the sky. The desert around Doomsday had turned to glass and the energy quickly dissipated. A shock wave was heard across the world, a low rumble to most. Cracks opened up beyond the glassy surface but the empty desert did not mind. Barry had chosen his location well.

"Has his GPS came back online?" Jeremiah asked. Cisco shook his head, while Harry monitored the skies above looking for any black holes, tears in the fabric of the universe anything out of the ordinary, anything to avoid looking at the monitor but eventually he had to.

"His suit is gone. Doomsday is gone, but Barry's… his GPS is gone, his com, Caitlin please tell me you are picking something up on vitals?"

Caitlin shook her head, and wiped her eyes. "He's gone… I've got nothing."

"No! I refuse to accept that!" Jeremiah yelled. "Where is Kara? We need her. Has she gotten out of the ship yet?"

Winn looked at Oracle then Caitlin, feeling sick. "We picked up her com and Ray's GPS when they entered atmosphere. They are still in the ship." he told the parents.

"Slow down the ship! Level it out!" Elize shouted. Winn looked down.

"I can't."

A large explosion was heard on the monitor that Winn had been watching. Everyone rushed over, seeing a giant fireball in the Sahara Desert. No lifeforms were seen, only tangled metal and fire, satellites showed it had reached over ten thousand degrees.

"Mommy is naked. I mean she has her cape and boots I guess, but Charlie was sniffing my backpack and whining. I found her uniform there. Her necklaces and ring are there too and so is Daddy's. Mommy is going to get mad if Daddy doesn't have it on. Where are they anyway? I'm hungry Grandma. What time are we going to save the world?" Lexie asked, rubbing her eyes as she stumbled into the control room, Cat Grant behind her, not taking her wide eyes off the fireball on the monitor.

Eliza picked up here granddaughter. She heard Alex on a com somewhere demanding an update but didn't have the heart to tell her. Kara could have made it. Temperature didn't bother her, right? But why hadn't she gotten out? Why hadn't Ray? Could they?

"Grandma? Where are Mommy and Daddy? Why is everybody cryin? Momma's cousin acting sick again?"

Jeremiah took the little girl in his arms, not sure what to say or what to do. He just held her closely.

In Wyoming, Alex had decided to stay back in the dome, while Nyssa and the team surveyed the damage outside. She had wanted to monitor the return flow of the liquid and be alone when she checked on Kara's status. Hearing a distant thunder and knowing no rain was in the forecast had her nervous. She tried to contact Oracle but no one was answering. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside, hoping her com was only blocked by the dome. Before she could take two steps a bright light burst in front of her ten feet away and she saw it.

He or she did not look like the other androids and did not resemble the aliens they had just fought through. This was a robot, a very large, seven foot tall android with a grinning metallic skull, black holes where the eyes should have been, a broad dark blue body and holding a very large rifle aimed at her.

"What the hell are you?" she whispered, before the creature fired.


	62. Chapter 62

Do not own CW or DC characters

A/N So we have reached the end. This story has been a journey for me. I have written over 20 stories, had four or five top a thousand in reviews and a few other hit 900 plus. But this story is and probably will be the most special to me. I have never written anything this long or as much into it. Now we are at the end, right at the finish of the big crossover week. I love all these shows and all the characters and I love that none of them are perfect but together they all seem to work and make each other better. I have tried to stay true to the characters while also have them grow, in some cases harder but still loving like Barry and Kara and in some cases softer but still edgy like Oliver, Nyssa and Alex. I hope I have shown the changes in the characters without making them too out of character. This is one of those stories that started as an idea in my head to break writer's block that I had on another story. I figured it would be 20K words or so and we saw how that turned out. It sort of evolved from an exercise to a near obsession. I have spent the last year thinking about and writing this story everyday and have no idea what I will do now.

The funny thing is even at 600K plus words there are so many stories I didn't get to tell because there wasn't space. I would have loved to explore Zatanna and Harry's love hate love relationship, covered Barry and Kara's birthdays, all of Lexie's birthdays and holidays, conversations between Oliver and Kara about their pasts, Alex and Nyssa and their everyday home life. I would love to have included bonding moments between Jeremiah, Henry and Barry. I wanted to include movie nights with Caitlin and Kara, Winn and Caitlin's romance, Oliver's love life after Felicity left and yeah he would have had one. I would have had a lot more moments of Baby Lexie and her parents and her aunts, Nyssa taking Lexie school shopping in New York City, you get the idea. I won't write a sequel to this story. I never wanted to follow the seasons and use the same villain plots and though this could go on forever, all things need to end. I love the world in this story as it is. Now while I don't plan a sequel I may introduce chapters in the future, maybe, to include one shots like Lexie's first Christmas, first birthday, Aunt Alex babysitting Lexie. Eliza's lecture, and so forth but it won't be for a while.I also probably won't do a Barry Kara story next because as much as they are the ultimate couple in my mind, I don't know what else I would do with the paring that I haven't already done. I hope whatever I do next you will give it a chance. I know I have a couple stories in my head that are Supergirl stories that are not pairings. Seeing how Oliver and Kara acted towards each other in the crossover while I would never see them as a romantic pairing, the pairing of the two together against a bad guy is comedy gold waiting to happen. Don't even get me started on a crossover with Legends with Sara and Mick flirting with her the entire time, making her uncomfortable, especially Mick. Her reaction to his colorful backstory was priceless. Anyway, my point is, I hope you will give it a look at whatever I decide to do. I doubt I have another story like this in length at least in me. I think we have laughed together, had some adrenalin rushes together and maybe cried together at times.

When you have a story with so many reviews, it keeps a writer writing. A lot of you have kept me writing, kept me motivated. I never ask for reviews because I just never have. I figure if people like what you do they will let you know. And you have all let me know. I would like to thank some by name, people that have been with me every chapter and conversing back and forth since this started.

Theo, you have been a source of inspiration for me while writing this story and I have made a great friend as well.

Agent Danvers, you are a fascinating person and one who while we may never meet in person, I consider a friend.

Chris Mohican you have been a source of inspiration as well. When I am writing I wonder what will Chris's favorite scene be this chapter,

SwaggyStiles, Chloe, Anna, Bbrules1243, HarryPotter4Ever, cajunghost,goddragonking, Two Phantoms, TheMadHatterCharmed, Bountyhunter1977, selvincarrillo, Storyfreak0083 and a lot of others and guests that would take ten thousand words. To everyone who has favorited this story, over 600 favorites, I thank each of you.

As sad as it is for me to say, here is the last chapter of this story. Enjoy and thank you all for making this so rewarding. If you have any single chapters ideas like Lexie's holidays let me know. I cant guarantee that I will write them but I may. Happy Holiday season everyone.

Chapter 62

Alex Danvers was too shocked to move. The area had been cleared, the battle over, and a new foe, one not identified in any of the briefing material she had been given, appeared from nowhere, as if the creature had risen from Hell itself. The rifle was raised, some sort of laser powered weapon and she could only hope that Cisco's suit could hold up to whatever blast she would shortly feel.

The next moment there was a bright light and Alex was on her back. Looking up, she saw a blonde woman's back in front of her, wearing a red cape, being struck by a red laser, so hot Alex instantly broke out in a sweat. The woman stepped forward into the blast and punched the android in the chest then brought her hands together on its skull, crushing the head. Valkyrie heard hissing, metal crumbling and she saw the android fall to the ground, chest ripped open and skull smashed like an aluminum can. The blonde woman stood over it, breathing deeply.

"Kara?" Alex felt relief that her sister was alive but was very confused. How could she have made it from the Sahara Desert to Wyoming so quickly? Her confusion was gone when the blonde turned around. She recognized Kara's eyes, her hair, her smile but the face was slightly different, beautiful but Alex could see traces of Barry Allen's appearance. She wore a white suit resembling Kara's, the familiar red House of El crest with a lightning bolt through it. Her boots were red also and though there was no mask on her face, Alex imagined she wore one as well.

"Hi Aunt Alex. It is so good to see you again." Lexie told her Aunt, reaching out her hand and pulling the woman up.

"Lexie? How… what…"

"I know. I just… I had to see you. It has been so long and I never forgot your face, your smile, but I couldn't remember what you sounded like."

Alex shook her head, trying to come to grasp with Kara's clone standing in front of her when the shorter version was in Watchtower.

"You are from the future. You time traveled…why?"

Lexie reached out and touched her Aunt's cheek.

"I just wanted to see you, to talk to you. I'm seventeen and sometimes it feels like yesterday that I saw you and sometimes it feels like eleven very long years since you…"

"Eleven years… you were six? Six when… why haven't you seen me?" Alex asked quickly, still taking in her niece but trying to understand what was happening.

"You… after this battle, you were back on our Earth and the League raided an offshoot HIVE facility. Nyssa wanted to wait but you chased a guard. It was a hologram, not a guard, but you didn't know that. When you entered the building the floor retracted. There were gears… like meat grinders from what I understand. You couldn't get out and your feet were stuck. Aunt Nyssa ran in after you, just in time to see you being ground up. You stayed alive until your head was smashed in and… oh my God, look at your face! You are so gullible! Seriously, if I had my phone right now I would so take a picture of this! Hey… Aunt Alex? It's okay, breathe. I'm just joking, you aren't going to be turned into hamburger. Chill okay? If you have a heart attack right now that will seriously screw up the timeline and I will be so grounded."

Alex took a deep breath. Her heart was racing, she looked at her smirking niece…

"You brat!"

"I know right?" Lexie told her, stifling a laugh. "I owed you one and this was too good an opportunity to pass up. That clown prank was low so trust me you deserved this. Do you have any idea how hard it is to not only travel back in time but travel to a specific point in time in another universe?" the blonde asked.

"No… no I don't." Alex admitted, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Not very hard for me. Sorry about this mess. It was kind of a desperate times situation. I was totally not supposed to be there but I snuck into the fight and… I probably shouldn't tell you. Rules of time travel and all."

"Rules?"

"Yeah, like I can't say anything to screw with the timeline. If I told you… oh screw it, but you can't tell anyone I said this. It is very important, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. I won't say a word." Alex swore.

"You took out a very bad woman with a dark matter shoulder mounted torpedo Uncle Cisco made. It is so cool…I digress. She knew she was done for when she saw the torpedo coming for her ship, so as a last ditch effort, she sent her killer droid back here to take you out. She was a breacher, they all are I guess, but kind of wimps. Anyway I suppose she figured she could save her own butt by sending this thing back here to kill you, terminator style, in the heat of battle. She thought I couldn't track through dimensions and time. She was wrong. I followed Robbie Robot here and popped up just in time. So I didn't actually screw with the timeline, I just preserved it. Your welcome. Just make sure I get something better than a $150 for my birthday this year. I know the gift card is from you and Aunt Nyssa buys the cool stuff. Put a little effort into it."

"Uh… okay. Wait, no I have so many questions…"

"That she cannot answer!" a new voice shouted. Alex turned and saw a thin man with a goatee, holding some sort of small modified hand gun, wearing a tan overcoat.

"Well, look who decided to show up. Welcome to the party Rip. Got your fancy ship that some of us don't need, cloaked above the dome?"

"I told you I would handle this Alexandra."

"Do not Alexandra me! I crushed that thing five minutes ago! You were late!"

"It isn't easy jumping universes and time simultaneously!"

"I didn't have a problem. If it wasn't for me and Harry, your little tug boat wouldn't be able to jump dimensions. For a so called time cop you are always late. I just did your job. You are welcome."

"You little …"

"Remember what Uncle Ollie did to you the last time you called me an impolite name? Of course you do. We still watch it a S.T.A.R. as a training video highlighting the wrong ways to defend yourself. Want to take that chance again or just thank me for taking care of the problem you said you could handle on your own?"

"I would have been here, I was trying to make sure you weren't lost and…"

"Save it Captain Hunter. This isn't the first time I have done this and you know I know the rules. This was preserving a timeline and keeping my Aunt from dying. Pretty big change to the timeline if it happened, don't you think?"

"Fine, I admit you did better than the Jurassic mess this time." Hunter gave her.

"Get over it! All I ever hear about from you is the Jurassic mess. Nothing happened! I stayed above ground. I just wanted to see some real dinosaurs."

"A pterodactyl flew into you and died."

"He should have watched where he was flying. They all went extinct anyway, it's not like I changed the world. For a guy that has screwed with the timeline for your own personal benefit quite a bit, you can be quite judgmental and I do not like the tone you are using. Since I did your job, could you please collect the pile of metal, take him to your tin can and be gone? I'm having girl time here."

Rip pointed his finger at her, thought of calling her a spoiled brat, remembered what Oliver Queen had done to him last time and decided against it quickly, clenched his teeth and walked around her, grabbing the android by the leg and slowly dragging it off.

"Good decision Rip. Though I was looking forward to Captain Rip Hunter versus the Green Arrow round two. Maybe it would have lasted longer than fifteen seconds. Uncle Ollie spent ten of those seconds tying his shoes!" Lexie yelled after him.

Alex stood still, watching whoever this Rip Hunter was, dragging the metal away. Once under the air vent, something must have been activated, a tractor beam of some sort or magnet because the android and the man were gone.

"Sorry about that. He can be such a drag. Like I haven't been preached to enough about time traveling without permission already, diva over there thinks he is the expert. He does have a point though, I really am not supposed to talk to you about anything so let's keep this to ourselves, got it?"

"Yeah…yeah, of course. So… you have to go?"

"Yeah, I probably should." Lexie admitted.

"Can you just tell me… are you happy? Is your life…"

"Normal? Normal is boring. But yeah, I have friends I hang out with who don't wear masks half their life. Its all good."

"So everything is… I mean you go to school and dates and… stuff. You play sports and have … I know Kara was worried about always being alone and never…"

"Just ask me if I have a boyfriend like most 17 year olds, Aunt Alex." Lexie told her, loving how Alex stumbled over any uncomfortable conversations.

"No! I just want to know if you are happy?"

"Yes I am happy, I have a few friends who don't bore me to tears and I have never had a boyfriend."

"Oh…well don't give up or think you are going to be alone. Just… your mother found your father and…"

"I said I never had a boyfriend. My Amazon girlfriend is totally hot though. I really have to go…"

"No! Your Mom. Your Mom and Dad. I can't get through to anybody. Are they okay?"

Lexie shook her head. "Rules of time travel and I have already said too much. What does your heart tell you? You always tell me to listen to mine. I really need to get out of here before I say anything else. I just can't seem to stop talking sometimes." Lexie told her. "Besides I lost a bet with you and now I have babysit your brat tonight. That kid drives me nuts… wow, see that was one of those things I probably shouldn't have said. Okay, I am definitely out."

Lexie kissed Alex on the cheek, turned around and swung her vibrating fist into the air, a portal opening immediately. She turned one last time and winked.

"Yeah, I can open breaches with a punch. I'm all that and I say it humbly. See you in .02 seconds. Love you!"

The breach closed and Lexie was gone. Alex shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around what had just occurred and her niece traveling universes and time to save her from a killer robot. Wait, did she say brat? Alex's…no… yes, she said that.

Then Alex realized that Lexie had never answered her about Kara and Barry. The brunette ran outside, desperate to find a com, desperate for somebody to answer. She had to know if her sister was alive, because at this moment she had no idea what her heart were telling her.

 **Watchtower**

Jeremiah and Eliza stared at the dual screens, one without Barry and one with nothing but a giant fireball.

"Where is Kara?" Kal El asked, finally awake and running in, Diana behind him.

"Now you are awake?!" Jeremiah turned, yelling at Superman, furious that Kara once again had to fight and die this time in a battle he should have handled.

"Diana helped me…" Kal El stuttered, looking at the screens.

"She is in that!" Jeremiah pointed, forgetting that a very worried Lexie was in Eliza's arms. "She came to take care of your problem. Go find her now!"

"She… she was in the ship when it came down?" Diana asked, feeling sick.

"Yes she was. They are in the Sahara, so go. Firestorm and Donna are almost there. Make yourself useful and find my daughter!"

"The Sahara… I can be there in an hour…" Kal El started, having awoken from what he understood to be the dead, wrapped in Diana's very charged lasso, only to come upstairs and faced with an angry Jeremiah Danvers, slowly coming to realize that his cousin had died again. "No… this can't be… where is Barry?"

"I'll find Barry, you find Kara and do not let me down Clark Kent."

"I can send you both here now." Zatanna told them, appearing from nowhere, her eyes still glowing a bit purple. Diana and Clark both nodded and in a flash of purple light, they were gone.

"Grandpa, Mommy is there to put the fire out, right? She doesn't need help, she does this stuff all the time. Thats why she is there, right Grandma?"

"I need to get to Mexico. I need to get to Barry." Jeremiah told the room.

"He isn't there." Harry told him, voice breaking.

"He isn't gone. He has done this before, he told me about it before. I need to get there before he is gone. Cisco can you open a portal there? I need you."

"Uh, yeah but it takes a lot out of me to portal jump in the same universe. Once we are there I don't even know if I would be able to look…"

"I will take you." the woman in the black dress who called herself Raven informed the group. "Step into my shadow."

The cloak around her became even darker than before, the shadow around her growing until she no longer resembled a woman but a very tall, black raven.

"Jeremiah, that… what is she…" Eliza started, very frightened of what she was seeing. Jeremiah grabbed Lexie from her arms.

"Lexie, we need to trust this woman and step in to that dark shadow. Can you do it with me? I know you are going to be scared…"

"I'm not scared! I want my Mommy and Daddy."

"Mommy's cousin is going to get her. We have to go get Daddy. Just close your eyes and I won't let you go, I promise."

"Hurry. We need to get Daddy so he can help Momma put out the fire."

Jeremiah needed no further encouragement. Barry had to be somewhere, he had to be. His granddaughter and daughter needed him. Kara was not dead. No matter how hot it was, she could not die. She didn't die before it hit the ground, not her, not ever. Eliza would hold off Alex on the coms as long as possible but eventually she would have to answer. Jeremiah wanted Eliza to be able to say Kara made it. She had to. How many damn times did Kara have to risk her life for a world?

"Cisco?"

Cisco didn't answer, instead closing his eyes and running into the murky black shadow, and disappeared.

"Close your eyes baby girl." the Grandfather told her, running into the shadow behind Ramon, determined to get his son in law back.

Jeremiah kept his eyes open, and saw the light as soon as he stepped into the darkness. The ground was smooth under his feet and looking down he saw he was indeed standing on glass. There was no sign of Doomsday or anything else.

"I can't feel him. No souls have exited this plane recently near this spot. He is somewhere, but I don't know where." Raven told him, surprising Cisco and Jeremiah. They had not expected the woman to be there or knew what to expect for that matter.

"Thats because he isn't on a spiritual plane." Cisco mumbled. He placed his glasses on, reaching out and trying to find the Speedforce. He had done this once before and knew if Barry had any chance to come back, Lexie had to be the one to convince him.

"I can get you to him but I have to touch her with one hand and you with another. The Speedforce isn't like another Universe. I can't walk it and hold this portal. If he is there you will see him. Lexie, look for your Daddy, call for him and he will find you."

Jeremiah and his granddaughter, still in the man's arms, grabbed Cisco's hands. Soon they were surrounded by a whirlwind of lightning, winds blowing, the noise roaring.

"Grandpa where are we?! What is this!?" Lexie cried.

"I think it is the Speedforce. This is where your Daddy is, somewhere. Call for him, Lexie."

Lexie took a deep breath, scared but that was okay, all she had to do was what she always did when she was frightened. Call for her Daddy.

Barry, unlike the last time he had been absorbed in the Speedforce was not visiting with old friends, or conversing with the entity itself. This time he could feel himself becoming it. It felt natural, like his soul was where it belonged. The Flash had no sense of time or space, he was beyond that. Barry wasn't even certain how he had gotten here. All he knew was that he was becoming more.

"I told you we would see each other again." Zoom's voice echoed. Barry turned and saw the creature, his face disfigured, torn by the Time Wraiths, his body ravaged.

"Go away."

"I told you Barry. I knew it. You would go too far one day. One day we would be one and now you are here. You will become the Speedforce. You can destroy me forever, wipe me out of existence. Isn't that what you want? No more nightmares, no mores doubts, fears. Can't you feel it? Can't you feel yourself becoming more? Give up Barry Allen. Barry Allen doesn't matter. You are becoming a god. A true god. You have mastered speed itself, broken reality. Let your body go, stop holding on."

"Go away!" Barry screamed and Zoom was gone. He was just gone. Barry understood at that moment. This was his world. Here he was a god. He was connected with everything in the universe. He had a past, a life but what was it? He had been… running… he had to destroy something that could hurt…

"Daddy!"

Barry turned quickly towards the scream. He recognized the voice. Even as the Flash's body was pulling apart, his mind still held on. He knew that voice better than his own soul.

"Daddy, where are you? I'm scared! Mommy needs your help Daddy! I can't see you!"

Barry began walking towards the sound, ignoring the lights around him. He focused on that one voice. It was important. He had to find it.

"Where are you going?"

The Flash saw a man in front of him, one who he had never seen before, an elderly gentleman in a suit holding a walking cane.

"Who are you?"

"Where are you going?" the man asked in return. "You want to go that way? Your destiny awaits in front of you, not behind. We have been waiting a long time for you Barry Allen. Since the beginning of time itself. You have done it. The first speedster to ever hit light speed. Now the Speedforce is yours. Can't you feel it? The power, the knowledge, have you ever felt anything so euphoric? Have you ever been connected to the universe, a part of it? This is all yours now. Don't you want it?"

"I have… that voice…"

"Belongs to your human life. You have surpassed that. You don't need it anymore. Let yourself go."

"I… I …"

"Daddy!"

"Lexie?" Barry whispered. His daughter, Kara, they weren't here. That was wrong. If they weren't here he shouldn't be either…

"You have to choose." the old man told him with a knowing grin. "Be a god, be everything and nothing at once, be at peace, never know pain or loss, know true power, race the universe, see everything. This is your home, where you belong. You have always belonged here. It is yours now."

Home.

Memories flooded the Flash, memories of Kara crying tears of joy inside an empty house.

"This is it, Barry. This is our home" she had said.

Kara. She had insisted they paint the nursery slowly because she wanted to savor every moment of this.

"Do you know what a miracle this is for me? Do you have any idea?" she had asked him that night after they were done, looking at the symbol of the House of El with a lightning bolt through it proudly displayed over the baby bed. It hadn't been the first time she had asked. Everything she saw, every time, was like she was seeing it for the first time.

"I don't belong here." Barry told the old man.

"Are you sure? Life is pain. There is no pain here." the old man changed, Nora Allen standing in his place.

"It's your choice." the figure of his mother said. "I told you that your wife and daughter could be your anchor but you can choose to become this. You can let it all go, Barry. You have done enough."

Daddy! Come to me! I can't find you!"

"Life is pain but its love too … Kara… Lexie. They are my life. I have to find her! Both of them! Lexie is here!" Barry felt the connection breaking, the power of the Speedforce invading his body, tearing it to pieces, breaking him down and rebuilding him into a force of nature.

"You have to hit light speed to have this chance Barry. How often do you think you can accomplish this?" his mother asked.

"I'm never doing it again. I need my wife and daughter. Go away. You aren't my mother. I control the Speedforce, it doesn't control me. Never take her form again."

Nora Allen smiled and disappeared. The swirl of lights broke and he saw Lexie, in Jeremiah's arms, the vortex still around them.

"Daddy, I see you! Get me!" Lexie yelled, smiling and reaching her arms towards him.

Barry was hit by memories the closer he got to her, his body and mind becoming whole as he was pulling out of the beautiful chaos around him. Kara, she was in danger, Doomsday being destroyed… he was in the Speedforce. He had to get out. Kara and Lexie needed him.

"Barry come home, son. Your wife and daughter need you. Everybody needs you." Jeremiah told him, holding Lexie tightly but letting her lean forward in his arms, her tiny arms reaching for her father. Barry pushed, every step feeling like mud, the wind against him suddenly pushing him back, as if the Speedforce was determined he would become one with it.

Barry had mastered speed but he would not become it.

Straining forward, he reached for his daughter. She was crying and scared, not of the Speedforce though. She wasn't phased by what was going on around her. Her eyes were on him. She was scared he would leave her.

"I'm coming baby."

"Mommy crashed, she needs you! We need you!"

Barry moved harder, pressing against the wind until his hand was inches from hers. She leaned forward and grabbed it and with strength beyond her years, pulled him into her and Jeremiah. Grabbing onto her with both arms, he jumped as she and Jeremiah pulled and then it was gone.

The noise, the lights, the Speedforce trying to tear him apart, it was all gone. Barry was on his back, Lexie on top of him, holding him tightly. Jeremiah was on the ground next to him while Cisco knelt above them.

"Barry you can't ever…" his friend started.

"I know. I'm never going that fast again." he whispered. "I swear. Is it… gone?"

"Yes it is. Kara needs you." Jeremiah told him.

"She is okay?" the Flash asked his father in law. Jeremiah's face told him everything he needed to know.

"What happened, Jeremiah?"

"I don't know. The ship crashed like she planned but we don't know if she got out. We can't pick up any signals from her or Ray."

"Can you get back?" he asked Cisco and Jeremiah.

"I can get them back." Raven told them, surprising Barry, who hadn't even known the woman was there.

"Lexie, you aren't hurt are you? Grandpa is going to take you back and I will be there as soon as I can. I have…"

"Go get Mommy! She can't be gone. Go get her Daddy. Bring her to me, Charlie and me, we want her and we want to go home now. I don't like this Earth."

Barry kissed his daughter, pulled his mask on and was gone, moving fast, faster than a human eye could track but not at light speed. That was one barrier he could never again allow himself to break and he would never let his daughter. Even the fastest man in the universe had to have limits and now Barry the one he had to set on himself.

 **Sahara Desert**

Kara kept her eyes closed, fearing what she would see if she opened them. Every part of her hurt, not one inch of her wasn't sore, or cut or broken it felt like. She knew she was on her back, she knew the sun was overhead and was certain the moment she actually took a look at herself, new pain would rise.

Instead she breathed in and out, slowly, ignoring the extreme heat source nearby, and enjoying the sun beaming down on her.

"Kara?"

"Yeah Ray?"

"Are we still alive? Because if this is Heaven, you got a raw deal. You look like hell. How did we get here again?"

Kara did not respond immediately, trying to determine where here was and how they had arrived. She remembered being over Darkseid, pressing him into the floor, Ray by her side. Gravity hit the ship and the previous horizontal floor was very vertical.

Kara had used her X ray vision and saw the ground screaming closer. The blonde sent a blast of heat vision into the back of Darkseid's head, let him go, grabbed Ray and flew them both out, using her heat vision to melt through five layers of hull, while holding the Atom and making certain he wasn't smashed in the process. Kara and Ray had broken free two seconds before the ship hit the Earth.

Then a familiar feeling hit her, a shockwave from the explosion, overtaking her and blasting her and Ray farther. She remembered rolling over to ensure that Ray was on top of her when they hit the ground and that was it.

"I'm pretty sure I got us out a couple seconds before the ship impacted but the big boom sent us here… wherever here is. Where is here?"

"Open your eyes and you might be able to look for yourself."

"If I open my eyes the pain can find me. If it can't see me, it might go away."

"Is that some Kryptonian theory or do you have actual data to back up that research?"

Kara took a deep breath, trying not to wince at the pain in her ribs. She knew some must be severely cracked or broken and would need to either lie here for a few hours under the desert sun or try to vibrate her body back together. Superwoman knew her powers were not gone, but she was injured which was even more worrisome. Finally Kara asked the question, that had kept her eyes closed for this long.

"Ray, I'm not naked, am I?"

Ray snorted then laughed. Kara communicated her response in sign language using one finger.

"No, you are not naked. But you aren't going to be wearing that suit again. The skirt is a little shorter because it has an inch or two burned off at the bottom. Your yellow belt thing looks good. The big red S is holding on, maybe a little warped. Your right arm is now short sleeved instead of long and…"

"And?" Kara asked, sensing his hesitation.

"Those legging things you have on under the skirt? Kara, they kinda look like they belong to a hooker. Sorry, offensive term, professional companion, whose office is in a dumpster. Yeah, a lot of rips, some holes. But you aren't naked. You look like a superhero who got mugged and left in a gutter but reasonably clothed. How far away do you think we are? I would guess two miles?"

Kara finally opened her eyes, happy to see that both opened even though one eyelid felt very swollen. She sat up carefully and confirmed her theory about broken ribs. Looking to her right, she saw a giant fireball, ten miles away by her guess. The heat even from the distance was intense.

"Yeah we are a lot farther away than two miles. If we were within two miles of that, we would both be naked. Okay, I'd be naked and you would be in a suit of liquid metal, dead."

"Wow, thats a pretty big we are sure he didn't get off right? After you grabbed me, I kind of went with the whole close my eyes and scream strategy until I landed on top of you. Felt like we were shot out of a cannon. No way if he was with the ship, he is still alive… right?"

Kara stood slowly, using her vision to scan for life forms but even she was unable to peer into the tangled mess of metal and fire.

"No, he didn't get off. He is in there, somewhere. Maybe in a decade when this fire burns down enough that anyone can get close to it, they will find remains, but I doubt anything not extremely strong metal would be left behind. I am pretty certain I couldn't have survived. I need to make sure Barry is okay. Is the com in your suit working? Mine fell off… in that thing."

"Nope. We hit the ground and my suit went busto. They have a habit of doing that when you are involved."

Kara turned towards Ray and took him in finally. He was standing at least, wearing only the black body suit he usually wore under his suit. On the ground, was the A.T.O.M. opened up, helmet cracked, sparks from the power source, the only sign of any energy in the thing.

Ray himself had looked better but he had also looked worse, for instance the time Oliver found him with Thea. His lip was split in two places and he appeared to be standing uncomfortably, bending down slightly to his right. He also had finger shaped bruises on his neck.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not the one who resembles Stallone at the end of Rocky. I'll be fine."

"You're in pain. Are you… do you feel…I need to check you for internal bleeding. Stand still…"

"No! I'm good."

"No, you aren't. You look like you are about to fall over." Kara told him, more worried by the second.

"Its not internal… or it kind of is. Everything happened really fast, like hey we are going to die, then hey I'm in the air, then boom, shockwave, wow we hit the ground hard, wow, I'm on top of you, I hope Oliver doesn't find out about this, whoa your skirts kinda on fire, then I finally felt the pain."

"What pain!? Where does it hurt?"

"My uh.. yeah. When you grabbed me, you have that annoying habit of pushing off with one knee instead of pushing with both and when we shot up your knee came into contact with my groin. Thankfully the suit had armor there but… it wasn't designed for your strength. I kinda almost empathized with Prometheus for a moment."

"Oh, sorry. I can fly us out of here but because of the smoke and the lack of a night sky I can't really tell what direction the nearest civilization is. Somebody will be here soon though."

"Kara you still have a deep cut on your cheek that is bleeding and your nose still looks cracked. It's bleeding also. I think you cut your lip. Shouldn't you be… not bleeding?"

Superwoman shrugged her shoulders. "I was almost dead and I had enough in the tank to heal myself internally. I had to realign and heal my spine. I don't understand how Barry does it so quickly. I'm just glad I have my powers. A broken nose and a few cuts won't kill me. I've never fought anyone like him. He… he would have… you saved my life Ray. You were supposed to leave as soon as we hit atmosphere."

Ray smiled at her.

"Is this the part where you tell me I was stupid and I should have left you? Because it wasn't going to happen, ever."

Kara shook her head and walked towards him, wrapping her arms slowly around Ray. "This is the part where I thank you for saving my life. Thank you so much, Ray."

"Of course. Thats what family does. We don't leave each other, no matter what. So not to complain, but we are in the middle of the Sahara Desert I am guessing, standing injured, me in a black spandex suit that does not help one stay cool, and our only shade is the approaching smoke cloud. The fire is ten miles away and the sun is rising overhead. I am betting it will be over two hundred degrees soon where I am standing and since temperature definitely bothers me, may we should, I don't know, have a plan to leave?"

Kara nodded her head and looked back towards the crash site. She had hoped the heat may begin to dissipate but this did not appear to be the case.

"I'm feeling pretty good. I can fly us a short ways. I don't want to go to far and get lost or not give anyone a chance to find us. I don't know how much I have left, power wise and would really rather not strain myself considering I am still healing. You know he said he killed my doppleganger?"

"Rude! You should have told him you killed his."

Kara stared at him in disbelief. "I can't believe I didn't think of that! Okay, lets go to the far side of the wreck so at least the wind will blow the smoke away from us and maybe the heat too…

Superwoman's plan was cut short when two powerful red laser blasts erupted from the middle of the wreckage, metal flying away from the center of the blast into the sky. The Omega Beams cut a wide arc, seen even from ten miles away.

"You have to be kidding me." Kara whispered. "What does it take for this thing to die? Barry… if he is this tough, do you think Barry is okay against that thing? Damn it, why didn't I just wear my normal suit?! Okay, calm down, just calm down…"

"I am calm…"

"I'm talking to myself, Ray. Okay, I am calm, Barry is okay, he has to be. Lexie is safe at Watchtower and the Earth isn't in danger of blowing up because I know our team didn't fail. I just need to finish this and we can all go home."

"Kara, seriously, you look like hell. You are swaying. You can't fight him. Lets wait for help."

"He goes down, Ray. I can't have him running off and you know he is dangerous on the ground. I know your suit is busted but I really need you to try and get the com working somehow. I'll take care of this and be right back."

Before Ray could argue that it wouldn't be that simple, he watched Superwoman fly off in her tattered uniform, bloody and bruised but as fast as ever.

"Damn it Kara, you just don't know when to quit, do you? Guess I better get some help." Knowing the com in his suit was destroyed, he began working on it regardless. He couldn't make the ten mile hike through the desert in time to make any difference. As frustrating as it was, all Ray could do was sit and hope for the best.

Kal El and Diana had landed after being transported by Zatanna near the location, taking in the blaze from a mile away, neither affected by the heat. Donna and Jax landed seconds after they arrived.

"How did you guys get here so fast? Nice of you to join the party, second string. Lets find Kara and Ray. They got to be around here somewhere. Use that vision of yours." Jax ordered as a greeting, while Stein calculated plans on how Jax could absorb the energy and quench the severity of the flames. Kal El didn't notice his words, his eyes on the colossal pile of metal that Kara had been on. He listened but didn't hear her, he looked but the smoke and debris were too much.

"Diana? How did you get here?" Donna asked quietly.

"Zatanna. She sent us here. She couldn't be here because of the heat but she sent us… Barry had disappeared after…"

"Yes, we heard on the com. Kara had to have gotten out. She had too. She wouldn't let Ray stay."

"I know, meaning if Ray isn't out and she didn't leave, they were possibly…" Diana stopped voicing her fears when the twin beams of red energy burst from inside the ship. Her first thought was that some weapon inside had exploded but that was short-lived when a large humanoid figure, wrapped in flames, walked from the wreckage.

"Darkseid. He is alive." Jax whispered.

"Kara couldn't kill him. He must have… No! Not again!" Kal screamed, launching himself towards the creature, covering the distance in seconds.

Darkseid had not expected to be attacked so soon and had definitely not expected a dead Kryptonian to be the one to do so. He took the blow in his abdomen and fell back with it, rolling back and tossing Superman off of him. The flames licking his body were dying out, his skin impossible to burn but his strength was waining. The woman had taken him, beaten him, her and her friend. She was most likely dead in the rubble but she had accomplished her goal. He had no doubt this was not the only goal and suspected the Lanterns were tearing apart his core mining stations. The battle was over but he would not go down easily. Looking ahead, he saw the Amazon and one who resembled her in weaponry and appearance if not armor. He also saw the man on fire. This one had potential. He appeared to be a …

Darkseid's observations were cut short when he felt another blow from behind. Superman having recovered quickly from death it seemed, was as powerful as ever. The strike blasted the monster a hundred yards, and the two women and the Nuclear meta were closing in. Hearing the wind behind him once more and a trade mark scream of rage, Darkseid turned this time, catching the Man of Steel with a strike to his jaw, brushing him away. Turning his eyes back to the other three, he unleashed an Omega Blast at Wonder Woman, who used her shield to guard herself. Still, the power would not stop and Diana felt her feet being slid back through the sand.

Donna swooped around and struck him from behind in the knees, causing the monster to bend back, blasts following into the sky. Firestorm unleashed a blast of nuclear radiation that would have incinerated any human it struck. The Warlord showed signs of pain but did not stay on the ground, standing up even in the face of the power. Donna stabbed his chest with her sword, while Diana struck the armored neck with her's and to both their dismays the metal didn't give.

Grabbing Kal El by the cape, the man twisted and swung, using Superman's body to knock the two Amazons away. Diana regained her feet and slammed her gauntlets together, the blast knocking everyone off their feet, except for the Amazon Princess and the Galatic Warlord. The two combatants stared at each other, both breathing deeply while the others lay on the desert ground.

"Your weapons cannot stop me. They cannot harm me. You can destroy my ships, defeat my armies, my Furies, but you cannot stop me!"

"I've never lost a battle. That is a streak I will not break. You are powerful but you are not invincible. You breathe so you can die." Diana told him, twirling her sword, circling the creature, searching his armor for a weak spot. Donna dropped in from the other side. Kal El stood up and forced his emotions down. He could not win on pure rage. He had to think, he had to follow Diana's lead. Darkseid jumped high into the air, flipping backwards, so he was no longer surrounded by the heroes, now facing them with the remains of his ship behind him.

He never saw the cloud of steam caused by concentrated freeze breath, as Kara Allen forced her way into and through the inferno. He never noticed her at all until he felt her fist strike the back of his head.

Darkseid had no idea how long he had been out, seconds or days. He opened his eyes, crawled up to his knees and saw the glowing eyes of Kara and Kal El.

He fired an Omega Blast quickly, but for the first time in his existence he felt resistance. The Kryptonian's heat visions were countering his own.

Donna, Diana and Jax stood back, watching the cousins stand side by side, the power of their heat vision combining into one solid beam, meeting Darkseid's beam. The heat was enough to make the Amazons flinch and even Jax back away a bit.

Kara was exhausted but had never felt more powerful. Seeing her friends attacked by this still living thing had enraged her. She wanted to find her husband, get their daughter and go home, lay in bed for a month. She wanted this to be over. She had never been physically beaten by any opponent as she had by this one. Kara wanted him dead and at this point it didn't matter what it would take, she would make it so.

Kal El's relief at realizing Kara wasn't dead was quickly over, once he saw her appearance and the fact that she planned to go back into battle once again. He had let her down many times in her life but he wouldn't fail her now. The two stood side by side, straining, screaming in rage and Darkseid faltered. The two stepped forward and he slid back. When the monster realized he couldn't overpower the two together he panicked and used one last surge. Jax flew behind and hit the monster's head with a steady stream of destructive energy, catching him in a crossfire.

Kara screamed once more and threw everything she had into it, Kal clutching onto her hand and doing the same. The area lit up, Donna and Diana shielding their eyes when Superman and Superwoman's heat vision shoved Darkseid's Omega Beams into his skull. The surge of energy knocked Jax from the sky and Diana and Donna were knocked to the ground.

Kara and Kal El dropped to the ground, Kara bent over on her hands and knees, taking deep breaths.

"I thought you were dead." he whispered, leaning next to the exhausted woman. Kara saw, even through the dirt on his face, he was crying. She wrapped his head in her arms.

"I thought you were dead. We really have got to stop doing this to each other, baby cousin." she told him. Kal laughed, pulling her into a tight hug that ended as soon as both heard a breath. All the heroes present looked at the husk of Darkseid. Smoke billowed from his eyes, but he was still breathing.

"This guy is like Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, or something. What the hell does it take to kill him?" Jax asked.

He was answered when Diana and Donna walked over and stabbed their swords into the monster's eye sockets.

The breathing stopped.

"Is it dead now?" Kal El asked.

"Rao, I hope so. I just want to go home. The mattresses you have in Watchtower are not very comfortable. Donna, Ray is alive, safe, but his suit is destroyed. He is ten miles on the other side of the wreck. The smoke cloud is probably passing him over right now. Could you get him? And be gentle, I may have slightly kneed him in the groin during our last second escape from the Death Star's destruction."

"On my way sister. You are okay?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Yeah, is everyone else? Barry? Alex? Nyssa? Oliver, you get the idea, how are our people?"

Donna looked down not knowing at the moment. The last she heard was Barry had disappeared after defeating Doomsday before the teams attacked. She had been focused on getting to Kara.

"Donna Troy for Overwatch. Are the teams safe?"

"Yes. They all completed the mission and the domes are disabled" Winn answered. "Is…have you found Kara and Ray? Are they… they are around right? They got out? Eliza is freaking."

Donna smiled, for once glad to be able to deliver good news.

"Superwoman and the Atom are safe and Darkseid is dead. Please have the strange green men come collect this bastard's body. Diana and Jax will stay with the body and wreckage until they arrive. I'm going to bring Ray in unless he needs immediate medical attention. Kara says he is okay but she isn't looking well."

"Ask about Barry!" Kara ordered, still sitting on the ground, Kal El checking her over.

Donna tried not to meet her eyes, but Kara saw.

"Donna, what aren't you telling… what do you know? What happened?"

"Nothing." Barry told her, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. What happened to me? What the hell happened… are your powers blown? How badly are you hurt, what hurts, where is that damn thing?!"

"He's over there." Kal El pointed tiredly to Darkseid's body. "We forced his beams back into his head, Jax fried him from behind and Donna and Diana stabbed in through his eye sockets. The Lanterns can have the body for their trophy room and tell little Green Lanterns in the future about the day they took down Darkseid. She is hurt, Barry. She needs help."

"I'm fine. I almost died up there but Ray saved me. Donna, get him. I really don't want anyone alone with that thing's body still here."

"You are okay? Your nose is broke, you have cuts still bleeding, you still have your powers? Even after that?" Barry asked his wife, trying to slow his heart rate.

"I'm not saying I'm ready to take on Vandal Savage at this moment but yeah, I'll live. I just need a shower, a lot of sunlight, my daughter, puppy and husband in bed next to me, spoon feeding me ice-cream for a week and I should be good. Actually come to think of it I did lose a lot of blood in space but fixed the bleeds. I could use a couple pints if you are up for a transfusion. Other than that… yeah, I'm pretty perfect right now."

"I'm taking her back. We can be there in minutes. You guys got this?" he asked the three.

"Yeah, get her taken care of quickly. We will be right there." Kal told him, then kissed Kara on the cheek. Barry picked her up and she fell asleep before he cleared the desert and hit the open ocean.

Diana watched the star crossed couple leave, for a second before they were out of sight. Patting Kal El on the back and helping him stand, the Princess gave him a smile.

"So we probably should have called them when this first happened, huh? We are going to have to listen to Bruce say I told you so, for the next year."

"We can always throw him into space." Kal suggested, taking a deep breath and smiling. Kara would be okay, the world was safe, Barry was safe and Lexie had her parents. He wasn't sure where he had been while he was out, but he did dream. He dreamed of Lois, of his mother cooking his favorite pie, tucking him at night, his father letting him drive the tractor for the first time. He also dreamed of pulling a young girl out of a pod. In his dreams he took her home and raised her, but understood now it wasn't to be. He knew she was the warrior she was now because of the Danvers. He also hoped just once in this life, he would be able to help her as many times as she had helped him.

 **Watchtower**

Kara woke but kept her eyes closed once again. She recognized the flat surface including the heat overhead and knew she was in a solar bed. She also knew the blonde hair that tickled her cheek was her daughter snuggled up to her. She knew Barry was on the other side because of his breathing and the feel of his arm around her waist and she knew the three pound weight on her chest was Charlie. The heat was not strong, instead just a pleasant warmth but Charlie had to be sweating under his natural fur coat.

Opening her eyes, Lexie's head popped up, looking at her from above.

"You crashed."

"Yeah, I had to."

"Your eye is black. Both of them were but one is better. Second String had to do something to your nose. It snapped but doesn't look smashed anymore, so I guess thats good."

"Second String?"

"Thats what our family calls your cousin that likes to play sick."

"That is Kal El and he is family. Don't call him names."

Lexie shrugged her shoulders. "Thats what everybody calls him. I thought it was his name. I should probably say I'm sorry to him later, huh?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure he knows it was a misunderstanding."

"People were cryin. I thought you… weren't coming back to me." the little girl told her mother, leaning her head onto Kara's forehead.

"I am always going to come back to you. I had a hard fight but that happens sometimes. The thing you have to always believe is that I am going to do everything I can to win. It takes a lot to beat me."

"I heard you burned eyes with Second String… I mean Kav…Kol… that guy, and shot the other monster's burning eyes into his brain and then Jax was burnin him and Diana and Donna shoved their swords in his eyes. Is that true? Cause it sounds so cool." she told her mother, still in awe of the stories she had heard.

Kara frowned, not liking the idea of Lexie hearing such violent details.

"Who told you that?"

"Super hearin." she explained as if it should be obvious.

"Hearing." Kara corrected in return.

"Hearing. Is it true? Did you burn his eyeballs out? Cause if you didn't, I can. I don't like people to hurt you."

"I did, but we don't need to talk about that. Just forget about it, okay? Is Aunt Alex okay?"

"Yeah, but she is actin… acting weird. She called me a brat and then thanked me. Then she said it wasn't funny and I could have just told her you were okay. I think she may have got knocked in the head and isn't thinking right. She said she was okay though."

"Good. I told you it would be okay. I came back and Daddy came back…"

"Yeah, that was so weird. Daddy did something to the monster before I woke up and when I walked into the TV room everybody was crying and sayin you were on fire and Uncle Ray was on fire and Daddy disappeared. So you know the lady dressed like a witch? Not our Anna, she has cool jackets, but the spooky one and you can see like all of her leg which is weird cause you think she would get cold, anyway she turned into this big black shadow monster thing and Grandpa grabbed me, then Unca Cisco and me and Grandpa ran into the shadow thing and when we got there we were on a glass ground and Unca Cisco touched us and we were surrounded by these lights and wind, it was like this really bad storm only no water or nothin, and I started screaming for Daddy, cause Grandpa swore he was in that mess. Then I finally saw him and he was like being pulled apart and turning into light but then he was moving towards me and he was going slow because the wind was bad and Grandpa and I grabbed his hands when he reached for us and pulled him out of whatever that was. Grandpa said it was the Speedforce, whatever I guess. I guess it makes you go fast because of all the wind. Anyway, Daddy was all in one piece again and ran off to get you, then me and Grandpa went back into the spooky shadow thing and…"

"Stop… just please stop." Kara begged. "You went into a shadow… a magical, freaky black shadow… thats it, I'm going to let Jax baptize you. This is getting ridiculous. So Daddy went into the Speedforce huh?"

"Yeah, it was scary but once you got used to the noise and the lightning and the lights and the wind and the weird black ghosts and… it was still scary. I couldn't get used to it. Daddy tell her about it!"

Lexie slapped Barry on the back of his head, waking him up. He shot up, hit his head on the solar panel above, shook his head, then saw his daughter, Charlie and Kara looking at him.

"Hey, you are up. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Kara told him shortly. "Have any problems with Doomsday?"

"Uh… I had to hit him twice. I didn't hit light speed the first time but the second time went great, no black holes, no anomaly or anything like that." Barry said carefully, looking at Lexie who was smiling at him.

"Second time went great, huh? Nothing unusual happened?"

"You told her?" he asked his daughter.

"Just about you getting stuck in the Speedforce and us having to go through some shadow monster and then into that weird place and you bein tore apart and we had to pull you back cause you was having a hard time getting out. Then I told her about our trip back into the weird, scary shadow monster and I haven't gotten to the part where everybody cheered when we got back cause you hadn't disgrated…disintegrated and Aunt Donna said Mommy was alive and hadn't burned up like everybody thought. You can tell her the rest."

Barry sighed. "I think you pretty much just covered it, Lexie. So… you almost didn't get out of the ship?"

"Our daughter could have been attacked by poltergeists. You said you wouldn't get stuck in the Speedforce."

"I never said that for sure. I wasn't anyway. Lexie, she brought me back. I heard her voice and… before that I didn't know who I was or hardly being human, but her voice reminded me of the two of you and everything came back. I came back."

Kara sighed, smiling at him, just glad he was okay now. If she had lost him… she would have had to go on, be strong for Lexie but half her soul would have always been missing.

"Seriously, how are you feeling? Everybody is camped outside waiting. Caitlin, Alex and Eliza have been hovering for the past four hours. We couldn't do a blood transfusion because you still had your powers and Caitlin was scared if they tried to dim them in anyway you might crash. The swelling in one eye is down but, the other… Kal set your nose and she thinks your ribs aren't completely broken anymore. You were having trouble breathing when you first came in but its gotten better. She thinks your hand may still be broke and your ankle is still swollen."

"I honestly don't know how I am feeling. I am sore everywhere but… how long was I out?"

"Since yesterday Mommy. I was scared you were going to sleep like Second… your cousin."

"Nah, I just needed my rest. I'll be back to my old self in no time. I just want to go home."

"Cool, me too! Hey, we can hang your costume next to the other one in the secret room. You tore up two now! Didn't you have two sleeves? You smell like smoke a little, no a lot. A shower might be a good idea too."

Kara just now realized she was still wearing her Supergirl costume. "You couldn't have changed me?" she asked her husband, smiling.

"Caitlin said with your ribs and ankle, cutting this one off may be easy but putting your other one on would be pretty hard without moving you much. She used the cellular 3 D spectrum device on you instead of your suit. I can get you some crutches and…"

"I don't need crutches." Barry slid over while Kara pulled Charlie to her chest and sat on the edge of the bed. Her ankle did hurt but it would be healed by tomorrow. Once she got under her sun lamp at S.T.A.R. or had enough energy to bother trying to vibrate again, the lingering injuries would go away.

"There are some people that want to see you. Alex and Caitlin are going to kill me for not letting them know you were up five minutes ago and Eliza is going to give me a lecture."

"I guess you better let them in." Kara suggested, loving the idea of Eliza lecturing Barry and suggesting she include forbidding him to hit light speed ever again in the conversation.

The three women rushed in, followed by the rest of the Earth 1 League, the large room becoming very small quickly. Ray was walking fine now it seemed, and a quick look with X ray told her everyone was uninjured. It was a miracle but the power of hope was very strong and it had gotten them through another battle.

Alex slapped her in the head for not getting out sooner then squeezed her in a hug. Caitlin ordered her to shower and change into her suit so she could do a proper exam but not before grabbing onto her best friend for at least a minute and Eliza stood over her silently crying tears of happiness and utter relief. She caught Jeremiah's eye and winked at him. The man was relieved, not sure if she should be scared because he took Lexie into a black magic whole or if Kara would let it slide since they saved Barry. It didn't matter. He knew all her guilt trip weaknesses. As terrifying as the previous day had been and watching her overnight, he was proud today. His girls had once again saved the world and once again came back to him and Eliza.

Alex helped Kara, who still refused crutches, to the locker room to find Oliver waiting for her. He wrapped her in a hug.

"You did good. Shengcun." he whispered to her.

"Jiating, gege."

Oliver laughed, feeling some tension leave his body. Thea was okay, Kara was okay, the team was bruised, Kara, Ray and Barry almost died but they had survived. "So this is sorta what you looked like back here, only less rips and dirt and… two sleeves? Skirt was probably a couple inches longer too. Looks like that suit is ready to be thrown away."

"Nope. I'm keeping it, and hanging it on my wall at S.T.A.R. right next to my other one. Its perfect the way it is. Another crucible we survived. Do you feel stronger?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." he admitted.

"Good. Me too."

"Okay enough bonding in Mandarin, you nerds. I'm the only one allowed to talk to my sister in another language. Shower, uniform, let everybody thank us and then we are going home." Alex ordered. "And then we are going to all spend a couple weeks in our very nice residences in Coast City and relax while Kara and I cuddle for days."

Once Kara had showered and once again wore the uniform with the House of Allen crest on the chest, she limped into the main control room with the rest of her team, to the very loud applause of the Support Staff and returning heroes. Bruce Wayne had arrived back and was the first to shake the Justice League's hands.

J'onn rushed in, seeing Alex and Kara, grabbing them both in a tight hug. Cisco turned on music and the party seemed in full swing. J'onn was so relieved to see his girls alive, he didn't find it strange at all when Kara asked to speak to him alone in the hallway. He followed her out as she limped in front and turned to him with a smile.

"Kara, I am so proud…" was all J'onn could get out before he found himself knocked to the ground by a punch.

Kara was standing over him, arms crossed and smiling.

"I did that for two reasons. Want to guess what they are?"

J'onn slowly regained his feet and morphed into his Hank Henshaw form. Rubbing his jaw, he grinned.

"I'm guessing because I didn't call you when this started?"

"We may be on two different Earths J'onn but we fight as one. Never leave us out of it again. Especially something like this."

"I promise Kara. No more. If anything threatens this planet that we cannot or should not handle on our own, I will personally give Cisco a headache. I suppose we have our own way of reaching you now."

Kara, satisfied, wrapped J'onn in another hug and began limping back to the control room.

"Wait, you said their were two reasons. What was the second?"

Superwoman smirked at him. "You shot me from the sky with a Kryptonite dart and told me to go back to getting coffee. Not cool J'onn, not cool at all. But now you are forgiven. No worries, I still love you. I have to coral my daughter and give her a bath. Do you know if anyone has Holy Water in this place? Never mind, Im sure I can find some, somewhere." she finished with a wink, leaving J'onn standing alone.

"I see she has learned to hold a grudge. Good for her." he admitted, shaking his head and smiling.

While Kara had a bonding moment with J'onn, Jeremiah pulled Barry to a less occupied corner of the room.

"So thanks for taking care of my mess."

"It wasn't your mess. Don't hang that on yourself, Jeremiah. Thanks… thanks for coming for me."

"I wasn't going to lose you. I love you, son. You are one of the three greatest heroes I have ever known. I suppose four since Caitlin belongs in there as well."

Jeremiah pulled a surprised Barry into a hug. "As great as this victory party is, I'm ready to get my family home. All of them, even Harry. I'm thinking we take a few days off and do a lot of grilling. By that I mean I'll drink beer with your Dads and you are going to grill. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah, I am definitely ready to get off this Earth. Oliver, Thea and Nyssa have been watching the support staff for any signs of Kryptonite weapons and Martin is wandering through the crowd with a rad meter. They are starting to make me paranoid. Kara's chest piece should warn us but I still want to leave."

"Damn, I hadn't even thought of that. Thanks Barry, I was just starting to relax. Kara's suit is bullet proof right?"

"Yeah… Lexie! Lexie stop… do not play with that sword!" Barry told his giggling daughter who was holding the sword formerly belonging to Ares. Of course Diana had let her hold it.

Kara found Cat Grant, alone in the Hall of Honor.

"What are you doing?"

"Wondering what my life would have been like if you had never come to work for me and being very thankful you did, even if you have been competing with my mother as the topic of therapy the past few years. You can't help it, can you? Being a hero?"

"Neither can you. Your boys will be back today. We are about to head back and I will send them…"

"Don't be ridiculous, I am coming with you, at least for a week or so. I haven't been in so long I want to catch up with Lexie and see your art gallery."

"Great… but don't you have a media empire to run?" Cat shrugged her shoulders.

"The building is destroyed, even your statue outside. I'll have it remade, the building repaired and then… I am rich and plan to start living like it. The world almost ended, again, and there is more to life than the next story. I'm thinking of seeing the places I have been but never had the time to enjoy. I want to share that with Carter and maybe Adam if he wants to come. Yes, I think it is definitely time for us to take several vacations. But we will start in Central City. I will instruct Mr. Ramon to book my usual suite and arrange for a car… and driver. He is such a dear, and so naive. He actually thinks I'll pay him back one day. Okay, I have several bags to pack and need to find Oliver so he can carry them and then we can jump dimensions. I may even bring cash and buy one of your paintings for your museum."

"Wait, I have a statue and a museum?"

"You had a statue but it was destroyed by the death blast thingy with the rest of the building. I'm going to commission another one and the museum will be opened on the first floor so the public will always have a place to see the woman they owe their lives too. Of course I will charge a small admission. Perhaps we will donate the proceeds to a charity. If you see Oliver before I do, send him my way. Also the handsome man who you kneed in the groin."

"Yes Miss Grant, right away."

Kara's last stop before finding Oliver was Princess Diana.

"So I even need to say it?" Kara asked her.

"I had it, but thank you for the assistance." Wonder Woman told her.

"You had it?"

"I was just finished formulating a plan and as soon as I had defeated Doomsday… fine, I admit I was running short on ideas. Thank you Kara. I owe all of you the gratitude of our nation."

"Then reopen that portal and do not close it again. I want a rematch. I've gotten better in the past few years. I'm pretty certain this time won't be a draw." the blonde told her, looking forward to the challenge… when she had slept for a few months.

"You are still so adorable. I will definitely reopen the portal. The next time the world is faced with annihilation you will be the first to know."

The two women clasped forearms and then hugged. "I've missed you." Kara whispered to Diana who agreed.

Kara found Oliver talking to Sec…Kal El. Her family was a bad influence on her. She relayed Cat's request and an annoyed Oliver walked off to do as he was told. Perhaps it would win him points when she found out he almost pierced Adam's ear.

"Maybe you should come with me. You and Lois, I mean. We can get you identities, lives, careers, you can watch Lexie grow, and I can keep my eye on you, protect you, since you seem to get into so much trouble without me." Kara asked, hoping he would take her up on it. Despite her destiny being her own, she still felt the need to protect him. Seeing him look so dead had shaken her.

"Bruce is going to use my pod to form a breach emitter, stabilize the breach so we won't have to use a ship to get through. I'm going to be seeing you at least every couple weeks, I swear. I want to see her grow, be a part of her life. But… you were right. This world needs a Superwoman. Since the another Earth has claimed her, I'm going to do my best to fill her boots here. I'll be by once the clean up is started and on its way. The world has a lot to recover from, a lot of people need help and I am going to be the person the head of my House expects me to be. That person can't abandon those who need help. You will see me soon."

Kara nodded and hugged her cousin tightly, the pain in her chest and ribs was nearly gone so she supposed she would live. So would he. "Just stop playing dead, okay? The next time anything happens like this…"

"I know. It's a job for Superwoman. I have learned my lesson. I love you Kara."

"I love you too, Kal."

Superwoman found her husband and League gathered in bunk area. There were not many bags to pack, just weapons and back up uniforms, but they all stayed together, Cat Grant as well, ready to get the hell off this Earth. A last quick wave of goodbyes and the Earth 1 heroes, stepped into Vibe's portal.

 **Earth 1 S.T.A.R. Labs**

Curtis Holt had been in many strange situations since he had become Felicity's right hand man years ago. Black magic, nuclear missiles, metahuman villains, and flat out monsters. He felt, despite Oliver's opinion that he handled stress batter than a normal person. At this moment, he was stressing out, freaking out would be a better term, while trying to mediate an argument between Amazons and the Central City Police in the control room of the Justice League's home.

Carter Grant and Adam Foster stood behind him but to the side, not wanting to be stuck between four Amazon Warriors and a SWAT team.

"Look, everybody calm down, please! Put down the guns and…bows and spears and whatever that is you have, is that a blade on the end of that chain? Damn girl."

"Send these people away and there will be no problem, but I promise we are not leaving this temple until we have completed the decree ordered by our Queen." Artemis told the man.

Captain Singh took in the four women, armored in silver, like the Diana woman that see to train with Kara and Donna quite a bit until a couple years ago. While there were no colors like Diana's, instead only silver and gold, and no ropes were on them, an assortment of other weapons did don their bodies as well as silver bracelets like Donna Troy's. Singh had an idea if any gunfire were to break out, everyone in her would be in trouble except the people firing, if these women were as fast as Donna at blocking bullets. Stepping forward and holding back Joe, Singh decided to calm things down.

"Look, what is your name? You say you are friends of Donna…"

"Princess Donna. She has a title and you will address her as such." the red head told the man. Singh managed not to roll his eyes, grateful that Donna didn't act like a Princess.

"Sorry, you are friends of Princess Donna. My name is David Singh. I am in charge of these officers. This man next to me is Detective Joe West. He is Lexie's grandfather. One of them anyway. Now what can I call you?"

Artemis lowered her sword but did not lessen her grip. "I am Artemis, General of the Amazon Army and servant to my Queen Hippolyta. I and my guard have been tasked with bringing Princess Alexandra to Themyscira in the event a portal opens and only her parents and Grandparents return. They are all welcome. This is unprecedented. Never in the history of this world have men walked the ground of our sacred land. Our Queen is allowing it for the girls protection. We will wait until a portal opens or our Queen calls us back home."

"Okay…so we want the same thing. We all want the little girl safe. Barry has had plans in place since Lexie was born, a plan for us to hide her if anything happened to her parents or aunts. We have safe houses set up here in Central City, places no Government agency can find her. We know what we are doing."

"Princess Donna informed the League before they went into the portal that we would accompany the child to Themyscira. These safe houses you speak of, can they be found by men or are they hidden from the world of man by ancient magic impossible to breach and protected by thousands of Amazon Warriors?"

Singh admitted she did have a point.

"So our safe houses aren't as safe as your island but she will be safe. We are going to take care of her. You aren't taking her away and leaving us to wonder if she is safe, what happened…sorry but you aren't leaving with that little girl. She knows us, she doesn't know you. You aren't taking her anywhere."

"Joe West can come as can his daughter Irene…"

"Iris." Joe corrected. Artemis glared at him.

"Hey, I got a great idea!" Curtis interrupted, before anyone raised another rifle or sword. "Why don't we wait until the portal opens up and ask Eliza what she wants to do when they return? It probably won't matter anyway. Our team is all going to be back, Kara and Barry included and none of us all have to go anywhere, okay?"

"I will not fail my Queen." Artemis said in reply, not giving Curtis hope that the situation could be talked over calmly.

Further discussion was stopped when a breach opened, scaring the officers and other non Amazons. Artemis moved her three sisters in front of the breach, forming a line in front and bows raised at the officers.

Her three guard in front of her, Artemis watched the breach with interest, never having seen one. It was a fascinating sight.

"Arms down sisters." she commanded when Kara Allen walked out of the breach first, her daughter in one arm and dog in the other. Barry Allen and the rest of the League followed, quickly, glad to be home. The entire room took a deep breath. Artemis did not breathe until Donna stepped out.

"Princess! Your mother will be relieved." the red head told her, dropping to one knee as did the rest of the guard.

"Rise my sisters. Thank you for being here. Oh… I guess we forgot to mention the change in plans. I am grateful a battle did not break out…a battle didn't break out, did it?"

"No my Princess. The men were of the opinion that they would be hiding Alexandra in the event her parents and aunts did not return with the rest of her family. I was deciding on a course of action to slaughter them without harming the innocents when the breach opened.

"Thank you Artemis. Please take your guard and hurry back, let my mother know I am alive and unharmed, as is Princess Diana and the threat that her Earth faced has been destroyed. I will be home in three days time. I need a three day nap before I fly anywhere."

The Amazon Guard bowed and left, leaving the Police Department taking in a very tired Justice League including Kara who seemed to be limping slightly and had a black eye and the other a yellowish bruise.

"So…everybody okay?" Joe asked.

"Yes! It was so cool except when it was really scary. There were these monsters and robots and space ships and this guy who had a space station but Momma and Uncle Ray crashed it and Daddy got sucked into the Speedforce and there were magic shadows and I ate like 24 chicken nuggets and…and…"

Lexie stopped her rapid fire speech with a yawn.

"And you need a nap little girl." Kara told her, handing her to Joe.

"Henry is outside. We didn't want him involved if bullets started being deflected. We really need to get with Donna and go back over our escape plans for the little princess. Everybody okay? Kara you look like you got mugged. You lose your powers?" Joe asked her, while Lexie lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Nope, just fought somebody who was really, really, strong. We can tell you all about it… later. Right now I think we just all want to go home." Kara told him, her eye catching Cat's emotional reunion with her boys.

"So the world over there…"

"That bastard will never destroy another Earth or take another breath. Its over." Barry told him. Barry looked tired but as always his eyes roamed over Kara, checking her over every other second.

"Let's go home then. I guess Miss Grant over there is going to need a cab to her favorite five star hotel?" Joe asked.

"Cisco is going to call the limo service." Kara told him with a small, tired laugh. "My cousin is still alive."

Joe touched his daughter in law's cheek and could see the tears behind them he knew she would shed when she was alone. Kissing her on the forehead, he carried his granddaughter who was nearly asleep into the crowd of officers as they greeted their friends home. Kara and Barry heard several congratulations, but neither pain any mind despite giving out smiles and thanks. The two just wanted their daughter at home. Kara looked around, the room before they walked out, taking in the smiling faces of her family, all of them. Sara and Quentin were hugging, Ray, Thea and Oliver were actually laughing with each other. Alex and Nyssa wrapped in each other's arms, relieved it was all over and they still had each other.

She looked for Caitlin and Winn, finally using her X ray vision and hearing to observe Winn in Caitlin's lab, on one knee, finally having the confidence to ask her to marry him. Winn had told Kara in the past that though Caitlin never had said anything, Winn always felt like he couldn't measure up to her first husband. Maybe he finally believed what Kara had told him then. Winn was a hero and it had nothing to do with costumes or code names. She took a minute to watch Caitlin say yes and fall down into Winn's arms, then gave them their privacy.

It was time to go home.

 **Four months later**

Kara woke up, draped over Barry's body. The two had been celebrating their anniversary in their bedroom all night and despite being far away from the newlywed stage, never got over it.

"Good morning." she greeted her waking husband.

"I hope its as good as the night has been." he answered.

"Probably going to have to wait for tonight again. Lexie is going to be up soon and Oliver is coming by at Noon to talk about this New York showing he insists on. It might be a good time to show Lexie the Big Apple. Maybe we can head to Disney World afterward. Spend a week? I'll even pay for it myself."

After her showing in Coast City, Kara had become even more popular, the hottest young artist in the country. She still preferred to spend half her day playing with Lexie and Charlie and Barry spent half his workday at the Gallery. The League business as of late had consisted mostly of stopping crime in various sites across the US when an organized crime spree broke out or natural disasters where people needed help. No supervillians or madmen had attacked recently. It was a nice time, a great time, peaceful. Kal El had come last weekend, hung out with Kara for two days, and flew with Lexie who was getting very good. In a few months she would be starting preschool for a couple hours a day and if it went well, perhaps longer, meaning Kara would spend most of her day hovering over the school and keeping an eye on her daughter from high in the air.

But for now it was Saturday, a lazy day, of hanging out with whoever came by. Kara and Caitlin were nearly done with the details of her wedding next month, and Alex's birthday party was next week but for now there was absolutely no reason for Kara to get out of bed.

Except her stomach.

"Hungry?" Barry asked, hearing her stomach growl.

"Get some clothes on in case Lexie decided to wake early and join us. I will make us some breakfast and we are eating in bed." Kara ordered. Throwing on her robe, she made the short trip to the kitchen while trying to wake up. Unfortunately she stumbled into the breakfast bar, stubbing her toe on the edge.

Lexie woke and moved as quickly as Barry into the kitchen to find Kara hopping on one foot, holding the other and screaming. She was yelling in Kryptonese but they were words Barry did not know and Kara never taught Lexie.

"Kara, whats wrong?!" Barry asked, looking around for signs of danger while Charlie began barking to scare off whatever enemy had invaded his home.

"I stubbed my toe!"

Lexie and Barry looked at each other in confusion, since both had seen she had no bracelet on.

Then Kara stopped hopping. The pain was gone. She opened her eyes and softly put her foot back on the floor and tried to relax.

"Rao, I hate those."

"Kara, you lost your powers?" Barry asked, to be sure there wasn't Kryptonite in the base of the breakfast counter.

"Yeah, but now they seem to be… you have to be kidding me."

Barry smirked while Lexie was still confused. Stubbed toes didn't bother her.

"Caitlin said it was 95% effective. I guess we hit the other 5%." he told his wife, grinning as the realization of what this meant dawned on her. He was glad to see the smile that lit her face, when she figured it out.

"I guess we should stock up on hot dogs and peanut butter." she told her husband.

"Hotdogs and Peanut Butter? That sounds soooo good. Can we have that for breakfast, Mommy?"

 **The end**


End file.
